TIP OF THE DAY: Shredding Cheese | The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures - The Nibble Webzine Of Food AdventuresTIP OF THE DAY: Shredding Cheese | The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures
If you’re fond of making cheese omelets, chili, pizza, quesadillas and other dishes requiring shredded cheese, you may have noticed that shredding semisoft cheeses can be more taxing than it should be. Cheese gets stuck in the large holes of the box grater, requiring ongoing unclogging.
Here are two solutions:
Spray the grater with nonstick cooking spray.
Pop the cheese into the freezer for half an hour before you grate it.
How To Use A Box Grater
1. Place the grater on a plate.
2. If the piece of cheese is too large, cut off a manageable piece.
3. Rub the cheese up and down across the holes of the grater. Watch your knuckles!
4. If cheese gets stuck in the holes, use a pastry brush or other brush to remove it. We purchased a nail brush from the drug store for this and other kitchen tasks.
What’s New In Box Graters
After 20-plus years, we finally traded up our old, dented box grater—a hand-me-down from Mom—for a 21st-century model. Some of the newer box graters have comfortable, non-slip handles and nonslip bottom rings that make a big difference.
This tip makes grating easier. Photo by Darryl Brooks | Dreamstime.
We chose this box grater, from Cuisipro. We’re glad that we traded up. We love the better grip as well as the lovely aesthetic, and we make good use of the removable ginger grater base.
If we hadn’t seen the Cuisipro first, we’d have purchased the OXO Good Grips Box Grater. The cheese grates right into a plastic storage container and measuring cup. The cup has a lid to store extra cheese in the fridge. A great design concept!
When using a box grater, the fine holes are for grating hard cheeses, such as Parmesan. The large holes are for semisoft cheeses, such as Cheddar, Fontina and Gruyère, which are shredded rather than grated.
If you don’t have a box grater, you can pulse the cheese in a food processor. Cut the cheese into 1-inch cubes. Spray the blades with non-stick cooking spray and pulse in small batches. You won’t get the longer shredded pieces, but if you’re melting the cheese, it won’t matter.
