Varieties of graters and their choice

Gone are the days when people ate simple food, and only one or two graters were enough to grind food. Nowadays, the cuisine has become more diverse, for the preparation of some dishes (Korean carrots, French fries), special tools are required. Today, many housewives have graters not only for fruits and vegetables, but also for cheese, ginger, nuts, chocolate, zest. In the article we will talk about the rich assortment of rubbing tools, we will tell you how to choose them correctly and how to care for them.

A grater is a special kitchen device for chopping vegetables and other food products. In the classic version, it is a surface covered with many holes with sharp edges or teeth. Depending on their size and type, a different degree of grinding is obtained.

This simple subject is constantly being improved. People try to get maximum results with minimum effort, that is, they want to rub the food easily, quickly and in large quantities. Now flat surfaces are equipped with boxes, plates. Some models of graters become like meat grinders - just twist the handle, and the process is already in progress.

Today, you can still find simple products with one or more chopping options. But there are also more complex, universal ones, with a large number of removable attachments.

As a result of their work, the following types of products can be grated:

• vegetables and fruits for making mashed potatoes, salads, sauces;
• cheese is not only crushed into crumbs, but also cut into slices;
• the chocolate is rubbed for dusting or filling for baked goods;
• grated nuts are used in the same cases as chocolate;
• garlic, ginger, nutmegs can be finely ground and added to improve the taste of dishes;
• zest of lemon, lime, orange is used in confectionery and baked goods;
• graters allow you to get crackers for breading;
• and even crush frozen butter.

In the modern kitchen, you will not find any kind of rubbing assistants: a drum grater with a rotating handle, two-sided, four-sided, round, curly, auger with a rotating screw, folding, with a laser sharpening. They are large industrial and small household.

But by and large, all modern graters can be divided into two categories: mechanical, electrical. Many experts also include handheld devices in the first group. We will also combine the review of conventional 1-4-sided graters with more advanced mechanisms that work without electricity, using the force of our muscles.

Mechanical graters, unlike electrical devices of a similar purpose, are light, mobile, affordable and compact. Devices are independent of electricity, do not need to be sharpened, and do not take up much storage space.

Modern mechanical appliances can contain large containers for collecting grated food. As a rule, the devices are equipped with comfortable, ergonomic handles. Thanks to the rubberized base or vacuum suction cups, they are very stable during operation.

Consider various types of mechanical rubbing devices that differ from each other in the method of grinding products.

An ordinary grater is located in one plane. At the time of operation, it is installed diagonally, resting the lower end on the plate.

Large holes are suitable for rubbing many foods.

This product is a slightly sophisticated version of the flat grater. The cutting planes are assembled into a single structure, which can be three-sided, four-sided, or even have 6 edges. Thanks to this, the device has vertical stability, it does not need to be supported at an angle against the plate - you just need to put it on it. Each edge is equipped with a specific type of rubbing surface and is used for different products.

This is already a more complex drum-type mechanical product. Cutting and rubbing holes of various types are located on removable drums. They are installed in a tabletop device that looks like a meat grinder. The device is screwed to a table or held on the surface by suction cups. Grinding is achieved by rotating the handle.

There are also hand-held drum graters, compact, affordable, but it is more difficult to work with them, because you have to hold the device with one hand and turn the handle with the other.

This type of grater is characterized by the presence of cutting elements on removable disks. The device itself may look different.

• Placed above a plate with legs.
• Have your own bowl. The rubbing of the product takes place with the help of a rotational movement of the lever located on top of the structure.
• The product contains vertically mounted discs and a rotation handle at the back of the instrument. There is no container for this model.

This type of chopper is suitable for garlic. The method of action is extremely simple: using physical pressure, the cutting surface pushes the garlic, turning it into gruel. Some types of presses are used to grind eggs or onions, such as an alligator grater.

An interesting device that operates on the basis of the pump-action principle. The device moves from pressing down, like a press, but the chopping occurs due to the rotating knives. The particles to be cut become smaller with each press. The grater attachments help you achieve the desired chopping pattern.

A manual grater with a V-shaped knife, depending on the manufacturer, has a different number of attachments. German brands have proven themselves well, cheap fakes may be useless. The device has sharp knives, quickly shreds cabbage, slices potatoes.

Housewives should resort to electrical devices, who often and a lot have to cook.

Small families are also acquiring electric assistants for the kitchen, as they do not want to spend a lot of time preparing food, wanting to save it for the family and other useful things.

Household electrical appliances for cutting and grating food come in three categories.

• A simple budgetary electrical device that has the functions of a grater, shredder, chopper. The device is capable of trimming vegetables with plates, slices, cubes, shavings and smaller fractions.

• Vegetable cutter with the ability to rub and cut products, combined with a meat grinder. This device costs twice as much as a traditional electric multi-slicer. It is purchased if the family does not have an autonomous meat grinder.

