'I tested the correct way to use a cheese grater - with little-known tip'

28 July 2023 , 09:15

857     0

'I tested the correct way to use a cheese grater - with little-known tip'

Cheese graters are a kitchen staple in most homes, and you'd think the gadget was pretty straightforward, right?!

Well, it turns out many people who own a four-sided box grater didn't actually know what one of the sides was meant to be used for and they only realised after a social media post about it went viral.

A post on Reddit recently asked users what they used the fourth side of the cheese grater for. This is the one that has small star-shaped spikes on it and is a pain to try and wash.

Some people responded that they simply didn't use it, while others explained that it was meant for zesting fruit such as lemons and limes, or grating hard cheese like Parmesan and also spices like nutmeg.

It turns out many people (myself included) never use this side of a box cheese grater (Courtney Pochin)

Now, I have to admit I'm one of those that typically never bother to touch this side of the grater. I only really use the standard grating side and the very fine grating part for Parmesan to be sprinkled on top of pasta dishes, but according to the internet I've been doing it 'wrong'. So I decided to finally have a go at the 'correct' way to use a box grater and put the fourth side to the test. I started with some hard cheese to see if it was better than my usual method. Spoiler alert: It wasn't.

Viral sausage roll debate leaves Brits confused about how to order at Greggs

Instead of small shavings, the grater just produced some little clumps of cheese and left the wedge of Parmesan looking a complete and utter mess as it kept constantly snagging on the spikes instead of smoothly grating. After a few tries, I gave up and switched to trying to zest a lemon instead as it seemed like it might work better for this.

However, once again my efforts proved fruitless. All of the lemon zest got stuck to the outside of the grater, caught on the little spikes, and I somehow managed to cut my thumb as I tried and failed to make it work. It could be the case that I just have a really cheap cheese grater, but at the end of this little experiment, I'm still not convinced by the uses for this fourth side. I didn't use it before and I likely won't bother ever using it again.

Courtney didn't have much luck with the 'correct' way to use a cheese grater (Courtney Pochin)

And it seems I wasn't the only one struggling with the 'correct' way to use the cheese grater, as one person on Reddit agreed: "All this has ever done is hurt my hand, but I've literally never used those small hole graters ever. Pretty much just use the other side for making grated cheese."

Another quipped that all this side of the grater was good for is "shredding cleaning sponges", while someone else wrote: "I have this exact one... and I've also assumed it was to make the cheese bit smaller after grating. All it does though, however, is f*** your hand up when you miss hold it... scrapes a good knuckle."

However, others claim they had managed to get it to work for them after years of trying, with a different user adding: "Took years to figure out, Parmesan and lemon/orange/lime zest is best shredded on those 2 sides."

Do you have success with the fourth side of the cheese grater, let us know in the comments below.

Courtney Pochin