Graters

FOUR-SIDED GRATERS

A handy tool for grating a small amount of cheese or vegetables, each side grates to a different fineness, and one of its endearing qualities is that it is so easy to clean.  I tend to use two of the sides: the coarse grater for, say, Cheddar and the slightly finer side for Parmesan. The very prickly looking side tends to grate too finely and gets clogged up.

NUTMEG GRATER

Nutmeg is a spice that quickly loses its edge if bought ready-ground. I use a small nutmeg grater, which has a built-in compartment for holding a few whole nutmegs. It hangs on a hook within arms reach, ready for instant use.

MICROPLANE GRATER

The flat version is relatively new, and super-efficient at grating fresh ginger.  There are three kinds: very fine, coarse and coarser again. Be careful when grating citrus zests, though, as I find it can remoe some of the bitter pith as well.

ZESTER

When you want only the outer zest of a lemon (or lime or orange and none of the bitter pith, a zester does the job perfectly.  The outer zest of the fruit contains all the fragrance and oils that give maxium flavour.