There are few things in the kitchen as essential to good cooking as a quality box grater. The versatility of this simple piece of equipment is astounding. While many would likely dismiss it as a cheese grater and nothing more, the truth is so much more diverse and exciting.
The kitchen is a location to see product use and durability to the test. With a good quality grater, you can grind fine spices like nutmeg or ginger and flake decadent toppings like chocolate and coconut. Many best-sellers feature a slicing blade for getting perfectly consistent cuts of vegetables, such as cucumbers or small eggplants. You can zest any number of citrus fruits and grate carrots or other vegetables for salads.
For such a simple invention, truly, the only limit is your imagination. There have been some excellent innovations to the basic boxed grater design, and we’ve looked at the grate-est (sorry) and best graters in 2022 from amazon.com to make sure you don’t miss out.
View The Best Box Grater Below
1. KitchenAid KN300OSERA Gourmet Steel Box Grate
At the front of the pack, the KitchenAid KN300OSERA stands tall as our best grater. This boxed grater comes with four sides and blade types to give you wide diversity in your grating. It comes with two standard grating surfaces (small and large), which are ideal for grating cheese, carrots, onions, or anything else you can get your hands on. It also features a gouged metal zester for getting the best essence from lemon or lime rinds and a slicing blade that works as a mandoline.
With the mandoline blade, you can get consistent thickness on every cut of vegetables such as zucchinis or cucumbers. Whatever your grating or slicing needs, the KitchenAid has you covered. It’s made from high-quality stainless steel, which is rust-resistant and provides excellent strength and durability across its entire usage lifetime. The top handle is built to perfectly sit in hand, which means you can grate for longer without tiring.
It’s also dishwasher safe and comes with a one-year replacement warranty should you find it doesn’t measure up. Speaking of measuring, the KitchenAid features 3 cup containers to catch and measure your gratings so you can work with minimal waste and maximum accuracy. Size are (1) ½ cup, (1) 1 cup and (1) 1 ½ cup.
Pros:
+ Dishwasher safe
+ High-quality stainless steel
+ 3 cup gratings catcher
Why We Like It – You’d think there isn’t much for the box grater design to be innovated, but the KitchenAid is a streamlined and elegant piece of kitchenware that gives you the best of everything you need in a product.
2. Microplane Multi-purpose Box Grater
Real thought and effort have gone into designing the Microplane box grater. It offers four types of grater, including a slicing mandoline blade, but there’s a little something special about each one. The standard medium grater is crafted with refined perforations that allow for easy grating of a range of foods from the softest cheese to the toughest potatoes. The lower grating gauge panel allows you to shave the highest quality fruit zest from any fruit with a rind and also works great with roots and spices such as ginger and garlic.
Finally, in what may be the best and most innovative panel is the bi-directional ribbon blade panel. This allows you to grate anything from chocolate to vegetables, and it grates in both directions. That means that with every sweep of your hand, you’re getting twice the gratings. That’s immediately halving your workload; don’t work harder, work smarter! Just select a location to grate on, and you’re away.
All of the grating panels and the slicing blade on this boxed grater are photo-etched and made from quality USA stainless steel. Switch your cleaning help settings to maximum because each panel detaches from the box frame to allow for easy cleaning with by hand in your dishwasher. But that’s not all, Microplane have also reworked the standard box graters handle into a molded and ergonomic handgrip.
You get the firmest hold around this comfortable handle, and the graters supporting legs allow you to press it onto your kitchen counter to minimize movement during use. This makes grating with the Microplane safer and easier. Finally, this grater comes with a protective cover to keep the blades under wraps during storage.
Pros:
The bi-directional ribbon grater is a fantastic innovation
Removable panels for easy cleaning
Includes protective cover
Why We Like It – Few box graters are as polished or refined-looking as the Microplane. It screams quality and offers a range of features that will make the mundane task of grating glide by like a duck on ice.
3. Utopia Kitchen Cheese Grater
Enter the hexagon! The Utopia kitchen cheese grater is like something out of a culinary Frankenstein fever dream, and we mean that in the best way possible. The idea that someone looked at a regular cheese grater and felt the screaming impulse of the word “more” is something that delights us endlessly. This six-sided grater offers you two gauges of a standard cheese grater, a coarse grater, a zester, and two types of mandoline slicer: one straight and one wavy.
