Grating Cheeses

[Southern Belle 2067]

SHREDDING NEATLY:

Semisoft cheeses such as cheddar and block mozzarella can become clogged in the holes of a box grater. Coating the large holes on the grater with nonstick cooking spray eliminates this problem.

SLICING MADE EASY:

Fresh mozzarella should be sliced evenly for salads or pizza, but the very soft texture of this cheese makes it tricky. Instead of a knife, use an egg slicer to cut through the ball of fresh mozzarella cleanly.

SHAVING PARMESAN:

Paper-thin curls of Parmesan or other hard cheese are a nice garnish for salads, vegetable side dishes and pastas. Just run a vegetable peeler over a block of cheese. Use a light touch for thin shavings.

CHEESE GRATERS:

BOX GRATER:

For quickly grating or shredding cheese is the box grated. It sits firmly on the counter-top and offers a variety of options; large holes for shredding soft cheeses like cheedar cheese, small holes for grating harder cheeses like Parmesan, and raised abrasive surface for grating or zesting citrus, and ginger.

RASP GRATER: (A micro-plane)

Is an excellent supplement to a box grater. Besides breaking down hard cheese into feathery shreds, it handles shallots, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, horseradish, citrus zest and chocolate.

ROTARY GRATER:

Too slow and awkward for kitchen use, the rotary grater is a nice (and optional) purchase for the table, in part because it won't rake your knuckles.