How To Easily Grate Cheese Without Scratching Your Knuckles

Sometimes, the simplest fixes are the easiest. Such is the case with the box grater or cheese grater – a kitchen staple for centuries. The four-sided, trapezoidal prism-shaped grater has several advantages over the flat rasp style. It has more surface area and increased stability. And the different grating grades on each side make for a versatile kitchen tool. Plus, there are many other creative uses for your cheese grater besides shredding cheese. 

There are downsides, though. Pushing the grater down from the top with one hand to stop it slipping and grating vertically with the other hand can be exhausting, particularly with blocks of hard cheese. At that angle, it's easy to drag your knuckles or fingertips across the grater plane. While it's not quite as risky as using a mandoline to make that viral cucumber salad, it's still painful and frustrating. Fortunately, there's an easy solution: Turn the box grater on its side.

Setting a box grater on its side, with the gauge you want facing up, solves several issues. First, you only need to hold the top of the cheese block, which immediately reduces exposure of your digits. Secondly, you're pushing your weight down on the food, making grating significantly easier. Finally, the grater itself catches the sliced cheese, which you can shake into a bowl or on your dish.

To ensure safer grating, take your time and pay attention to which way the blades are facing. Don't grate items all the way to the nub. Eating that last chunk of cheese is better than having the grater eat your fingertips. Also, replace your grater from time to time. Like knives, the blades get dull, but there's no way to sharpen them. If you're still getting scraped up, consider wearing protective gear. Cut-resistant kitchen gloves are a good option, but the latex or nitrile will likely stick and catch. You might also consider oyster-shucking gloves. They're sturdy enough to protect your fingers and flexible enough to easily handle any mozzarella or tomato (yes, tomatoes can be grated) that comes your way.