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What are the 4 sides of a box grater used for?

Author

Carter Sullivan

Updated on March 18, 2026

What are the 4 sides of a box grater used for?

Our 4-Sided Grater is perfect for grating hard cheeses, chocolate, zesting citrus, slicing potatoes or cucumbers and so much more!

Also asked, how do you use a grater?

For best results, use a simple up-and-down motion and hold the food at an angle. It'll be easier to press into the grater, and you'll produce a better shred when the food hits the holes at a right angle. The food should be sliced off on the downward motion.

Secondly, which side of a grater is the zester? Side 2: Finely grateFor a light dusting of cheese, use the side that looks like it's covered in round little stars. You can also use it to grate nutmeg and cinnamon and to zest citrus fruits. Just be careful—this side isn't exactly finger-friendly.

In respect to this, what is the best vegetable shredder?

Best Vegetable Shredder Reviews For 2020

  • Spiralizer 5-Blade Vegetable Slicer.
  • Paderno World Cuisine 3-Blade Vegetable Slicer.
  • Mueller Spiral-Ultra Multi-Blade Spiralizer.
  • WonderVeg Strongest and Heaviest 5-Blade Vegetable Spiralizer.
  • Presto 02970 Professional Salad Shooter Electric Slicer/Shredder.

Which side of the grater is for shredding?

Medium holes with a cutting edge on bottom (look like large raindrops) : used for shredding. Small holes with cutting edge on bottom : used for shredding when you want it finer than the larger size. Outward protruding holes with spiky edges on all sides : used for grating.

Can a grater be used as a zester?

The easiest way to make ultra-fine, delicate lemon zest is with a grater or zester. We like a Microplane ($15; williams-sonoma.com) best but if you don't have one, a sharp knife will do the trick. A Y-peeler or box grater are also great alternatives.

What is the weird side of the grater for?

Side 4: The side you know (and already love)
This side of the box grater probably gets the most attention in your kitchen. You can use it to shred cheese, as well as veggies like potatoes if you're making any kind of savoury pancakes (or latkes).

Can you use a box grater to zest a lemon?

The easiest way to make ultra-fine, delicate lemon zest is with a grater or zester. We like a Microplane ($15; williams-sonoma.com) best but if you don't have one, a sharp knife will do the trick. A Y-peeler or box grater are also great alternatives.

What is the best cheese grater to buy?

The Best Grater
  • Our pick. Cuisipro Surface Glide 4-Sided Box Grater. The best grater.
  • Budget pick. IKEA 365+ Vardefull. For shredding cheese and vegetables.
  • Also great. Microplane 46020 Premium Classic Zester and Grater. Best for zesting.

Can you use a cheese grater on potatoes?

This side of the box grater probably gets the most attention in your kitchen. You can use it to shred cheese, as well as veggies like potatoes if you're making any kind of savoury pancakes (or latkes). Use this side to shred tomatoes for a fresh-tasting tomato sauce.

What is a box grater used for?

A grater, also known as a shredder, is a kitchen utensil used to grate foods into fine pieces. It was invented by François Boullier in the 1540s, originally to grate cheese.

What is the best grater?

The Best Grater
  • Our pick. Cuisipro Surface Glide 4-Sided Box Grater. The best grater.
  • Budget pick. IKEA 365+ Vardefull. For shredding cheese and vegetables.
  • Also great. Microplane 46020 Premium Classic Zester and Grater. Best for zesting.

What can I use instead of a grater?

A Y-peeler or box grater are also great alternatives. If you don't have lemons, some common lemon zest substitutes include the zest of another citrus (use the same amount the recipe called for), dried lemon peel (use the equal amount) or lemon extract (use half the amount of lemon zest the original recipe calls for).

Can you shred lettuce with a cheese grater?

Stand a cheese grater or vegetable grater in a large bowl.
This way the shredded lettuce or cabbage will land directly in the bowl.

What can I use in place of a cheese grater?

If you don't have a grater, you can use a sharp kitchen knife to thinly slice off strips of cheese. Alternatively, refrigerate your cheese until it's firm, chop it into smaller blocks, and place it in a food processor until it's shredded.

How do you grate cheese without a cheese grater?

If you don't have a grater, you can use a sharp kitchen knife to thinly slice off strips of cheese. Alternatively, refrigerate your cheese until it's firm, chop it into smaller blocks, and place it in a food processor until it's shredded. To learn how to use a microplane to grate your cheese, keep reading!

How do you get zest out of a grater?

Worked a treat! Put baking paper over the grater and when you grate the lemon it perforates the paper so you get the rind but when you are finished you just remove the paper and the 'dregs' all fall off. A bit finicky but no waste. Get a Microplane; the zest just falls off.

Are Spiralizers worth buying?

I often get asked if spiralizers—the tools that transform vegetables into thin pasta shapes—are worth buying. While they're a great way to make a low-carb, high-vegetable pasta alternative, you don't need a spiralizer. Here are two vegetable noodle techniques that don't need any special equipment.

What is the best small manual food chopper?

The 3 Best Manual Food Choppers
  1. The Best Manual Food Chopper: Ultra Chef Express 7-In-1 Food Chopper. Ultra Chef Express 7-In-1 Food Chopper. $29.99.
  2. The Most Compact Chopper: Kuhn Rikon Swiss Pull Chop. Kuhn Rikon Swiss Pull Chop. $24.
  3. The Best Chopper For Onions: Mueller Onion Chopper Pro Vegetable Chopper. Mueller Onion Chopper Pro Vegetable Chopper.

How much is a vegetable Spiralizer?

What is a Spiralizer? It's a kitchen tool that easily makes noodles out of vegetables. Some models make vegetable ribbons and curls too, in addition to the noodles. One really great thing about these tools is that they're very affordable, with the average price right around twenty dollars.

What is a salad shooter?

salad shooter (plural salad shooters) An electric kitchen appliance that is used to slice and shred vegetables to shoot/drop out pieces into a salad bowl.

How do you zest a lemon without a zester or grater?

The easiest way to get zest without a special tool is to use a vegetable peeler to take off wide strips. Be careful not to cut past the colored part of the peel—the white pithy layer between the peel and the fruit is bitter. You could do this with a knife as well, but you have to use a very light hand.

What does a zester look like?

A zester (also, citrus zester or lemon zester) is a kitchen utensil for obtaining zest from lemons and other citrus fruit. A kitchen zester is approximately four inches long, with a handle and a curved metal end, the top of which is perforated with a row of round holes with sharpened rims.