• Combines are considered universal helpers in the kitchen. They have a vegetable cutter with a large number of grater attachments. Can be combined with a blender, meat grinder, dough mixer, juicer or a device for making homemade sausages.

When choosing a device with the ability to cut and rub products, it is important to consider the frequency of its use. If the unit is needed for cooking meals on the festive table and during the canning of vegetables for the winter, you can purchase a multifunctional food processor. It has a lot of power, many working components that serve in different household occasions. But such a device takes up a lot of storage space and is more difficult to use and wash. For every day, it is better to purchase a simpler and more compact electrical device.

For the manufacture of the cutting part of the graters, metal, plastic or ceramics are used. Each material has its pros and cons, we will tell you more about them.

Metal is the most demanded material for the production of graters of any kind. It is used in mechanical and electrical devices, in the manufacture of flat, drum and disc rubbing surfaces.

Graters are made of stainless steel. Unlike plastic and ceramics, metal provides the product with strength and durability. It has anti-corrosion properties, but each brand has its own degree of protection. Some iron graters over time, reacting with food, begin to oxidize. This leads to a violation of the taste of dishes and even their safety.

A quality float contains hard steel notches that will not grind under the influence of daily friction. In production, their strength is achieved by hardening.

Hard food grade plastic is used in the production of graters. The tool is completely made of it, even the teeth of the rubbing surface. This type of plastic is absolutely safe, it does not oxidize and does not give a metallic taste to products.

You can purchase a double-sided product such as the BABY-GRATER for additional functionality. Fine-toothed cloth is used for preparing baby food, rubbing apples, bananas, kiwi and boiled vegetables and turning them into a puree. A plastic grater with coarse teeth grinds vegetables into shavings, can cope with garlic, cheese, chocolate and citrus peels.

Ceramic rubbers look different.

• You can find a completely ceramic product, including sharp teeth on the work surface. The device is presented in the form of a porcelain plate with teeth at the bottom. The set includes a brush for cleaning the rubbing surface. The grater is used for grinding spices, ginger, chocolate, grains.
• Ceramic device with holder and blade designed for peeling fruit, used as a grater for potatoes and carrots.

When choosing a grater, first of all, you need to have an idea for what purpose it is needed. As for kitchen utensils, they can be professional and expensive or quite budgetary (for everyday use).

Most often, consumers are interested in vegetable devices, but you can also pay attention to highly specialized devices for preparing specific dishes.

• Gourmets may need a truffle cutter. With its help, the mushroom is cut into thin, almost transparent plates.
• There is a spiral grater knife to aid in slicing vegetable spaghetti. By rotating, the carrots are dissolved into strips and then used for Korean salads. By the way, the same product is suitable for cutting zucchini and eggplants into strips.
• Many housewives in the kitchen have a fish grater that helps to knock down even dense scales.
• You can purchase a special device for rubbing nuts, chocolate, citrus fruits.
• Not every grater manages to grind the cheese, because it sticks and is structured in lumps. In retail outlets, you need to ask for a Parmesan grater.

If the task is to purchase a product for all occasions, choose a universal device with a set of different attachments. The teeth on the insert plates vary in size and can be large, medium or small.

The abundance of graters of different categories complicates the choice of the consumer. After analyzing the reviews and studying the degree of popularity of many models, we have compiled a rating of the best of them.

Professional handcraft made of top-class steel, does not oxidize, has a comfortable handle, and is completed with a removable tray. The product is strong and durable, suitable for active daily use. Shreds vegetables, grinds, suitable for making mashed potatoes.

4-sided grater with good stability. The steel cutting blade is coated with a non-stick protective layer, which greatly facilitates maintenance. Anti-slip silicone is used for the holder. The sides have the functions of a shredder, shredder, rubbing with coarse and fine fractions.

Mechanical grater with two extra-sharp knives for coarse and fine grinding. Installed above the plate. Compact, can be stored on the worktop to always have it close at hand. Easy to disassemble and clean. Dishwasher safe.

Vegetable grater with a large number of attachments. Made of steel and high-strength plastic. The set includes a bowl with a volume of 1.5 liters. The device quickly rubs fruits, vegetables, chocolate, makes mashed potatoes for the child.

Multifunctional rotary grater vegetable cutter. The set is completed with 12 attachments (3 copies of each type). Easily attaches to the table by pushing the lever. Shreds and grinds food quickly. You can work with vegetables and fruits, cheese, chocolate, nuts, croutons.

Before you start rubbing the food, you can grease the working side with oil: this will make it easier to slide, and the food will linger less on the surface.

It is easiest to use a float if it has a Non-Stick coating: dust does not settle on it, dirt does not form, food pieces do not stick. The product can be easily washed under running water or in a dishwasher.

It is better to wash scrubbing surfaces made of any material immediately after use, before food debris has dried on them. If the moment is missed, soak the grater in warm water, and after a while wipe it with a sponge of medium hardness. For severe cases, try a baking soda toothbrush.