Graters review and compare

05.What to look for

In general

• Strong construction.
• Few crevices for easier cleaning.
• Few attachments for easy storage, assembly and disassembly.

Hard cheese graters

• A fine, sharp blade that can be removed easily from the container.
• A good-sized container underneath the blade area.
• Stability when grating on the bench.

All-purpose box graters

• Four types of blade (for coarse and fine grating, slicing and grinding), all slightly angled, and the prickly-looking grinding blade not too small.
• A large, comfortable handle positioned away from the blade area.
• Non-slip rubber feet or surface around the base to help stabilise the grater.
• Good-sized cavity to prevent clogging.

Flat graters

• No more than two blade types on one surface. (The three blade types on the AVANTI and DALSON are too small and close to each other to use comfortably.)
• Long and flat (or slightly convex) blade area for a smooth action.
• Two-way action grates faster.
• A non-slip end to rest on the bench while grating.
• Safety cover for storage to protect blades (and fingers).

Rotary graters

• Strong construction.
• Comfortable handle.
• Good-sized cavity.

Dishwasher-safe

• Except for the NIGELLA LAWSON hard cheese grater (which isn’t suitable for the dishwasher because its egg-shaped top is made of beech wood), we washed all tested graters in a dishwasher.
• Only the DALSON showed some rust afterwards, although it was labelled ‘dishwasher-safe’. In general, this label just indicates the item’s made of stainless steel — it’s no guarantee that it won’t rust, eventually, or its blades won’t deteriorate.