Does grating cheese really grate on your nerves?
It may seem easy, but can become a hassle if you're making these common mistakes.
Keep watching to learn a simple adjustment that'll make your next cheese dish all the greater!
Stop! Before you start smooshing cheese through your grater,
are you positive you're using the right one?
"I don't know?"
Well, you may be surprised to find out that not all cheese graters are created equal.
In fact, some graters are not designed for cheese at all. For example, nutmeg can be grated, as well
as fresh ginger and the zest of citrus fruits. There are plenty of grated carrot recipes too.
A grater can also be used to prepare a quick-fix mashed potato recipe. Various types of graters
have come about as a result of so many potential grating options. And a common mistake everyone
makes when grating cheese is to use the wrong grater. The classic box grater is a good,
standard grater, with a variety of different holes to choose from. It's probably the best
for grating cheddars and other hard cheeses, especially if a lot of grated cheese is needed.
Other types include zesters and microplane graters, which are small graters that can
also be used for hard cheeses for small, finely textured quantities. There are also
different types of nutmeg graters which are either hand-held or grinders with a handle.
Another type is the rotary cheese grater, which can sometimes come with different grating inserts.
Rotary graters are ideal for smaller quantities of really hard cheese, such as parmesan,
which really adds flavor to any pasta dish. Boska has been making cheese graters for a long time,
and these include not just equipment for the kitchen, but also ones that
can be used at the table too. Meanwhile, a mandoline is perfect for grating over a pan.
One of the most common dangers when grating cheese is either catching nails in the sharp
holes or grating knuckles, which obviously can yield painful and messy results. Slicing your
knuckles open on a grater is something we should all seek to avoid. It's unhygienic and downright
unpleasant. Besides, unless your name is Buffalo Bill, no one wants extra skin on their pasta.
"What do you want?!"
"It puts the lotion on the skin! Now!"
"Well, Say it, don't spray it, brother! Dang!"
One way to avoid such culinary pitfalls is using the palm of the hand to grate small
pieces of cheese. With the palm, rather than fingertips, you can apply pressure without
the risk of knuckles getting in the way, or fingers slipping toward the jagged edges.
This is a great way to not waste end bits of blocks that otherwise may be left ungrated
so that your fingertips don't end up being shredded too. This piece of "grate" advice…
…means that grating can be faster, too.
Yet another idea, is to make sure the grater is on its side and to grate slowly toward the body.
From bulk grating to shredding certain types of cheese, the best way to grate cheese might not be
with a grater at all, but with a food processor. Grating cheese to add to a single dish or a simple
recipe is one thing, but if you're making really cheesy meals, then you may find using a machine
far less tiring. Some people even find that traditional grating can cause pain in the hands.
Not only is grating with a food processor less difficult, but it's faster as well.
The key to grating cheese in this way is to make sure that the speed and settings are adjusted
to produce the grated texture you're looking to achieve. This is much the same as choosing which
type of grater and what size of holes to use. A good tip is to pulse the cheese and stop before
it's shredded to make sure it's looking how you want it to. Once again, the harder the cheese the
less likely it is to clump together. So if you're using a processor to grate soft cheese, a little
chill beforehand can help. It's also a good idea to add cheese cut into pieces that are similar in
size. This will help to give you a better idea of the amount of grated cheese you'll have.
A ballpark rule is that around 4 oz of whole cheese is equivalent to a cup of grated cheese.
The world of cheese is wonderfully diverse from hard cheddars to salty blues and gorgeously
soft varieties, such as mozzarella. Another popular soft cheese is the silky, smooth,
melt-in-the-mouth texture of buffalo milk burrata, which is renowned for its creamy
taste. Although this cheese is often eaten with bread, tomato, and a sprinkle of sea salt,
there are a lot of dishes that include grated or shredded mozzarella, such as pizzas.
According to an article in Pizza Today, an expert in the dairy industry,
Dr. Mali "Cheese King" Reddy believes that the consistency of shredded mozzarella adds
the right melt and stretchy elements to fit with American tastes when compared with slicing it.
