How to choose a manual vegetable grater?

The culinary tastes of modern people have become more sophisticated and more varied. Today, a rare housewife does with one grater with two chopping options, as it was before. Many dishes (french fries, Korean carrots) require special cutting. Cheese, nuts, ginger, zest need their own grinders. In our article, we will talk about manual devices for rubbing vegetables and other products.

Many people try to provide themselves in the kitchen with electrical appliances that keep cooking time to a minimum. But even the most advanced housewives can find a pair of hand graters among the utensils. Despite the fact that the devices are as old as the world, they have not lost their merits. The following characteristics can be noted as advantages.

• Compactness and low weight. It is not difficult for such a device to find a storage place.
• Easy to use.
• Durability. The products are so simple that there is nothing to break in them. It is not surprising that 2-3 generations in a family can use one grater.
• Hand graters do not need to sharpen the blades.
• The devices do not depend on electricity and on expensive accumulators, batteries, do not consume electricity.
• Hand graters are the most inexpensive kitchen appliances available to every household.

Modern hand graters have changed and acquired improved qualities. Many of them have a repulsive Non-Stick coating, dust, dirt, pieces of vegetables do not adhere to it during the working process. Such devices are easy and quick to clean, and are designed to be loaded into a dishwasher.

There are also disadvantages to hand graters.

• Unlike electrical options, hand-held devices require a certain amount of effort.
• The variety of attachments cannot compete with electrical or mechanical devices.
• Fingers accidentally slipping off vegetables hit a sharp surface, and although this does not lead to injury, the discomfort will be enough.

Modern industry produces a wide range of hand graters. Most often they look like a work surface located in the same plane or on a stable simple structure. Often attached to a vegetable container.

Mechanical products, although they require less physical effort, also belong to manual devices. They may already have a drum device rotating with a mechanical handle and look like a mill. So that the products do not fidget on the table, special fasteners are provided for them or there are vacuum suction cups.

Consider the varieties of graters that differ in the method of grinding products.

• Disk. In such tools, the working surface is located on a disc, which is driven by a handle mounted on top of the structure. The device has legs that raise it above the plate. You can purchase a round container grater or a vertical disc grater that looks like a meat grinder.

• Drum. This tabletop device has a rubbing surface on a rotating drum, which is driven by a conventional handle. The model is considered mechanical and is often used for grinding raw beets, carrots and other root vegetables.

• Universal. The multifunctional grater can be with three or more attachments, which have different purposes: for vegetables, nuts, fine - for grating crumbs or puree, with double knives (with gaps) - for shredding cabbage. These may include professional slicers for slices, cheese.

• Simple. A regular float is placed on a flat, one-sided surface. To use it, you need to rest against the plate with the lower end. A simple grater can be voluminous, look like a structure with four walls, on which cutting holes of various shapes and sizes are applied.

The functionality of the devices depends on the configuration, size and location of the knives. According to their purpose, graters are divided into certain types.

• For Korean carrots. To prepare carrots in Korean, special graters are used, which allow the carrot fruit to dissolve into long thin threads. It can be a simple device with two parallel rows of holes in the same plane. But a more convenient option is considered a spiral slicer, consisting of two cones, each of which contains cutting teeth aligned in one line. During the rotational movement, the strips of carrot come out between the cloves.

• For mashed potatoes. The device for converting a solid product into a puree form has very small sharp depressions through which fruits and vegetables can pass.

• For parmesan and other hard cheeses. Like the puree grater, the Parmesan jig has fine and sharp cutting edges, but they are specially shaped to prevent the cheese from sticking together and clogging the work surface.

• Shredder. With its help, you can quickly and evenly cut cabbage for borscht. Those who love thin, tender slicing of cucumbers in a salad can also use a shredder.It is also suitable for potato plates, from which chips are prepared. The device works simply: the product comes out of a certain thickness due to a given gap between two sharp knives.

• Citrus peel grater. Most often, devices have a long and narrow working surface with fine sharp teeth, equipped with a comfortable ergonomic handle. The tapered shape adds maneuverability to the device, allowing it to easily follow the curves of a round fruit. Some products are complemented with a special knife. With its help, a beautiful serpentine is formed from the peel, it is used to decorate desserts.

• For ginger. A spoon-shaped grater with sharp indentations inside the product appeared relatively recently and has become popular among lovers of the spicy root.

A large assortment of modern vegetable cutters only complicates the choice. To understand these products, after studying consumer reviews, we have prepared a rating of the most popular products.

• Prima Plus Borner. German grater of excellent quality is made of impact-resistant, washable plastic. Has sharp V-shaped knives made of stainless steel and 3 interchangeable attachments. Takes up little storage space. With this grater, you can cut vegetables into plates, carrots into strips, shred cabbage. The disadvantage is the high cost of the product.

• Regent Inox Presto. Sturdy square grater with steel cutting blade. Has a non-stick coating that repels dirt and makes it easy to clean the product. The effect of anti-adhesion to the surface is used. Each side of the device contains a certain type of rubbing surface: large, small, shredder, shredder. The handle and base are made of non-slip silicone.

• Moulinvilla Masterclass. Single-sided vegetable grater, easy to hold over the plate thanks to the comfortable handle. The device is made entirely of steel, has a beautiful design and a sharp, eternal surface that does not need sharpening.

When choosing the first grater for her kitchen, a young housewife will most likely prefer a simple one-sided version or a universal set of rubbing plates. If the family already has several such devices, it is necessary to choose according to the purpose - for Korean carrots, French fries, chopping garlic or nuts.

In any case, when buying, you should pay attention to the following points.

1. Equipment. It is convenient to use a grater with a removable container. It fits snugly to the work surface and allows you to neatly collect the grated product within the container.
2. Multifunctionality. It's good if the device has interchangeable attachments, so one grater can ensure the preparation of different dishes.
3. Material. It is important to pay attention to the composition of the cutting knives and the body. It is better if the cutting surface is made of high quality stainless steel, as the plastic teeth quickly wear out and become unusable. The body can be made of metal, wood or plastic - any option will do. As for the latter, you should pay attention to the presence of foreign odors, their presence can give out unsafe impurities in the polymer. It is also important that the plastic is strong, otherwise the product will simply shatter if dropped.
4. Stability. If not the simplest option is purchased, one side of which rests on the plate when rubbing, you should pay attention to how the grater has contact with the table. These can be rubberized elements on the legs of the device, vacuum suction cups, clothespins or screw fasteners that fix the device to the edge of the tabletop like a meat grinder. Check if the grater is stable enough on the table when rocking it during the work process.
5. Comfort. Pay attention to whether it is convenient to use the device. It should be easy and quick to disassemble, easy to clean. For ease of maintenance, it is better to choose a dirt-repellent plastic.
6. Dimensions. For small kitchens, size and weight matter. If you are purchasing a mechanical multi-slicer or just a universal grater, it is important that all attachments fit compactly, for example, in the supplied container for collecting grated vegetables.
7. It is better to purchase a grater from a reputable manufacturer., because it is needed for more than one day, and I want to be confident in the durability and thoughtfulness of the device.

The grater should be washed immediately after use, until the food has dried to the complex jagged surface, then there will be no hassle with it. If the moment is missed, simply place the device in warm water for a while, the product residues will soften and can be easily removed.

When caring for the float, do not use harsh abrasive products so as not to dull the cutting layer. If the metal is dark or stained, try rubbing it with a soft cloth and vinegar or lemon juice.

It is necessary to store metal graters in places far from humid vapors, in a dry wiped form. Proper care will extend the life of your small but important kitchen utensil.