The Microplane Grater/Zester is an Amazing Tool, Very Fun and Highly Functional!
Written: Feb 10 '04 (Updated Feb 11 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Grates beautifully, effortlessly, great for a variety of foods and purposes
Cons: Doesn't come with a cover to protect blade and fingers
The Bottom Line: This is a really helpful tool to have in the kitchen, from grating a block of cheese to zesting ginger or citrus fruits.
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| Javelina's Full Review: Microplane 8.5" Grater/Zester |
Recently, we bought a Microplane 8.5” Grater/Zester for a recipe that called for ginger. I have a regular small zester (two, actually), but it wasn’t quite what we needed. I had seen the microplane in Bed Bath & Beyond, not to mention scraped my finger on it, so we knew right where to buy it. This product cost about $12.00.
The Microplane
The microplane is a pretty simple tool. It has a black handle (which reads, “Microplane”) and a stainless steel microplane grater. There is a large hole in the end of the handle and a small hole in the top of the rasp. The handle is nice and thick, so it gives you a nice grip and leverage on it. Unfortunately, I’m spoiled from using Oxo tools, and wish the handle was like the softer, rubbery, non-slip materials that Oxo uses. You certainly don’t want to slip when you’re using this product! However, it is contoured enough so that I don’t have a problem.
The rasp is a piece of metal about 8.5” long and about an inch wide. The sides are actually curved around to the back, and if you uncurled it, it would probably be about 2-3 inches wide. The sides are curved around to the back enough so that you can use not just the front but also the sides to grate something.
As with most tools, you have to be careful using this one. If you’ve ever grated a finger or knuckle, you definitely want to be careful with this. The surface is very, very sharp, and the blades are very fine. I have been very careful so that when I’m holding something that I’m grating, I don’t get near my fingers with this. As I mentioned earlier, even when we were shopping, I nicked my fingertip as I touched the microplane – not much, but it will sort of catch on your skin.
Functions & Uses
This tool was originally used in a wood workshop, and the packaging tells the story of a woodworker who tried using it on food, only to find that it was a wonderful tool for the kitchen as well.
This product reminds me a lot of your typical zester; however, the cutting surface is a little different. If I were to drag a zester across the surface of an orange, I would get tiny but long (maybe an inch) peels of orange skin. But if I use the microplane on it, it’s more like little flecks (no more than ½” long pieces) of orange skin. I’ll get in to some more uses, but basically, I’ll be saving my zesters for things more like garnishes and so on, such as little carrot curls on top of a salad.
The microplane really makes grating foods quite simple, and pretty effortless. It leaves behind a fine, flaky pile of whatever you’re grating – not too small and not too big!
We have used this for a variety of foods. Probably the first thing that comes to mind is Parmesan cheese. They suggest this product for harder cheeses, so, err, don’t go trying this on Boursin! Grating a block Parmesan cheese is very easy, and you just rub the microplane over the surface of the cheese. I like the results, because you don’t get powder, but you don’t get largely shredded cheese either. You get fine, fluffy little shreds of cheese, which are great to use on everything from pasta to salad. This isn’t like using a regular grater, which will give you thick shreds (like when you buy bagged cheese shreds in the grocery store). The microplane gives you thin, small shreds. Picking up a pinch of shreds is amazing, like picking up a pinch of down feathers! This is absolutely great for salads, wraps, and melting cheese on pasta. It even looks great, because it isn’t a powder, and it isn’t those large, heavy shreds.
We are still in the process of experimenting with our microplane. You can use it for everything from chocolate to coconut to fruit rinds to cheese. We mostly use it for cheese, fresh ginger, and the occasional fruit rind. It certainly beats those cheap cheese graters that make a mess.
The microplane is uni-directional (rather than bi-directional), meaning that it only grates in one direction. A back and forth motion only grates food as you pull toward you. This isn’t a problem, just something to note. I think most graters are uni-directional, although we just bought a new Oxo grater that is bi-directional.
There are a few foods that this would be hard to use on, or that wouldn’t be compatible with this. People have talked about using the microplane on garlic, but I can’t really imagine being able to situate this tool on such a small item without sacrificing a finger or two. I have no problem with sticking to my garlic press or just mincing garlic by hand. Other things have to be the right consistency, so keep in mind that chocolate has to be hard/cold, cheeses have to be hard, and so on.
Storage & Cleanup
Cleanup isn’t really that bad. Of course, food becomes stuck a little bit in the grating surface, but with a nice rinse or a scrub with a scrub brush, it’s not a problem. I wouldn’t recommend leaving food to dry on this thing, because then I’m sure you’d end up really having to scrub it. This item is dishwasher safe.
As for storage, I do have a bone to pick with this product. The surface of this is sharp, with hundreds of tiny cutting blades. I learned my lesson on the display one, where I nicked my fingertips a little bit. Now that we have it at home, storage is a problem. There is no cover for this item. Even face down in a drawer, it can still grate your fingers. Any surface it touches, it can scratch or scrape. It is a woodworking tool, and it does have the ability to scrape things like kitchen drawers. We keep this in a drawer in a plastic organizer, so as to avoid damage to fingers or the kitchen. I really wish they would provide a cover, even if it raised the price of the microplane, because it certainly would be worth it.
Fortunately, there are holes in both the handle and in the metal part, so hanging this tool somewhere is a definite option. It would reduce the risk of damage or wear to both the tool and ourselves!
My Thoughts Overall
With the microplane, you get a perfectly grated product. It is perfect for many occasions, because you don’t get a powder, and you don’t get shreds that are too large. The foods are grated to a wonderfully versatile size, and are always nice and fluffy. The small size means lots of taste, and that it gets blended (or melted) into recipes quite nicely. I suggest this for anyone who needs a tool that can grate food well. I can’t say we use this all the time, but it is very valuable and worth having on hand in the kitchen. The only downside is the lack of a cover to protect the blade and one’s fingers.
www.microplane.com
Some of my related kitchen reviews:
Zyliss Zester
Oxo Citrus Zester
Oxo Swivel Peeler
Zyliss Swivel Peeler
Oxo Garlic Press
Recommended:
Yes
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