This is one of the best box graters from amazon.com for those who want their foods to be works of art. By giving you the choice of six different ways to prepare your gratings, you can be more creative than ever in your presentation. Versatility is your sous chef with the Utopia Kitchen cheese grater. It is made from high quality 430 gauge stainless steel and is fully dishwasher safe.
It has an easy-grip rubber handle that allows effortless use on any of the six panels and a non-slip base to prevent excessive movement. Whether you want some fine parmesan cheese shavings for your pasta or delicately sliced strips of zucchini for your ratatouille, the Utopia kitchen cheese grater has you covered.
Pros:
+ Six grating panels to choose from
+ Comfortable handle and rubber grip
+ Solid stainless steel production
Why We Like It – It has six sides! Product availability of a design like this is rare, so unless amazon.com can show us a grater with seven sides, we’re completely sold.
4. Spring Chef Professional Box Grater
This is one big cheese grater. The Spring Chef grater announces its presence from right out of the gate with its XL label and sturdy design. This is one of the best box graters for commercial kitchens that need to grate large quantities of ingredients – the increased size of the graters panels means it can handle so much more. It’s crafted from quality stainless steel, and each of the four grating panels is contoured with a slight curve to allow for easier grating.
With many other graters, flat grating surfaces can build up friction between the blade perforations. This requires you to work harder the longer that you work, but this isn’t the case for the Spring Chef Professional. The curve of the blade allows more freedom of movement and helps decrease the amount of friction build-up. The wider panel design means you can grate larger cuts of cheese, giant fruits, or whole vegetables.
Just try grating an eggplant on this bad boy! The four-panel types are standard for a cheese grater (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it), you get two gauge sizes of a standard cheese grater, a zester, and a mandoline slicer. The handle is nice and wide to accommodate any hand size. The bottom of the grater is lined with a removable rubber grip that prevents slipping during grating. This box grater is also dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.
Pros:
+ Contoured shape for easy grating
+ Non-slip rubber base
+ XL in size, although a smaller alternative is also available
Why We Like It – It turns out that size does matter. This goliath of a grater makes grating large portions a breeze by taking on more at one and providing rubber grips for constant and stable use.
5. Cuisinart CTG-00-BG
This Cuisinart box grater is like a trusty steed that will always get you from A to B. If you like solid, no-nonsense cheese graters that give great results without trying to waggle any fancy distractions in your face then this could be one of the best graters for you. The four sides of this stainless steel grater give you small and large gauge cheese grater surfaces, a fruit zester, and a slicing mandoline. You can shred, slice, or zest any amount of cheese, vegetables, chocolate, fruits, spices, bulbs, or mushrooms that you require with absolute ease.
The black plastic handle is slightly wider than most other box grater models to accommodate a range of hand sizes, and it grips with both comfort and ease. A non-slip protective base will shield your countertops from scratching and excessive movement to make grating even easier. This box grater can be washed either by hand or in your dishwasher.
Pros:
+ Simple, no-nonsense design that delivers on results
+ Widened hand grip
+ Excellent grating action
Why We Like It – There is a lot to be said for the simplicity of design. The Cuisinart CTG-00-BG is a straight-up, no messing around cheese grater that will fit into any kitchen set up and give to competent and satisfactory results with every use.
6. Cuisipro Surface Glide Technology Box Grater
The Cuisipro grater focusses on giving you as many gratings as possible for the minimal amount of effort. The efficiency of this boxed grater is unlike any other thanks to the surface glide technology implemented on its panels. This box grater has indented grooves that are specially designed to work with grating blades. The wavering surface area allows more space for more blades and perforations, which means you can get more gratings out of each stroke.
The shape also means there is substantially less friction and built up for food between the blades, so grating is easier, quicker, and more efficient. Each blade is fantastically sharp, and so we do recommend exercising an increased level of caution to avoid injury. However, the sharpness of the blades is a part of what makes the Cuisipro boxed grater such an excellent piece of kitchenware.
You get a choice of four blade types; a small and larger gauge cheese grater, a zester, and a mandoline slicing blade. The handle is made from a comfortable rubber-coated plastic that provides excellent grip and control when grating. Finally, the Cuisipro comes with a removable base that works as a catcher for your gratings and a non-slip bottom that will minimize excessive use movement. It will keep your kitchen countertops scratch-free and your workspace tidy.
