The best graters to buy: tested by experts

Best graters at a glance

• Best box grater: OXO Good Grips box grater, £14
• Best zester: Microplane stainless steel premium classic zester, £24.99
• Best ginger grater: Microplane 3-in-1 ginger tool, £13.95
• Best zester for fuss-free mincing: Masterclass zester, £8.99
• Best hand-held grater: Stellar acid-etched coarse grater, £23.45
• Best cheese grater gadget: Victorinox compact grater, £17.99
• Best grater with safety feature: ProCook narrow micro grater, £9.99
• Best affordable grater selection: Colourworks set of four graters, £14.95
• Best hand-held coarse grater: Victorinox coarse grater, £7.97
• Best rotary cheese grater: Masterclass rotary cheese grater, £23.75
• Best premium box grater: OXO Good Grips box grater with removable zester, £35

Best graters to buy

OXO Good Grips box grater

Best box grater

Pros:

• Comfortable grip
• Multiple blades
• Lifetime guarantee
• Wide grating area
• Comes with a box attachment
• Dishwasher-safe

Cons:

• Box attachment is a little small
• Zester is tricky to clean

Star rating: 5/5

On the face of it, this is a classic box grater, but it's the extra touches – like the super-comfortable grippy handle, solid base, and handy detachable container – that make this OXO Good Grips tool a star-buy.

In testing, we found both the larger holes and slicer were ideal for prepping ingredients like cheese, carrots and courgettes, while the finer side made light work of grating parmesan and ginger. The zester was easy to use, though we had difficulty cleaning it as bits of zest became lodged in the teeth.

The addition of a box, which attaches onto the base, is a great feature for mess-free grating or if you want to save the ingredients to use at a later date. When you're done using it, you can also invert the container inside the grater for easier storage.

Microplane premium classic series zester

Best zester

Pros:

• Sharp
• Versatile
• Silicone grip
• Dishwasher-safe

Cons:

• Lethal to fingers in a utensils draw without its protective cover

Star rating: 5/5

Flat zesters typically limit how much of the citrus you can reach, not so with the Microplane – the toothed curves allows you to zest all the way up to the fruit’s pedicel (where its stem was once attached to the tree).

The blade itself is photo-etched, so you can count on its sharp little teeth catching trickier angles. A noticeable feature is the chunky soft-touch silicone handle which comes in a variety of colours. This sits nicely in the hand whilst you zest downwards onto a chopping board; its sharp little corners softened by two anti-scratch silicone feet.

The folded edges actually direct zest neatly onto the plate with a good tap. This will also catch lemon pips if you’re adding juice to the recipe - turn it upside down for this.

Microplane 3-in-1 ginger tool

Best ginger grater

Pros:

• Sharp
• Multiple blades
• Comfortable grip

Cons:

• No protective cover
• Small grating area
• Less effective when prepping other ingredients

Star rating: 4.5/5

Those who cook with a lot of fresh ginger will know the faff often involved with peeling, slicing and grating. The idea behind this 3-in-1 tool is to make the process much quicker and simpler. The peeler on the side is a doddle to use, and both the slicer and grater are sharp and effective – allowing for smooth movements and no resistance.

The handle has a comfortable grip, and because the grater itself is slim, it's easy to store – though we noted there was no cover to protect the blades or your hands. It can handle other ingredients like cheese and veggies too, but only modest quantities as the surface area is much smaller than a standard grater.

OXO Good Grips box grater with removable zester

Best premium box grater

Pros:

• Removable zester
• Attachable grater box

Cons:

• Larger footprint than hand-held graters

Star rating: 4.5/5

Although this box grater has a heftier price tag than many, we can see why. As well as a side with nice big, sharp holes for coarse grating things like cheese, courgettes and carrots, there’s also a finer side for grating ingredients like parmesan and ginger, and a slice function to cut single slices of ingredients like cheese, cucumber, carrot and radish.

But the most innovative feature is the final side, which has a removable zester. This means you have a choice to either use it as part of the grater itself, or remove it to grate ingredients straight over a dish – such as a fine covering of parmesan over a pasta dish, or a grating of garlic right into a pan.

Masterclass zester

Best zester for fuss-free mincing

Pros:

• Fibrous ginger and garlic
• Dishwasher-safe
• 10-year guarantee

Cons:

• Zests thicker

Star rating: 4.5/5

The Masterclass is an excellent citrus zester, but really shone when we tested its blade against fresh ginger. Its acid etched teeth are a similar size to those of the Microplane and are ever-so slightly more raised, allowing it to bite into crisp ingredients more efficiently than any others we tested.

The ginger minced quickly into a fine pulp; a great indication that garlic would meet the same fate with even less effort. A non-slip thumb rest gives you purchase on its long and sleek design, plus there’s a non-slip foot for resting it on a chopping board.

Its 10-year guarantee is a good indication that Masterclass is confident about the longevity of this zester’s blades.

Victorinox coarse grater

Best hand-held coarse grater

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Stands out in a cluttered draw
• Dishwasher-safe
• Lifetime guarantee

Cons:

• Plastic handle not the best to grip

Star rating: 4/5

If you’re after the thick strands of cheese that resemble the ‘pre-grated’ you can buy in shops, the Victorinox delivers as a great alternative to the traditional mandolin. You can achieve a proper cheese nest.

Its blades are incredibly sharp, which made light work of hard vegetables like carrots – thankfully it comes with a reusable blade cover to keep fingers safe when delving into kitchen draws. A Swiss-brand, Victorinox has fully embraced its national red shade for this collection edition and it really works, but a silver edition is also available. There are two indents for securing the grater’s positioning on the edge of a bowl.

