The Cook’s Kitchen

There are many types of cheese graters available. I guess two of the most common styles are the upright box-graters, which offer multiple grating surfaces, and the flat graters that have several grating patterns on one surface.  I have one of each, both are stainless steel.  They both do an average job, clean easily and the flat one takes almost no room for storage.

I just received a Swissmar Cheese Grater to review.  This model is referred to as a “rotary” grater and compared to my other graters, appears to be a 21st century kitchen tool.  Upon reading the literature, I learned that this tool is an efficient design having features like:

• A plunger that is ergonomically designed for comfort
• Interchangeable stainless steel discs
• A built in measuring cup
• A storage compartment in the lid for the discs. 

A quick look at the instructions and I was ready to proceed with testing.  I decided that Tillamook Cheddar, Swiss and Monterey Jack would be a good cross section for semi-firm cheeses.  A Parmigiano-Reggiano was the only hard cheese I had on hand, so it would have to represent this variety of cheeses. 

I immediately noticed that cheese had to be cut into approximately 1 X 2 inch pieces (or smaller) in order to fit into the chambers in the insert and to also allow the plunger to seat on the diaphragm. No problem, a cutting board and a knife are always handy and in no time the grater was re-loaded and ready to go. Gripping the top of the plunger was awkward and the combination of a slight downward force while turning got old fast.  I did however like the design of the little wire bail that secures the disc.  It scrapes off the curls of cheese coming through the disc while you are turning. The grating ability was average on all three discs using all of the semi-firm cheeses.  The  Parmigiano-Reggiano took more effort but that was expected. Cleaning of the discs, the clear cup and the insert was easy enough but I was disappointed when it came to clean up of the housing and plunger. Cheese had been ground into the seat of the housing, and pushed into the slot of the plunger.  So counting the cutting board and knife, and assuming you used only one disc, 7 items have to be cleaned after each use. Thank goodness all components are dishwasher safe!

When it comes to kitchen tools, it is always a matter of personal preference when selecting a certain design or features.  You have to decide what you consider essential, a luxury or just a waste of money. That being said, my overall grade of this kitchen tool is a D+.   I would not recommend it for purchase.