How I tested<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I tested each box grater with bell pepper, carrot, zucchini, and, naturally, Parmesan. I ran them through every side of the grater \u2013 usually, a slicer, coarse-, medium-, and fine-grating \u2013 and three box graters were clearly the top performers, while the five others delivered mixed or terrible results. I noted how sharp each was, how much each grater yielded, and how easy each one was to clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Box graters are notorious for cutting fingertips and knuckles, so you should also invest in a pair of cut-resistant gloves<\/a>. They\u2019re not expensive and will protect your hands from injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See below for a ranking of how each box grater performed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As box graters go, the KitchenAid<\/a> hit all the marks and made slicing and grating vegetables and Parmesan incredibly easy. The KitchenAid is one of the largest that I tested, standing at 10-inches tall and 6-inches wide, so it takes up a bit of cabinet space. But that\u2019s the only gripe I have about this terrific box grater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s made of a sturdy, high-grade stainless steel and has a substantial stainless-steel handle that allows for a firm grip. The KitchenAid has four sides \u2013 a 3-inch-wide slicer and coarse, medium, and fine grates \u2013 all of them exceedingly sharp. (So wear those cut-resistant gloves!) The KitchenAid was one of the few graters that could slice red bell pepper evenly and slice carrot and zucchini into perfect thin discs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The coarse grater made beautiful thin ribbons of zucchini, and the Parmesan grated on the extra-fine blade was effortless. A durable plastic 2-cup storage container is included, and it can be snapped into the bottom of the grater to catch what you\u2019re grating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I had to use a fine-tipped knife to pick out grains of cheese from the fine grating blade, but other than that, the grater rinsed clean in seconds. The KitchenAid box grater is one of the highest-rated on Amazon and for good reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The OXO Good Grips box grater<\/a> is slightly smaller than the KitchenAid, but because it\u2019s only 3-inches deep, it\u2019s much easier to store away in a cabinet or drawer. The grater is mostly made of hard plastic, but its four grating blades are brushed stainless steel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The blades have an interesting design; instead of the usual holes, they\u2019re tiny rounded squares. Aesthetically it\u2019s quite attractive (who knew a box grater could be pretty?), but don\u2019t let its good looks fool you, the grating blades are surgically sharp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The slicer is just 1.5-inches wide, so though it could slice through bell pepper like paper, it just isn\u2019t wide enough to get long strips. But the grater was excellent in slicing the carrot and zucchini with precision. A nice feature is that the fine grater is actually a removable zester, which gave me powdery citrus zest and ethereal wisps of Parmesan that would melt on contact with hot pasta. The OXO box grater also comes with a container cup that stays secure when you\u2019re grating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Cuisipro box grater<\/a> is almost entirely made of a high-grade, brushed stainless steel. It\u2019s attractively etched with what the company calls \u201csurface glide technology,\u201d which I\u2019m not sure actually affected how the grater grated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I liked the design choice of etching cup and milliliter measurements on opposite sides, but it\u2019s doubtful whether I would grate anything to the top. The removable base \u2013 which doubles as a ginger grater \u2013 stabilizes the grater and collects what\u2019s grated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The slicer is 2.25-inches wide and made cut paper thin (\u2159-inch) slices of all the vegetables. The three grating blades are very similar to the OXO, and I got almost the same results but with a little more effort, which is why I question whether the surface glide technology works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The ginger grater is a hard-plastic oval with tiny raised pins that was designed to shred ginger and leave the fibers behind. I was pleasantly surprised that this nifty add-on did what it was supposed to. The Cuisipro is pricey for a box grater, but it was one of the best that I tested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At first glance, the Cuisinart large box grater<\/a> looks pretty identical to the KitchenAid model, and although it was a decent performer, it doesn\u2019t seem to be as well-made. The Cuisinart is approximately the same size as the KitchenAid and also has a wide slicer and three grating sides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Cuisinart differs in that its medium grating blade has up and down ridged holes that allow you to grate faster by running the vegetable or cheese up and down. This medium grater is for fine shredding, which is what it did to the vegetables, turning them into a chunky puree. It did a better job, though, in grating the cheese. The slicer made mincemeat out of the bell pepper, but it cut the zucchini and carrot into even \u215b -inch slices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The coarse grater pulped the bell pepper but made nice zucchini julienne and carrot shreds. It took a lot of effort to grate the Parmesan on the fine grating blade, and I preferred the texture and consistency of the cheese shredded on the medium grater, which was much easier to use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Cuisinart comes with a 2-cup container for capturing shreds, but it made the box grater unsteady, so it\u2019s better for storage. Because the grating blades aren\u2019t as small as other graters, the Cuisinart was very easy to rinse clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Spring Chef<\/a> is another large box grater, but just by the feel of it I could tell that it\u2019s cheaply made. The wide slicer did a good job with slicing carrot and zucchini 1\/16-inch-thick discs, but the rather dull blade couldn\u2019t even handle the skin of the bell pepper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Both the coarse and medium graters were good for shredding zucchini and carrot, but grating cheese on the fine grating blade was hard-going. The biggest issue I had with the Spring Chef is the rubberized non-slippage bottom, which, instead of keeping the box grater flat, made it rock back and forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most expensive box graters I tested was the Microplane<\/a> model. Its best feature is the removable fine grating blade that makes cleaning the box grater easy. Weirdly, the fine blade doesn\u2019t have a handle so it can\u2019t be used independently, like the OXO Good Grips fine blade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first problem I noticed is the grater\u2019s pronged, rubberized feet, which gave no support, so I could only use the grater by holding it at an angle. The Microplane grater is basically three microplane zesters and a slicer. The slicer didn\u2019t seem sharp enough because it destroyed the red pepper, and the sliced carrot and zucchini had ragged edges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The medium blade is supposed to cut zucchini ribbons, but it was difficult to use and just produced thick shreds. All three grating blades were great with the Parmesan, so essentially, the Microplane box grater is just a pricey cheese grater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This inexpensive Cuisinart box grater<\/a> \u2013 or \u201cboxed\u201d grater as Cuisinart oddly calls it \u2013 or a similarly cheap version, is the one found in most people\u2019s kitchen cabinets that they rarely use. It has a good size handle that\u2019s easy to grip and a rubberized non-slippage base that keeps the grater steady on a cutting board. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m not sure why this Cuisinart model has three slicing blades because it made a jagged mess of the vegetables.The coarse grating blade is supposed to render julienne, but that didn\u2019t happen \u2013 I just got long shreds. The medium grating blade pulped everything and proved useless. The fine grating blade was okay with the Parmesan, but wow, it took effort to get a tablespoon out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Worst of all, this box grater was truly a pain to clean. I had to use a fine-tipped knife to pry stuck cheese bits out of the grating holes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. KitchenAid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"KitchenAid](\"https:\/\/www.hungryhuy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/kitchenaid-grater-680x453.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n2. OXO Good Grips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"OXO](\"https:\/\/www.hungryhuy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/oxo-box-grater-680x453.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n3. Cuisipro<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hungryhuy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuisipro-box-grater-680x453.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n4. Cuisinart (large)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hungryhuy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/spring-chef-grater-680x453.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n5. Spring Chef<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hungryhuy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuisinart-box-grater-680x453.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n6. Microplane<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hungryhuy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/microplane-box-grater-680x453.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n7. Cuisinart (small)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hungryhuy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuisinart-box-grater-small-680x453.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n8. Utopia Kitchen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hungryhuy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/utopia-kitchen-grater-680x453.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n