Mozzarella: We shredded 4 ounces of mozzarella using the coarse holes on each box. We paid attention to whether cheese passed through the grater easily, creating even shreds, or if it crumbled into uneven blobs or sheared (broke into larger chunks that are then harder to shred). We also considered whether cheese flew off the face of the grater and made a mess. Blade types include coarse (largest), medium (between coarse and fine), fine, and a slicer. “A simple general rule of thumb is a coarse blade grater is best for any ingredient, like cheese or a vegetable, that’s going to be cooked—think hash browns, zucchini fritters, mozzarella or cheddar cheese that should melt while cooking,” says Flores. We grouped our assessments under crucial performance areas, including Grating Ability, Versatility, Ergonomics, Features, and Ease of Cleaning. Below, we dissect each performance metric and highlight standout models for each area. Grating Ability

This grater does it all. With it, you can zest or shred finely (great for garlic cloves and cheese to top pasta with); slice fruit and veggies such as apples, cucumbers, potatoes, etc.; and do medium or coarse shreds. Some of this, of course, could also be accomplished with some pro-level knife skills, but if you’d rather have a grater do the work for you, this is an excellent option. It also comes with a rubber handle and rubber base and is technically dishwasher-safe, but hand-washing is recommended if you have the time. In testing, we ran it through the dishwasher multiple times with no ill effects. For rasp graters, you have to balance the grater on your countertop to keep it upright, making it less stable than a box grater. For rotary graters, you have to hold it up entirely with one hand and turn the crank with the other, which can become tiresome. This worked well for both our hard and soft cheeses, and we liked that we could choose large or small shreds as well as ribbon cuts. This also did a good job zesting. This has two options for slicing, for either straight or wavy cuts. Both worked well for zucchini but not as well for carrots. In testing, we liked that we had a choice of cutting or grating with the inserts in the holder, or holding them up at a steeper angle, like a mandoline. The smallest grater wasn’t as small as some of the graters we tested, but worked well for both cheese and zesting. The larger grating surface also worked well. The julienne blade made small thin slices that were smaller than a traditional julienne cut, but worked well. The slicer was one of our favorites, slicing both carrots and zucchini with ease.The most common type of grater is a box grater, which are loved for their versatility because they come with four grating options (though some brands offer more). The next most common grater is the rasp grater, which some people also refer to as a Microplane (Microplane is actually a company that makes rasp graters). Rasp graters with fine blades excel at zesting citrus, so much so that keen home cooks often have these types of rasp graters in addition to a box grater. There are other rasp graters that also have larger grating holes that produce more medium or coarse shreds.

For the least amount of effort, flat graters work well because you can lay them horizontally on a counter and they should stay in place so you only need to grate with one hand—the Rösle Stainless Steel Medium Grater is a good example of a well-made flat grater. Next on our list is another food grater from Oxo. They make a huge range of really high-quality culinary tools and the Oxo Good Grips Box Grater is one of their best products. It pretty much looks just like a normal box grater, but it has one added feature that makes it extra useful. On the bottom of the grater, there’s an attachable container to catch whatever you’re grating. This tool will come in handy, especially for health nuts that like to measure their food because it has measurements on both sides. Plus, it has a small lid on top so you can also use the container to store food if you grate too much by accident.This grater performed well in our tests, producing even shreds of both hard and soft cheese. The big surface area of the sides and the wider, flared opening at the bottom came especially in handy while grating larger volumes. Since it is lightweight, despite its size, we noted that it might not last as long with heavier use (more than the average home cook). Cleaning was easy—both in the dishwasher and while washing by hand—and the rubber bottom is removable to ensure that no smaller pieces of food are caught underneath. All in all, this grater is a great value for the price. For a healthy and varied diet, we have an equally versatile range of graters for you in the ZWILLING online store. Here you will find a range of blades, sometimes in completely different shapes, for ribboning, grating and slicing fruit, vegetables, cheese and chocolate. As you can see, there's a lot to do in a healthy, versatile kitchen, and we have plenty of handy, practical grating products to help you put your culinary plans into action. Find out about our kitchen graters and discover the tasty possibilities that these kitchen utensils open up for you. A Microplane grater is an essential tool in the chef’s knife roll, and any chef will tell you they go through a lot of these over the years—a lot.As a chef, Renu Dhar has used her fair share of these tools for baking and cooking. In fact, some of the ones she's used in the past and liked are on this list. If you’d prefer to have one grater and one grater only, we encourage you to try zesting on whatever grater you choose—if it has a fine blade option, that is. We found during our testing that some did produce acceptable zests, like the Microplane 4-Sided Stainless Steel Professional Box Grater.

Slagle says the biggest mistake she sees people make with their graters is not replacing them when they start to wear. “If you’re struggling when you grate on it, or the ingredients are grating in mushy mounds instead of individual pieces, then it’s time to retire it,” she says.Reaching into a drawer can sometimes lead to unexpected cuts when there's a zester or grater in there. Some of these tools have covers that go over them to protect your hands—and potentially your little ones' hands. Decide if this is an important feature for you when selecting one.