The Best Cheese Graters, Tested and Reviewed

Our Favorite

Our experts agree that the Microplane Specialty Series 4-Series Box Grater is the ultimate grater for cheese. After testing nearly two dozen box, rotary, and rasp graters, this one took the [cheese]cake. Using it felt so effortless, and with four varied sides of sharp grates, it aced all our tests. We love how versatile it is and how cleverly it's designed — non-slip feet, a comfortable grip handle, and a removable ribbon blade make for a highly user-friendly grater. Whether you're a home cook or a more experienced chef or have mozzarella or manchego in mind, this grater is up for the job.

The Tests

To accurately assess the performance capabilities of each grater, our testers began by shredding and grating hard cheese. The texture, uniformity, and ease of use when breaking down 4 ounces of cheese like Parmesan gives us an idea of how difficult it will be to prep a large quantity of denser ingredients. Next, we moved on to soft cheeses. Grating a soft cheese like mozzarella can often be tricky; the grater needs to be sharp enough to produce uniform shreds rather than crumbling the cheese due to pressure. This is also a test in which we consider the tool's longevity. If there's concern that the blades might dull quickly, foods like soft cheese will be difficult to deal with.

To ensure we understood the full capabilities of each grater, our testers zested oranges to see if the graters were equipped with blades fit for zesting citrus. Zesters designed with citrus in mind will ideally produce a powder-fine texture from the citrus rind, but this depends on the blade's sharpness and style. For other graters, we hope to see that they have the ability to zest amongst their different functions. Often, graters without smaller, sharper blades produce a wet-textured result instead. This is especially obvious with citrus fruit that has high water content, like oranges. After each, testers rated the graters on performance, ease of cleaning, ease of use, and value.

Factors to Consider

Ease of Use/Comfort

Cheese graters are one of the workhorses of your kitchen. From a last flourish of parm on your pasta to a pile of cheddar for your mac and cheese, a good cheese grater is essential to great cooking. So, choosing one that is easy and comfortable to use is very important. If you only use a small amount of grated cheese at any one time, the manual options are fast, easy, and usually dishwasher safe, making cleanup a breeze. If you do a lot of grating, finding one that lets you achieve those fluffy piles without cramping will be a better idea, whether it is a manual version or an attachment for an electric appliance.

Cleanup

Cheese is a messy ingredient; it can be sticky and pasty and get into cracks and crevices. A cheese grater that is easy to clean will be your best investment. Dishwasher-safe versions are obviously the best choice, but if the style you prefer is not dishwasher-safe, it should either break down easily to clean and then reassemble just as quickly or be a one-piece unit where all areas are easily accessible with a cleaning brush or sponge.

Shred Size

Sometimes a recipe calls for a super fine grating, sometimes a coarse grating, and sometimes somewhere in between. Depending on how you cook, you may need a single grater with several options of shred size or a couple of different styles of graters that get you what you need.

Types of Graters

There are many types of graters available. If you have a food processor, you will have the most options for various shred sizes in the available attachments and the ability to grate lots of cheese quickly. If you do not have a food processor but still want the ease of producing a lot of cheese fast, there are attachments for your stand mixer that work well, or you can choose a manual rotary style grater which uses a hand-crank to quickly dispatch lots of grated cheese. If you only can store one grater, choose a classic box grater with four different shred styles to give you the maximum flexibility in one small package. For small amounts of cheese quickly and an easy-to-store-and-grab grater, look at either rasp-style graters or flat hand-held, which provide ease and flexibility.

Pro Panel Q+A

We reached out to food blogger Sapna Dalal, The Vegetarian Tourist, to check in on her thoughts regarding cheese graters.

What's the difference between a zester and a grater?

"Zesters are used mostly for citrus, Dalal says, "whereas graters are more multipurpose in their potential uses." While you can use some rasp-style zesters for hard cheese like parmesan or pecorino, they are too fine for softer cheeses. While they can be used for other foods, cheese graters come in a variety of shred sizes and are specifically designed to work well with cheeses of all types.

How do you clean a cheese grater?

Dalal keeps cleanup simple. "I prefer to use a brush for cleaning cheese graters." This removes the bulk of the cheese that might get gunked up in the little blades. The brush also keeps your hands away from the sharp blades. If the grater is dishwasher safe, it is still best to use a brush to remove cheese bits before running it through the machine.

What else can you use a cheese grater for?

Cheese graters can be a multi-purpose tool, says Dalal, and specifically, she loves to use hers for the traditional Gujarati dishes of her family. "Cheese graters often work well on vegetables. I have used a cheese grater to grate cucumbers for raita, a spiced Indian yogurt, and to grate opo squash for handvo, a savory lentil cake." Cheese graters can also grate frozen butter for pie crusts and biscuits.

What Didn't Make the List

Strong Contenders:

• Zwilling Z-Cut Tower/Box Grater ($40 at Zwilling)
• KitchenAid Gourmet Stainless Steel Box Grater with Detachable Storage Container ($18 at Amazon)
• Cuisipro 4-Sided Boxed Grater ($37 at Amazon)
  

Results Still Simmering

• Microplane EcoGrate Series Fine Grater ($18 at Amazon)
• Zyliss Classic Rotary Cheese Grater ($22 at Amazon)
• Rosle Coarse Grater ($45 at Amazon)
• Microplane Premium Zester ($18 at Amazon)
• Utopia Cheese Grater and Shredder 6-Sided Box Grater ($12 at Amazon)
• OXO Good Grips Etched Coarse Grater ($13 at Amazon)
• Cuisipro Surface Glide Technology Deluxe Dual Grater ($15 at Amazon)
  

Low Performers

• Cuisinart Boxed Grater ($11 at Amazon)
• OXO Etched Box Grater ($33 at Amazon)
• Westmark Trio Rotary Grater ($20 at Amazon)
• Deiss Pro Citrus & Cheese Grater ($12 at Amazon)
• OXO Good Grips Multi Grater ($15 at Amazon)

Our Expertise

Christa Glennie has worked as a freelance writer and food editor for nearly 20 years. She is also the author of two cookbooks and specializes in food and drink trends, agriculture, the regional foodways of Western New York, and the restaurant business. Her respect for simplicity and uncluttered counters in the kitchen ultimately fuels a desire to find and own well-designed, multi-purpose, best-in-class kitchen tools. Stacey Ballis, a freelance writer, recipe developer, and product reviewer, also contributed to this piece.