Pros:
+ Surface glide technology for easier grating.
+ Super efficient.
+ Non-slip grating catcher.
Why We Like It – The blades on this grater are exceptionally sharp, which, when used safely, give fantastic results in a minimal amount of time. You really must see the ease of motion thanks to the surface glide technology.
7. OXO Good Grips Box Grater
This is one of the best graters for people who need precise amounts of grating for cooking or baking. The OXO Good Grips box grater comes with a plastic measuring container than fits comfortably into the base of the grater. This allows you to grate exactly what you need and to minimize wasting, which means you’re saving money. The catching container detached with ease, and the grater can also be used freely, thanks to the rubber guard on the base.
The grating panels are made from stainless steel and offer you four surfaces to choose from. Choose from a standard side cheese grater, a fine grater, a coarse grater, and a slicing blade. It’s time to get creative! The slim design of this grater makes for easy cupboard or kitchen drawer storage, and the plastic handle gives you a firm grip and control no matter what you’re grating. Whether it’s carrots for a salad, potatoes for hash browns, or a big chunk of chocolate for brownies, the OXO Good Grips box grater has you covered. This grater is also hand wash and dishwasher safe.
Pros:
+ Measured gratings catcher and container
+ Rubber base for a firm hold when using
+ Slim design
Why We Like It – As it’s thinner than the other graters, it can fit into any storage space required. Plus, the grating catcher means you have minimal mess to clean up after and during use.
8. Progressive International Prepworks Box Grater
This Prepworks box grater is as basic as kitchenware comes from amazon.com. It’s made from 100% stainless steel and is dishwasher safe. It offers four grating and cutting surfaces, including a coarse grater, slicing mandoline, medium gauge cheese grater, and a fine cheese grater.
The medium gauge grater spaces it’s blades slightly further apart than most other graters, and you can see the holes are slightly larger too. This makes it ideal for chunkier cuts of foods, such as potatoes for delicious hash browns or chocolate for getting nice big chunks in a batch of cookies. The handle is sturdy and fits a range of hand sizes for comfortable and easy use.
Pros:
+ As basic as box graters come so, you know what you’re getting
+ 100% stainless steel
+ Bigger holes for chunkier cuts
Why We Like It – This functional and straightforward grater is great for anyone who needs to restock their kitchen arsenal quickly.
9. Norpo Stainless Steel Grater
This is another basic line grater that works well as an all-rounder for any kitchen. It’s made from 100% stainless steel and offers no enhanced features or gimmicks. You have a choice of four standard grating surfaces associated with most cheese graters: a medium grater, fine grater, zester, and mandoline slicer. The handle is firmly riveted to the body for a durable and lasting hold, even with prolonged use. It’s dishwasher, safe, and rust-resistant.
Pros:
+ It’s a functioning cheese grater
+ 100% stainless steel
+ Functional handle
Why We Like It – It’s simple and functional without complexity or difficulty.
10. Rachael Ray 47648 Box Stainless Steel Grater
This box grater is a work innovation art. The single most common injury from cheese graters is from users slicing off a chunk of their finger while vigorously grating. Not only is this unpleasant, but it contaminates your gratings and means you have to start over. The Rachael Ray grater is the only product on our list that comes with an innovative finger guard. Simply press your food item into the plastic prongs to hold it in place, and you can grate as carefree as you like without injuring yourself again.
This grater also includes an internal grating catcher with a 4-cup capacity so you can keep mess to a minimum and hygiene to a maximum while you work. The heavy gauge stainless steel blades of this grater are all brilliantly sharp and provide excellent slicing and grating results. Choose from four surfaces that can give coarse gratings or medium gratings, julienne slices, or regular mandoline slices with extreme ease.
With such sharp blades, your meal prep always looks its best. And thanks to the finger guard, so will your hands. This box grater is incredibly durable and is dishwasher safe. The only hard part – and best – is choosing between the fetching red and blue colors available.
Pros:
+ Finger guard
+ 4-cup grating catcher
+ Julienne slicer, in particular, provides excellent results
Why We Like It – This grater is a real step up in quality, innovation, and features when it comes to kitchen prep equipment. We love the finger guard safety, and the quality of grating speaks for itself.
