Overall, we recommend the Microplane 4-Sided Stainless Steel Professional Box Grater. This box grater produced even shreds for hard cheese, soft cheese, and citrus, the latter of which was hard to achieve with other grater types we tested. It was also comfortable to use and the blades were sharp enough that our tester didn’t need to apply much pressure to get the grating jobs done. The grater is dishwasher safe, and we ran it though the dishwasher multiple times during testing. The box should be hand washed, but if it’s only used for storage it shouldn’t need a lot of cleaning. 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.

Box graters are usually the de facto choice for many home cooks thanks to their versatility and stability. We found this box grater to be exactly those things, and due to its performance, believe that it will last a long while. This can be credited to its sturdy material and impressive sharpness. Our tester told us that the blades on this grater are so sharp that they would recommend people get cut-resistant gloves to prevent injuring their fingers (our tester did). This is good news though, because graters, like knives, dull overtime. Zwilling Z-Cut Tower/Box Grater: Our tester really liked the included storage compartment built inside the grater, the fact that you could use the grater horizontally, and the two-way blades, which resulted in “consistent and professional” cheese shreds. However, it’s much more expensive than other comparable models.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. Box graters usually come with all three of those options, and usually a slicer too, making them a great investment. However, if you do a lot of fine grating, getting a separate rasp grater may be a worthwhile investment. During our testing, we found that rasp graters often did a better job at zesting than box graters. The one that’s best for you depends on how often you grate food as well as what types. Box graters are a solid choice for anyone, but we found during our testing that some zest better than others. We also discovered that box graters are the easiest for shredding soft cheeses, so if you frequently shred soft cheese but also want to zest citrus, we recommend getting a box-style grater and a rasp grater with fine blades. Nutmeg: We grated one nutmeg berry on the fine holes of each box grater and each rasp or zester to see how easily teeth cut through the hard flesh of the berry. Although the Cuisipro is among the most expensive options on this list, it also boasts the best design. First of all, it’s what’s called an etched grater (as opposed to a stamped one). Though etched are pricier, they result in sharper, more precise tools. Plus, the Cuisipro graters exclusively have what’s called Surface Glide Technology, which reduces friction and increases the surface area of each blade, meaning each stroke results in more grated cheese, veggies, or whatever else you happen to be working with.

In our final product review, we’re taking a look at a two-fold grater from the popular OXO Good Grips collection. This gatefold design is unique looking and is the perfect double-use tool. It’s a kind of halfway house if you like between a box grater and a hand grater combining the best of both worlds. You can stand this style over a bowl and grate directly where you need to without making any mess. Or, if you prefer, you can snap it apart and grate over a chopping board instead. We really think the versatility to operate two ways thanks to those detachable surfaces is an excellent feature. Yes. “Graters are essentially lots of little knives,” says Slagle. “Imagine your knives if you never sharpened them—that’s the grater you’ve had for five years.” Unlike knives though, there is no way for you to sharpen the blades on a grater. So unfortunately, this is a product that you will have to replace as the years go by. 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. Who it isn’t for: People who want a grater that comes with a storage base and compartment for shredded food. If you are looking for something that you can grate, slice, julienne and also collect and store your produce in, then take a look at this OXO Good Grips complete grate and slice set. It comes with four separate grating surfaces, each of which is color-coded for your convenience. They can be used on their own or in conjunction with the transparent container, which also has handy measuring marks. There’s also a transparent lid which can be additionally used as a flat top for storing sliced and grated produce. The cover itself has a 2-cup capacity, so it highly practical in itself. There are non-slip feet on the container to hold your base steady while you are working.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. Easy to clean: It should be easy to wipe down graters to push out any remaining food bits, as well as to clean any baskets or attachments. Although we looked for dishwasher-safe graters, our experts recommended hand washing to prolong a grater’s sharpness. Learn More About How We Test Products What to Look for in a Microplane Grater and Zester Versatility Who it’s for: People who want a grater that doesn’t require a lot of pressure to keep in place while grating. Who it’s for: People who want a grater that’s effective for grating cheese but isn’t as bulky as a box grater.

The next grater on our list wins the award for the catchiest name. The KitchenAid KN300OSOBA Box Grater might not roll off the tongue, but it knows how to grate! It’s a pretty basic design, with three stainless-steel grating surfaces and one slicing blade. This gives you the option to grate, shred, or slice your food, but unfortunately doesn’t contain a zesting surface. You’ll have to buy a separate tool for that. If you like versatility, you'll love our popular Square Grater. This kitchen grater is a real all-rounder and can help you finely cut practically all your favorite ingredients. Our Tower grater with Z-Cut two-way grating technology has four grating surfaces that let you grate everything from fruits, vegetables or nuts to chocolate and cheese. As a practical extra, the Square Grater comes with a matching collection tray so you can remove your freshly grated ingredients with no mess. Box graters are efficient when they are sharp, but after years of regular use, the edges tend to wear down. If you find you're struggling to shred cheese or hard veggies, it's probably time for a new one. Sharp: Graters should be able to efficiently cut through hard vegetables or soft cheeses. You shouldn’t meet a lot of resistance when shredding or slicing on a good grater, and the results should be consistent enough to cook evenly or look attractive as a garnish. A sufficiently sharp zester will help remove just the right amount of citrus rind without ripping into the bitter pith. In testing, this managed to grate parmesan, but it wasn’t as easy as some others. However, it did a fine job with our softer Colby cheese. Slicing carrots wasn’t particularly effective, but it did a fine job slicing zucchini. We wouldn’t use this for zesting citrus unless we had no other options.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. All four sides of this box grater performed phenomenally during our testing. Our testers were able to produce uniform shreds of hard and soft cheese on both the coarse and fine grater blades with little to no effort. Our tester said there were similarly great zesting results while using the fine blade, so much so that they told us they’d be fine using the grater as an alternative to owning a separate zesting tool. They attributed these results to the quality of the grater’s material as well as the size of the grating holes, which our tester said were larger than holes they had seen in other box graters. 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. Rotary graters are the ideal grater for people who don’t want to risk getting their fingers cut while grating. With the grating blade inside this mechanism, you can avoid that accident entirely. All you have to do is place your food in the hopper, turn the crank, and you’ll end up with perfectly grated food. Our tester noted that the hopper in this rotary grater is larger than others they tested, so you don’t need to refill it often. We were really impressed with how the hard cheese came out, with our tester saying it produced “a large volume of fluffy, feathery cheese with each turn” and that “this cheese is thinner than anything you can buy at the grocery store.”