What to Use Instead of the Tiny, Objectively Terrible Side of Your Grater
I have many memories of my mom handing me a grater and a brick of cheddar. More than once I tried the wrong side. You know the one – the one with sharp little star-shaped holes and it destroys everything from carrots to dish sponges. The other sides make sense. There is a large grate, a fine grater and thin slices. What’s with the fourth side?
What is the fourth side of the grater for?
The fourth side is for grating or finely grating the given ingredient. If you’ve ever tried to zest this side of a lemon, you already know that it doesn’t work. The punched holes are too aggressive and can damage the lemon, zest, pith and everything else. Instead of releasing flakes of bright yellow skin so you can use it, the edges dig into the skin and trap the pieces so you can’t access them at all. Not only will you end up losing the flavor, but you’ll also have to work hard to clean the damn thing. But not all hope is lost for this bizarre creature.
What does this side actually do well?
Forget about zesting or finely grating this side. Instead, let’s focus on its strengths: gripping fibers from the outside . While the other three sides will release properly cut produce from the inside of the box, this sharp side is better suited for collecting pieces from the outside. Use the fourth side of a grater to grate tomatoes for sauce or to grate hard, aged cheeses. Let the grater dry a little and use a dry brush to loosen any stuck-on fibers before washing it with soap and water. Never use a sponge. If you want to finely grate or zest something, you’ll need a different tool.
What should you use to make a highlight instead?
A rasp, or Microplane (a popular brand), is the best kitchen tool for zesting, finely grating, chopping, or pasteurizing most ingredients. A rasp can be identified by the shape of its teeth. Instead of a punched star-shaped hole like a grater, the rasp has small, sharp, raised rectangles arranged in neat rows. The rasp can be long and thin or wide, with a handle. The holes are slightly larger than the raised metal teeth, allowing chips to fall through easily and making cleaning with a soapy sponge easy.
Here are the two rasps I use:
Micro bars or rasps are effective for fine grating and zesting because the teeth are slightly raised. Instead of tearing a lemon peel or chipping a garlic clove, the sharpened edges shave off very fine shards. Use a rasp to grate garlic paste that “melts” into tomato sauce, slice thin pieces of nutmeg into a pumpkin pie recipe, or turn ginger root into a paste that doesn’t have long strings or fibers. Because the rasp is flat, portable, and usually curved, you can flip it over and grate upward to easily gauge how much savory you’ve prepared.
When the whole appeal of a four-sided grater is having everything you need, I can understand if you box grater lovers are dismayed at having to buy yet another tool. Well, it looks like the industry is catching up. Newer, fancier graters have emerged that do away with the star-shaped hole on the fourth side and replace it with a rasp. Here’s one from Microplane so you know it will deliver the results you’re looking for.
You should give this to yourself as a gift for once again poking yourself with the prickly side of that old grater. Whether you purchase the entire New School grater above or opt for a separate Microplane for your toolbox, the rasp is a truly worthwhile investment that will give you greater precision in the kitchen.