Get to know your grater

We know: It’s much simpler to pick up a bag of shredded cheese than it is to locate your box grater, wrestle to keep it still while you participate in what suddenly has become “arm day,” and afterwards, clean the thing while trying to avoid shredding your knuckles. But there are a number of reasons to celebrate the humble box grater and eschew pre-shredded cheese:

1. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking ingredients. While these agents keep the shreds from clumping together in the bag, they also affect melting: you can end up with gritty and chalky when you were aiming for smooth and creamy.
2. You’re using your box grater wrong. Instead of standing it upright, turn it on its side and the shredding will go a lot faster with a lot less effort. The horizontal orientation makes it easier to grate, and the cheese sits nicely inside the box until you’re ready to add it to your dish.
3. If you’ve found that the softer the cheese, the messier the grate, chill the cheese first. Put soft varieties like Butterkäse in the freezer for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the block. Firmed up, it’ll be quicker to grate and leave less smearing.
4. Each side has a purpose. The coarser side is perfect for soft varieties like Havarti as well as semi-firm cheeses, and for creating larger shreds that will melt but hold their shape. The finer grater works well for firm cheeses, and in applications that call for cheeses to be incorporated into a sauce. The star/rasp grater is designed for firm cheeses and creates a fine powder. The slicer side will make short work of cheeses of all types, creating even planks that are perfect for a charc board or sandwich.