OK, so I wanted a new kitchen toy and I'm on a tight budget for a while and
my wife and I ate recently at an Italian restaurant where the waiter hand
grated the cheese over the dish with one of those rotary thingies. So I
said "Voila!" (not speaking enough Italian to know the equivalent
expression in that language), and went off in search of one. And nothing
ever being as simple as first conceived, I quickly discovered that there is
a great range in price, that some have multiple barrels and some only one,
some come apart and some don't, some (according to reviews) work and some
don't, etc.

So does anyone have a favorite rotary grater that handles fine, medium, and
coarse, and does cheeses, nuts and chocolate, that they'd care to
recommend?

TIA...

Alan Holbrook wrote:

> So does anyone have a favorite rotary grater that handles fine, medium, and
> coarse, and does cheeses, nuts and chocolate, that they'd care to
> recommend?
>

Well, I've always loved my Mouli grater. My mom bought me a zyliss when
the Mouli broke, but the Zyliss would get softer cheeses stuck in the
center of the grater and I'd hafta poke it out with a knife every 3
turns or so.

The mouli comes with a medium shred, a fine shred, and a slicer. Never
do use the slicer but do cheese, carrots, zucchini, nuts, etc, on the
shredders.

Only problem I've encounteres is that the plastic handles are not
nearly as sturdy, but the metal grater has a tendency to turn the neds
of my cheese an icky metallic looking color. Not a problem if it's
going into a casserole, but ugly for a salad.

"Alan Holbrook" > wrote in message
.121...
> OK, so I wanted a new kitchen toy and I'm on a tight budget for a while
> and
> my wife and I ate recently at an Italian restaurant where the waiter hand
> grated the cheese over the dish with one of those rotary thingies. So I
> said "Voila!" (not speaking enough Italian to know the equivalent
> expression in that language), and went off in search of one. And nothing
> ever being as simple as first conceived, I quickly discovered that there
> is
> a great range in price, that some have multiple barrels and some only one,
> some come apart and some don't, some (according to reviews) work and some
> don't, etc.
>
> So does anyone have a favorite rotary grater that handles fine, medium,
> and
> coarse, and does cheeses, nuts and chocolate, that they'd care to
> recommend?
>
> TIA...

Do NOT buy one that doesn't come apart. And, keep a large toothbrush around
for cleaning around the teeth. They'll shred sponges.

On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 16:35:39 +0200, Jens Arne Maennig wrote:

> If I would live in
> the States, I'd get me something like Williams-Sonoma's Microplane
> Rotary Grater (http://tinyurl.com/h3r7s) instead.


>
> Jens


Microplanes in general make lousy grated cheese. I mean it will gate the
cheese ok, but into dust! Using a microplane on reggiano parmigiano
should be illegal. <g>

"jay" > wrote in message
news
> On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 16:35:39 +0200, Jens Arne Maennig wrote:
>
>> If I would live in
>> the States, I'd get me something like Williams-Sonoma's Microplane
>> Rotary Grater (http://tinyurl.com/h3r7s) instead.
>
>
>>
>> Jens
>
>
> Microplanes in general make lousy grated cheese. I mean it will gate the
> cheese ok, but into dust! Using a microplane on reggiano parmigiano
> should be illegal. <g>
>

It *is* illegal, but rarely enforced.

"Alan Holbrook" > wrote in message
.121...
> OK, so I wanted a new kitchen toy and I'm on a tight budget for a while
> and
> my wife and I ate recently at an Italian restaurant where the waiter hand
> grated the cheese over the dish with one of those rotary thingies. So I
> said "Voila!" (not speaking enough Italian to know the equivalent
> expression in that language), and went off in search of one. And nothing
> ever being as simple as first conceived, I quickly discovered that there
> is
> a great range in price, that some have multiple barrels and some only one,
> some come apart and some don't, some (according to reviews) work and some
> don't, etc.
>
> So does anyone have a favorite rotary grater that handles fine, medium,
> and
> coarse, and does cheeses, nuts and chocolate, that they'd care to
> recommend?
>
> TIA...

I bought the Zyliss with the big drum. It looks a bit weird, but so far I've
been happy with it. Honestly, most graters handle hard cheeses well enough,
but are lousy with anything slightly soft. So the instructions say to freeze
the cheese first. The Zyliss (with the big drum, I don't know about the ones
with the normal-sized drums) does softer cheeses {like Swiss or cheddar)
very well.

It only has two drums, the fine, which you'd normally use for harder cheeses
like parmesan, and the coarse, which is meant for soft cheeses. It comes
apart and goes into the dishwasher. The handle folds into the drum, so it
stores a little easier.

The one thing I never liked about the rotary graters is the awkwardness of
holding the thing closed and applying pressure while you grate. It's okay
for a little while, but it doesn't take long before I start getting a cramp
in my hand. A rubber band around the handle solved the problem really well.
You might still need to apply a little more pressure, but it makes the job a
lot easier.

HTH,

Donna

On 2006-04-25, Alan Holbrook > wrote:

> So does anyone have a favorite rotary grater that handles fine, medium, and
> coarse, and does cheeses, nuts and chocolate, that they'd care to
> recommend?

I was going to recommend a 3-legged hand powered rotary disc grater,
like the discs in a Cuisinart, but they seem to have diappeared off
the face of the Earth. All I see know are these lame rotary drum
graters. Too bad, as the rotary disc graters where very efficient.
We had one when I was a kid and they worked great. I could grate a
1lb block of cheese in a couple mins. I saw one several years ago in
a store, but now I can't find one anywhere on the net.

