ISO proper way to use hand-held box grater

[mumu]

how is one to use a box grate? I mean how do you position the food ,do u use the long side or a short side of food .....if it was a block of cheese? does it not matter? also if cut cabbage in wedges ,again which way would u put cabbage against the grater? or really any type of food, is there a wrong and right way to place food up against the grater? thank you. If you rub the cut side of food only on the box grater, what happens if you dont have a cut side ,like a whole potato.

 

[pacanis]

It would depend on the texture you are going for. I grate the short side because I want shorter pieces of cheese, not longer strands.

 

[Andy M.]

It's not critical. It's important you have a good grip on the food and can move it up and down the grater. You don't really want to have the food wider than the grater because you'll grate a groove in the food.

 

[GLC]

The correct grip and orientation are those that result in a maximum of grated food product and a minimum of grated finger.

RIGHT
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WRONG
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[Bigjim68]

I quit using box graters a while back. For me, the microplanes work much better. What they won't do a mandoline or sharp knife will.

 

[Zhizara]

If I'm grating a block of cheese I start off on a corner. As it gets grated down, I rotate the cheese to keep a shorter side against the grater.

 

[mumu]

Hi

I have been using the box grater now for awhile and still cant get the shreds all the same length. If i grate cheese or whatever,nothing works. For some things i have it wants the shreds to be the same length. Is there something special you have to do to get this to happen? holding the food wrong,or is this always going to happen using a box grater,bec. of the multiple holes on the course side? Will it always have different size shred lengths?

 

[Andy M.]

I have never given a thought to equal length shreds for cheese or anything else. I'd guess it's impossible to obtain.

After safety, the only thing you really need to think about is the thickness of the shreds. You just have to choose the proper side of the grater to get that.

Forget about shred length.

 

[MrsLMB]

Hi

I have been using the box grater now for awhile and still cant get the shreds all the same length. If i grate cheese or whatever,nothing works. For some things i have it wants the shreds to be the same length. Is there something special you have to do to get this to happen? holding the food wrong,or is this always going to happen using a box grater,bec. of the multiple holes on the course side? Will it always have different size shred lengths?

I know exactly what you are talking about !

The way I do it is to cut whatever I am shredding into a square or rectangle.

Then hold it safely and grate in one direction - either up or down and not both - and do not turn the item. When what you are holding become too small for safety, get another piece cut the same size and start again.

 

[mumu]

so,with carrots or really any food you stay in one direction. i was turning the food all different ways now i know ..thanks. quick question .... the way you angle your food could have a play with the length of shreds too?

 

[MrsLMB]

so,with carrots or really any food you stay in one direction. i was turning the food all different ways now i know ..thanks. quick question .... the way you angle your food could have a play with the length of shreds too?

The shreds will all be the same size if you stay in one direction and on one side of your item.

If you have a square of cheese that is 3" long and 4" wide and you want 3" shreds then hold the cheese against the grater with the 3" side .. slide the cheese down, pick it up and slide it down again on the same side in the same place .. look at your shreds .. they are all the same size. Hope that makes sense.

Be sure to use a hand guard of some sort if you are doing things like carrots that don't have a lot of area to hold.

 

[Addie]

so,with carrots or really any food you stay in one direction. i was turning the food all different ways now i know ..thanks. quick question .... the way you angle your food could have a play with the length of shreds too?

May I ask why it is important to have all the shreds the same length?

 

[Andy M.]

The shreds will all be the same size if you stay in one direction and on one side of your item.

If you have a square of cheese that is 3" long and 4" wide and you want 3" shreds then hold the cheese against the grater with the 3" side ...

That would work if there was only one row of holes on the side. But the holes at the bottom of the side you are using will take of shorter shreds before your cheese hits bottom.

 

[Addie]

I know exactly what you are talking about !

The way I do it is to cut whatever I am shredding into a square or rectangle.

Then hold it safely and grate in one direction - either up or down and not both - and do not turn the item. When what you are holding become too small for safety, get another piece cut the same size and start again.

So what do you do with the waste that you cut off? Toss it out? Do you use it some other way? I just use the grater on my FP.

 

[mumu]

Nothing important just some of the fancy dishes i ran a cross want that. I didnt understand how to do it? When ever i did it i would always have different size shreds. I would always just run my food up and down the holes and turn my food (which i wonder if any one else does this) and got different lengths of shreds. Do you all turn your food on a box grater when you grate?

 

[Aunt Bea]

I use my box grater mainly for grating cabbage.

When I grate/shred cheese I spray the grater inside and out with PAM. It helps keep the softer cheeses from clogging the holes.

For me the old knuckle buster is faster and easier to use than a food processor.

 

[Addie]

Nothing important just some of the fancy dishes i ran a cross want that. I didnt understand how to do it? When ever i did it i would always have different size shreds. I would always just run my food up and down the holes and turn my food (which i wonder if any one else does this) and got different lengths of shreds. Do you all turn your food on a box grater when you grate?

Not me. I have never even thought about it. If it is cheese, you can do it with a serrated vegetable peeler. And there will be no waste either. I doubt if anyone is going to sit down to eat the food and measure the shreds. And if they did notice, I would think it was very rude of them to do so.

 

[Oldvine]

Sorry I can offer no help. In many decades it has never occurred to me that the cheese shreds should all be the same length. I'm just happy to get it done.

 

[GotGarlic]

Nothing important just some of the fancy dishes i ran a cross want that. I didnt understand how to do it? When ever i did it i would always have different size shreds. I would always just run my food up and down the holes and turn my food (which i wonder if any one else does this) and got different lengths of shreds. Do you all turn your food on a box grater when you grate?

Curious - which recipes call for that? I've never seen one that does.

 

[mumu]

Box Grater

any pointers on grating cabbage on a box grater?