Using a cheese grater sounds simple enough. After all, it's not rocket science. Grab the grater and a block of cheese and get to work, right? Well, it turns out shredding cheese is more nuanced than that, and many people are making mistakes along the way.
If you've ever cut a finger or ripped a nail while grating, something obviously went awry. Luckily, most mishaps aren't so dramatic and generally just end in less-than-desirable cheese. Think cheese that's shredded far too coarse or fine or that ends up in a mushy pile.
Or perhaps, you're fighting to get that cheese through the grater in the first place. Truthfully, most offenders aren't aware they're making cheese grater mistakes. So if you're wondering if you're among them, read on — and don't beat yourself up too much.
We're here to help sharpen those grating skills by detailing common mistakes. Hopefully, you can swiftly correct course because, hey, cheddar now than never. Only using a box grater vertically There's some debate in the cheese world about how to use a box grater.
The majority of us stand it vertically and let the cheese pile up inside, while others have discovered that laying the box grater on its side is more effective. We're not here to tell you one way is wrong, but if you've never tried the horizontal method, you're missing out. Laying the box grater on its side allows the cheese to collect neatly inside the grater.
Simply rest the grater horizontally, hold the handle firmly, and shred cheese side to .