The other thing that drives me crazy is the morons that design those
cheapo should-be-handy 3-in-1 flat hand graters. They all arange the
grate holes the same way, a coarse and fine grate separated lengthwise
by a single slice slot. How in the Hell can anyone grate something in
4 rows of grate holes!?. It's like they design them to hang on the
wall as a decorative item, not an actual tool. I have an old model
that has the fine and coarse grate holes running side by side the full
length of the grater (slicer slot still in middle), the way it should
be. This design is quite useable and what I use to grate all my
cheese. Haven't been able to find a new one like it in 20 years.

nb

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2006-04-25, Alan Holbrook > wrote:
>
>> So does anyone have a favorite rotary grater that handles fine, medium,
>> and
>> coarse, and does cheeses, nuts and chocolate, that they'd care to
>> recommend?
>
> I was going to recommend a 3-legged hand powered rotary disc grater,
> like the discs in a Cuisinart, but they seem to have diappeared off
> the face of the Earth. All I see know are these lame rotary drum
> graters. Too bad, as the rotary disc graters where very efficient.
> We had one when I was a kid and they worked great. I could grate a
> 1lb block of cheese in a couple mins. I saw one several years ago in
> a store, but now I can't find one anywhere on the net.

this one?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...nce&n=2845 07

Donna

On 2006-04-25, D.Currie > wrote:

> this one?
>
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...nce&n=2845 07
>
> Donna

Way to go, Donna! I swear, I looked through 7 pages of graters on
amazon and didn't see that. But yes, that's very much like the one
our family had when I was a kid. Only diff is ours was all stainless
steel. Sucker will blow those hand drum graters away.

These days, I use a 3-in-1 hand grater for cheese, a small fine
handled grater, that wood rasp thingie for zest, and a small drum
zyliss for romano/pecorino. But, these are only adequate because I
only cook for one or two. If I didn't have a Cuisinart for large
grating jobs, I'd buy that manual rotary disc grater.

nb

I you want a new toy and this is what you want, go for it. At the risk of
soudning discouraging: myself, I woudl look into a different. toy. I ahve
lived in a household with a rotary graer, have used it, have watched others
use it and never got to like it. The ONLY thing we ever "needed"it for was
cheese. Which woudl stick to it too mcuh. And then there was the cramp in my
hand, clean up and the problem of not manaing to get everything grated, bit
after inserted bit of cheese. Which also had to cut into a specific shape.

Now I won a flat metal grater, which is much easier for my purposes. And I
have something that looks like a cheese sliver but has a grating blade
instead. Excellent for cheese for pasta etc. Third one from the top:
http://www.boska.nl/constructie/prod...835_308040.htm

So, if I were to get a new toy, I'd look into other things. Such as muslin,
or a passevite, or a pressure cooker, or a mandolin. Or a better chef's
knife. I really ant a slow cooker, too. Will wait until they start selling
those here, with the plgus required here.

"notbob" > wrote in message
. ..
> On 2006-04-25, D.Currie > wrote:
>
>> this one?
>>
>> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...nce&n=2845 07
>>
>> Donna
>
> Way to go, Donna! I swear, I looked through 7 pages of graters on
> amazon and didn't see that. But yes, that's very much like the one
> our family had when I was a kid. Only diff is ours was all stainless
> steel. Sucker will blow those hand drum graters away.
>
> These days, I use a 3-in-1 hand grater for cheese, a small fine
> handled grater, that wood rasp thingie for zest, and a small drum
> zyliss for romano/pecorino. But, these are only adequate because I
> only cook for one or two. If I didn't have a Cuisinart for large
> grating jobs, I'd buy that manual rotary disc grater.
>
> nb

I saw that model and there might have been another one when I was looking
for something else. It looked interesting, but I've got enough grating
gizmos. I can grate with the food processor or with the Kitchenaid if I need
a lot of cheese. Mostly, I just need a little bit for some recipe. The
big-drum Zyliss is usually the first thing I grab, but I've got an
assortment of microplanes, too, if I want some other texture.

That three-legged thing looks like it would be kind of fun to use, and less
likely to bite up a fingertip or knuckle than some of the more manual
graters.

Donna

On 2006-04-25, D.Currie > wrote:

> That three-legged thing looks like it would be kind of fun to use, and less
> likely to bite up a fingertip or knuckle than some of the more manual
> graters.

If I can safely use it, anyone can ...and I was only 8 yrs old.

nb

Alan Holbrook wrote:
> OK, so I wanted a new kitchen toy and I'm on a tight budget for a
> while and my wife and I ate recently at an Italian restaurant where
> the waiter hand grated the cheese over the dish with one of those
> rotary thingies. So I said "Voila!" (not speaking enough Italian to
> know the equivalent expression in that language), and went off in
> search of one. And nothing ever being as simple as first conceived,
> I quickly discovered that there is a great range in price, that some
> have multiple barrels and some only one, some come apart and some
> don't, some (according to reviews) work and some don't, etc.
>
> So does anyone have a favorite rotary grater that handles fine,
> medium, and coarse, and does cheeses, nuts and chocolate, that they'd
> care to recommend?
>
> TIA...

I don't have a specific recommendation but you might inquire at the
restaurant what brand/type of grater they use.

Jill