The Best Graters and How to Use Them

Tools (and tips) to suit your recipe, your grip, and your budget.

Box Graters 

Good for: Shredding soft cheeses (for tacos or mac-and-Jack) and harder foods (say, potatoes for hash browns); use the side with the large holes. The medium-size holes make smaller shreds of hard foods. The tiny holes turn out fine, crumblike Parmesan. The single horizontal sharp edge is for shaving thin slices of hard foods, such as carrots―it’s great if you’re slicing just one, but for a dozen consider a mandoline.

Look for: A comfortable handle; rubber at the bottom to prevent sliding across a counter.

Tip: Lightly coat the outside of the grater plate with cooking spray so the food glides more easily (this also makes cleanup easier). When you reach the end of a piece of hard cheese, put it in your palm and rub your hand flat against the grater to prevent knuckle scrapes.

Shown: Oxo Good Grips Box Grater, $18, oxo.com.