20 Surprising Uses for A Cheese Grater

Cheese graters can do so much more than just grate cheese! This list of 20 surprising uses for a cheese grater shows how creative and versatile this kitchen tool can be.

From box graters to hand-held cheese graters and microplanes, cheese graters can simplify many tedious kitchen tasks for you.

Whether you want to grate whole spices, remove zest from limes and lemons, soften butter, or shred veggies for your favorite salad, this tool is the one to use.

Keep reading to discover 20 creative cheese grater uses to make cooking easier.

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Types of cheese grater

Cheese graters come in several types. The most common ones are:

• A box grater is the most common type and is useful when you need a significant amount of cheese.
• Handheld cheese graters are great when you need to shred just a small amount of cheese.
• Microplanes also shred cheese quickly, right over the top of your frying pan.
• Rotary graters have a crank and are most useful for grating large amounts of cheese.

All of these graters can do so much more than just grate cheese!

20 surprising uses for a cheese grater

Ready to start? Here are 2o creative ways to put this versatile kitchen tool to use.

Grating citrus zest

When a recipe calls for lemon, lime, or orange juice, add zest as well!

• Use a microplane to zest the citrus rind before you juice the fruit.
• The zest adds a great burst of flavor to recipes that you can’t get from the juice alone.

Grating nutmeg

Have you ever seen a whole nutmeg? It looks a bit like a nut. (funny that….nutmeg) 

• When your recipe calls for ground nutmeg, take out a whole nutmeg and grate it with a microplane.
• You will be amazed at the difference in flavor and might never use store-bought ground nutmeg again!

Grate butter for baked foods

Do you need to bake but don’t want to wait for the butter to get to room temperature? No problem at all!

• Grate the butter right into the mixing bowl with a microplane or handheld cheese grater.
• It works like a charm! You can grate ½ stick of butter in just a few seconds, and it will be ready to use in a baked goods recipe immediately.

The last bit of soap

When your soap bar reduces to a size that is no longer usable in the bathroom, it’s time for a cheese grater.

• Use a grater to grate the bar into small pieces.
• Melt the soap on the stove or in the microwave, and pour the melted soap into a soap mold. Presto! A new bar of soap!

Shredded vegetables for salads

This is a good use of a box grater.

• Grate carrots, potatoes, and zucchini and other vegetables.
• Any hard vegetable works well.
• Use the grated vegetables in salads, carrot cakes, hash browns, and homemade bread recipes.

To preserve ginger

If you find that fresh ginger withers in the fridge before you can use it all, get out your microplane.

• Freeze the ginger first so that it is harder.
• Then, when you need ginger for a recipe, take it out and grate it with a microplane.
• Ginger lasts a long time in the freezer. Just remember not to defrost it before grating, or it will get soggy. Grate it frozen.

It is also much easier to use a grater on fresh ginger than it is to peel and chop it. Since it’s often cooked down, the recipe will taste the same whether you grate it or peel and chop it. Why not save the time?

Decorating baked goods

Nothing is quite as appealing as a frosted cupcake or a cake with grated chocolate on top of the frosting. Even fancier, chocolate curls add so much to decorate a cupcake!

• Make cookies that have a powdered sugar coating, then add extra grated chocolate to give the cookies a different look and taste.
• Both grated chocolate and chocolate curls can be made with a cheese grater.

Grating onions for a recipe

Hate chopping onions?

• Get out your food grater and grate them right into the skillet.
• The job will be over in a flash, and you might not even end up crying.

Mincing garlic with a microplane

If you don’t have a garlic press, a microplane will do the trick!

• Just peel the garlic and then grate it with a microplane.
• It’s quick and easy to do, and clean up is easy.

Grating fresh bread crumbs

• When your bread gets stale, toast it and then grate it with a microplane.
• Viola! You’ll have fresh breadcrumbs in just a few minutes.

Using a grater with frozen lemons or limes

Lemons and limes can often be purchased on sale in their season. Do you have more than you can use? No problem!

• Freeze the lemons or limes and then grate them whole.
• You can add the grated zest to other foods.
• Examples of uses for citrus zest are vegetable salads, ice cream, soups, cereals, noodles, spaghetti sauce, and rice.

Better-tasting Parmesan cheese

 Parmesan cheese in a bottle has far less flavor than real Parmesan cheese.

• Instead, buy Parmesan cheese in blocks.
• It keeps well in the fridge, and you can grate it right over cooked pasta dishes.
• The difference in taste is amazing, and grating takes only seconds with a microplane.

You’ll never purchase bottled Parmesan cheese again!

Making low-fat ice cream

A cheese grater is useful when making fruit ice cream.

• Freeze a banana and then grate it into a bowl.
• Top the grated banana with some low-fat chocolate sauce, and you have yourself a tasty and healthy ice cream alternative.

Grating stick cinnamon

Here is another taste for a microplane.

• Cinnamon’s flavor is so much better when it is ground at the time you need to use it.
• Take a stick of cinnamon and grate it into the mixing bowl with a microplane.
• Use it in any recipe calling for ground cinnamon. It’s so good!

Grating lemongrass

Lemongrass is a perennial grass used in Southeast Asian cooking.

• However, the flavor of chopped lemongrass can overpower a recipe.
• Instead, use a grater.
• Grate it as needed and add to stir-fries and curries for a more subtle taste.

Photo credit – Wikipedia commons

Grating fresh Horseradish

The flavor of bottled horseradish does not compare to this homemade version.

• Combine 8 pieces of grated horseradish with 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, and a pinch of salt.
• Mix well. You will never want to use bottled horseradish again!

Adding BBQ smoke flavor to meat

Here is a neat trick for your next BBQ.

• Add some grated charcoal to your finishing salt.
• It adds a smoky, burnt wood flavor to your protein.

Garnishing hard-boiled eggs

 I love the taste of eggs on top of a salad with grated carrots.

• First, hard-boil your eggs.
• Instead of chopping them, grate the eggs right over the salad for a fluffy addition of texture to your greens.

Grating fresh coconut

 Nothing beats the taste of freshly grated coconut from a real coconut.

• First, cut a piece of the fresh coconut meat.
• Grate it with the cheese grater.
• It’s ready to use in baked goods and on desserts.

Grating nuts

Chopped nuts are often called for in recipes, but they can be chunky.

• Instead, use a food grater and run your nuts over it.
• This will give you a finer texture to your nuts that is perfect for adding to frostings.

Do you have other uses for your cheese grater?  I’d love to hear your suggestions. Please leave them in the comments below.

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Admin note: This article on creative uses for a cheese grater first appeared on the blog in March 2015. This post has been updated with new photos and more uses for a cheese grater.

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