What has holes that are bigger than a rasp grater but smaller than a box grater? This is not a riddle, we're really asking! The answer is a ribbon grater, a wonderful kitchen companion that turns a bevy of ingredients into airy, light, medium-sized curls with ease.
Available as a lightweight, standalone tool or as one side of a box grater (the one you're probably most overlooking, TBH), a ribbon grater has dual-edged teeth that create thin strips in two directions. This means you can run your block of cheddar or whole lemon backwards and forwards, quickly transforming either into a featherlike heap of cheese or zest. Below are a few of our favorite ways to use the tool.
With cheese
Epi alum and kitchen tool aficionado Anna Stockwell recommends using a ribbon grater on cheeses of medium texture and firmness, like gouda or cheddar. Where a rasp grater is useful for hard cheeses like Parm or pecorino, the just-right-sized ribbon grater is best for turning more flexible, meltable varieties into ribbons for even coverage. Anna makes a great case for adding delicate wisps of ribbon-grated cheese to a picturesque salad, or amping up a pile of nachos. The fluffy and airy pieces of cheese melt faster than the more traditional coarse and chunky shreds from the large holes of a box grater.
Endive, Romaine, and Orange Salad for Two
© Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack AndersonThe ultimate date-night first course: eat it with a knife and fork or eat it with your hands. Either way it's more fun if you share it off the same plate. See recipe. With citrus
Finely grated citrus zest, the kind you'd make with a rasp grater, is ideal for folding into doughs or batters or whisking into salad dressings. But as a garnish, the slightly sturdier shavings from a ribbon grater are your best bet. Top your baked goods, salads, plates of roasted vegetables, and more with slivers of lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit for a pretty and flavorful finishing touch.
With chocolate
The two-way grating system on a ribbon grater is great for making thin, decorative strips of chocolate that quite literally melt in your mouth. A nice way to finish off a dessert, those curls of milk, dark, or white chocolate add a new level of pizzazz to mousses and cakes and add a textural element to the top of a tiramisu instead of cocoa powder. We recommend using a wide block of chocolate or sturdy baking bar that can handle the friction from the grater-you can find one at most grocery stores or online.
Old-School Tiramisù
© Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Heather Greene, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou With vegetables
If you're going the vegetable route, the ribbon grater is excellent for making salads, fritters, or latkes. When used on denser producer, it'll yield slivers that allow for a more compact fritter-one that sticks together and cooks fast. And for baked goods with grated veg in the batter, like zucchini bread or carrot cake, a ribbon grater is the key to a finer, more delicate bite without the big shards made by a box grater or food processor.
BA's Best Carrot Cake
© Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Elizabeth JaimeWith a dense, rum-soaked cake and a buttery cream cheese frosting, this ideal version of the classic carrot cake comes from Bon Appetit's Claire Saffitz. See recipe. Convinced?
The ribbon graters from Microplane (much like the brand's beloved rasp graters) are Team Epi favorites. And for under $20, they make great gifts for anyone looking to up their decorative grating game. Or, for more versatility, opt for an upgraded box grater from Microplane.