Stellar premium acid-etched medium grater

• Available from Amazon (£23.45)

Best hand-held grater

Pros:

• Dishwasher-safe
• Anti-slip foot
• Lifetime guarantee

Cons:

• Generic-looking, but simple is sometimes best

Ergonomically, the Stellar is beautifully designed for comfortable use; even with a whole bowl of carrots to tackle. Its soft-grip handle is slightly contoured to balance in the hand and there’s a non-slip foot at the other end which grips and protects surfaces.

Its curved grating blade produces long square curls thanks to sharp, acid-etched teeth. The depth of grate was perfect for prepping ingredients for courgette fritters, but also tackled potato and onion easily for hash browns that we cooked in a frying pan. We also found that some old crusty bread grated well to make breadcrumbs for a crispy topping to fish pie.

When resting on a work surface, the blade sits flat but raised. A loop on its handle also means it can be hung up for storage. A safety pusher is available for this model.

• Available from Amazon (£23.45)

Victorinox compact cheese grater

Best cheese grater gadget

Pros:

• Pocket-sized
• Two-way blade
• Dishwasher-safe

Cons:

• Not the easiest to clean by hand

Star rating: 4/5

The Victorinox paring knife is a firm favourite of the Good Food team. The brand has taken its precision blade technology and applied it to cheese graters. The result is excellent.

This little gadget would make a great gift for cheese lovers. Think stocking filler, something to take on a camping trip or for keeping in your picnic hamper.

Hold it between your thumb and forefinger and just drag it the length of the cheese. Its two-way blades shred hard cheeses into thin strands and do the same with carrot, forming little nests that resemble slim spaghetti.

Of course, the cheese doesn’t fall in an orderly fashion, but do you really want it to? We’d recommended keeping a napkin next to it and just embracing the flurry. This would also work well for finely grating chocolate onto the top of a cake.

ProCook narrow micro grater

• Available from ProCook (£12)

Best grater with safety feature

Pros:

• Optional safety guard
• Reduces wastage
• Dishwasher-safe on the top rack

Cons:

• Light coloured handle is prone to stains
• Safety pusher sold separately

Star rating: 3/5

For those little nubbins leftover from the desire to preserve one’s fingers, the removable safety pusher on this rasp grater is a good way to save them from waste.

On its own, this is a practical bit of kit for transforming cheese and vegetables into small, slim curls thanks to its sharply etched square notches. We found it worked particularly well with courgettes, although if you’re looking to grate in bulk, a wider grater would be more efficient.

When tried with parmesan, the cheese fell as satisfyingly chunky curls that gave punchy hits of saltiness.

The safety pusher is not particularly practical. Cheese needs to be cut into small cubes, but it would come in useful if you’re not grating in bulk and want kids to be able to use it.

• Available from ProCook (£12)

Colourworks set of four graters

Best affordable grater selection

Pros:

• Dishwasher-safe
• Five-year guarantee
• Easy to store with silicone hanging strap

Cons:

• Bold design

Star rating: 3/5

For anyone who loves a pop of colour, this swatch of four stackable graters from the Colourworks collection comes strung on a sturdy but removable loop, so can be hung among other utensils for convenience if your draws are busy. Undo the toggle and they each unthread.

A fine, medium, coarse and slice grater is included in the set; all of which are sharp and have a rubber foot to help protect your chopping board. A small indent on the underside of each grater acts as a nice rest if you’re grating over a bowl.

The zester could be finer, but didn’t take any pith from below the lemon’s zest, which can be bitter. Both the medium and coarse graters produced nicely grated cheese, carrots and courgettes. Because of its width, the slicer produces slithers of varying shapes where you have to turn the vegetable, but we didn’t mind that. It certainly saves you time slicing with a knife.

Masterclass rotary cheese grater

• Available from Amazon (£23.75)

Best rotary cheese grater

Pros:

• Good for pre-grating large quantities
• Simple to build

Cons:

• Messy to move if using at the table

Star rating: 3/5

This kitchen gadget chomps through hard cheese at an incredibly efficient pace. Its three rotary components slot together to create a kind of ‘mill’ that you wind with the handle. Load up the box section and secure the cheese against the grater drum, notched with fine teeth.

When wound, a thick dust of cheese falls out of the centre into whatever you place beneath it. The process takes minimal effort and would be an efficient way to quickly grate a large amount of parmesan, if you didn’t have a food processor.

The novelty of its highly engineered stainless steel solution to cheese grating is quite satisfying. Expect to have grated cheese everywhere if used at the table.

• Available from Amazon (£23.75)

How to choose a grater

Two or three grades are all you need. A coarse grater is good for cheese and hard veggies like carrots. Zesters will take the top layer of flavourful citrus peel and can also be used for chomping through fibrous aromatics like ginger, or mincing garlic without a press. Grating chillies is an clever way to add a subtle hint of heat to a dish whilst side-stepping unexpected chunks.

The blades can also wear down over time, so a guarantee is a great indication of the brand’s faith in its product. You want sharp notches that won’t tear or shred the ingredient, and asks for minimal effort on your part.

How we tested graters

Our expert reviews team tested using parmesan, carrot, cheddar, courgette, lemon and ginger, then scored each grater based on the following criteria.

• Surface area of the grater: the bigger the surface area, the quicker you can complete the task in hand.
• Sharpness: we looked for a blade that made uniform shavings in one clean sweep, not blunt blades that were awkward to manoeuvre.
• Sturdiness: wobbly metal and boxes that didn't balance well were marked down.
• Extra functions: we looked for graters that were collapsible or had handy extras, like clever storage capacity.
• Ease of storage and cleaning: graters are one of the most tricky kitchen items to clean. We looked for dishwasher-friendly graters that scrub up as new and can be hung or stored flat in a small amount of space.

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This review was last updated in August 2023. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.

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