As a consultant to top pizza chains from Domino's Pizza to Papa John's,
he has more than a passing interest in what makes a good cheesy-topped pizza.
However, grating soft cheeses can be difficult
because it often creates more mush rather than well-defined grated curls.
One good tip, from Tasting Table, is to put soft cheese in the freezer for around 15 minutes.
The idea is to make the cheese harder, without freezing it, so that it grates more easily.
One of the more annoying cheese grating issues is when the holes on your grater become clogged
up with cheese. This can occur because the cheese is warming up and becoming softer,
thus smearing on the grater. This can make grating harder work and a much slower process,
as well as being mighty frustrating. However,
this might be happening because you're not oiling your cheese grater before you use it.
Food Republic recommends spritzing oil on the surface of your equipment so that the
grated cheese doesn't stick to the grater. Oiling the greater can prevent you from
having to scrub away at a sharp kitchen tool to remove any stubborn stuck-on cheese. Of course,
it's not just cheese sticking to the grater that can be the only problem,
but also cheese sticking together after it's grated too. Aside from this, tapping
the grater will ensure that the cheese falls down and doesn't stay put which allows it to build up.
One big advantage of using oil or cooking spray as a lubricant is that cleaning can
be far easier too.. One tip for saving grated cheese from forming these clumps is to add some
flour before freezing. That way it stays separated and ready for when it's needed for a recipe again.
Or when you want to grab a handful to sprinkle on some homemade chili.
With a traditional box grater, there are generally four grating sides to choose from.
Using the wrong side with the wrong type of cheese can end in less than desirable results. With this
type of grater, there are different-sized holes on three sides with slits along the fourth side.
Two of the sides have slanted holes, and these are the classic cheese-grating sides.
The larger holes create bigger grated pieces and are ideal for semi-hard cheeses
whereby the cheese needs to be grated or shredded. The smaller-holed side is more suitable for when
a finely grated hard cheese is required, such as with a Caesar salad or pie recipe.
The third side also has holes, but these look like they've been punched out of the metal.
This is a zester, and when it comes to grating cheese this produces a fine dust that can be used
in dishes such as risotto. Finally, the fourth side is best suited to thin slices of cheese,
and can also be used to create shavings of cheese. The type of which might be used on a salad.
If you're used to standing your four-sided box grater upright and grating up and down
then you might be shocked to find out you're apparently grating cheese in the wrong way.
"Ohooo, noooo. Noooo. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…"
Yep! It would appear you're supposed to lay your grater on its side and grate
your cheese on the top in a side-to-side motion. This cheese-grating hack went viral
when Menuserved posted an Instagram video on her showing cheese being grated in this way.
It certainly sparked interest as a top cheese-grating tip to avoid grating knuckles
and nails. As well as prevent clogging up the grater with shredded cheese. However,
it was pointed out by some people that graters are designed to be held upright, because of their
rubberized feet. So not everyone is convinced of the legitimacy of this hack, it seems.
Graters use their metal "teeth" to cut up the cheese, and over time these holes flatten,
meaning that your grater seems duller or blunter. The best approach is prevention, by using a cover
to protect the surface and washing a grater by hand rather than putting it in the dishwasher.
Of course, one simple way to improve your grater may be to simply buy another one.
And if your cheese selection is high-end then this might be the most appealing option.
There are some pretty luxurious cheeses out there. Everything from Serbian donkey-milk
cheese to Swedish moose-milk cheese, and even cheese with edible gold flakes.
If grater holes need pushing out,
and you really don't have the time and energy to do this hole by hole yourself,
then there are other cheese grater sharpening tips you can try. One hack is to use sandpaper, which
is rubbed along the grater in the same fashion as when you're grating. Just make sure to wash
your grater afterward. You don't want leftover grit and metal shavings in your next cheese dish.
Definitely, an interesting hack is to use a ceramic cup,
rubbing its bottom across the holes. You can also sharpen a knife with a coffee mug in the same way.
A knife and a file can also be used to sharpen the edges of the holes and then push them back
out. Once you're good to go, the next step is to avoid all those big mistakes
everyone makes when grating cheese and perhaps celebrate with a nice, fluffy cheese souffle.
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