Box Graters Buyer’s Guide
Buying cheese graters or box graters are one of the few items that can be done so without worrying too much about the finer details. Almost any grater will successfully shred or slice the ingredients that go through it, and it’s why it has been one of the staple features of any kitchen for decades. However, unless you’re already a customer for amazon.com, you may not realize you could be missing out on a few small tweaks to the design that have made grating and slicing just that little bit easier.
Sure, standard no bells or whistles graters will get the job done, but would you rather get the job done or get the job done with style and minimal effort? We’ve broken down some of the factors you might want to consider before just grabbing any old grater because it’s a small step from grate to brilliant.
Knowing your blades
It’s important to know what the four standard grating surfaces are used for to get the best results from your graters.
Medium / Standard gauge grater: This is why most box graters are referred to as cheese graters. The larger holes allow for nice sizable chunks of cheese to slip through, so the finished result still has a present texture and flavor. This is also the best surface to use when grating hash browns as the larger cut size allow the pieces of potato to grip each other. Carrots grated for salads are also great through this gauge as again, they maintain enough of their texture for a satisfying crunch.
Small grater: Choosing between using this gauge and the standard gauge can sometimes be down to personal preference. Cheese goes through this just as easily and is often better if you’re making cheese sauces or anything requiring melted cheese. The smaller grating size will allow your cheese (or any other ingredient) to better dissolve into whatever you are making. We recommend using it for grating onions or garlic when cooking with beef as the finer cuts of these vegetables seep into the meat better and provide more impactful flavors.
Zester: Does exactly what its named for! With a zester surface, you can extract the best rind essence from any citrus fruit. This also works great with spice, such as ginger and nutmeg. The smaller and coarser holes ensure that only the lightest and finest essences get into your cooking.
Slicer: The slicing blade is based on the standard mandoline slicer design. While most mandolines will allow you to set the thickness of your cuts, the vast majority of box graters will not. This is, unfortunately, the price of the grater’s diversity. What you do get is the consistent size when slicing softer vegetables and fruits. Elongated vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, and zucchinis work best on these.
Featured Graters Vs. Basic Graters
Consider how often you are likely to use your grater. If you’re a once-in-a-while baker or type of cook, then perhaps it is better to go for one of the simple and more basic graters. However, if you are someone who uses their grater daily for a range of foods, then it’s likely better to invest in a grater that will make your daily work a lot less taxing. Rubber bases will protect your kitchen surfaces, and a softer handle will wear less on your hands. Features such as catcher trays will help keep mess to a minimum, and graters with improved gliding tech will mean you have to put less effort in but still get great results.
Graters Vs. Food Processors and Mandolines
There are several other ways to get the end product cheese graters to give you, such as food processors and mandolines. However, we would argue that although mandolines can provide excellent cutting consistency and accuracy, they offer no means for grating and lack the diversity of use.
Food processors, on the other hand, are incredibly diverse. Their failing, however, is that they require power to use and often require significantly more cleaning up afterward. This is why more cheese graters and box graters are found in the kitchen than food processors or mandolines.
Questions
What’s the best way to hand clean cheese graters? I keep shredding all my sponges.
Firstly, we highly recommend cleaning your graters immediately after use. Leaving food to dry on is only going to make cleaning harder. Use hot and soapy water with a firm sponge or wire scrubber to clean horizontally or with the blades. Never try to clean against the blades; otherwise, you’ll shred your sponge and risk damaging your grater.
What’s the best grating surface for ginger?
It’s down to personal preference, but we recommend either the zester or the small grater. The zester will give you more of the essence, so your cooking product has more subtle flavoring. This is best for baking where flavors are more delicate. The small grater will give you slightly larger cuts, which are great for dishes such as a stir fry as the retained mass allows a better release of flavor and melding with meats and vegetables in the pan.
Are graters safe for children to use?
We would say a firm no as graters have blades, and small adventurous fingers are particularly at risk from being lost in the blade perforation. However, if you want to teach older children about cooking safely and understanding the risks and correct usage of bladed kitchenware, then cheese graters can be a good introductory task for them to start learning with. Just make sure they watch their fingers and grate slowly and carefully at first.
