My opinion on the Microplane Zester grater

There are absolutely delicious dishes that are very easy to prepare. These are the dishes that solve an impromptu meal or when you don't have much time. At home, one of these basics is arugula salad with Parmesan. It's a dish that, well dressed, we love.

Today, while I was preparing it, the idea came to talk to you about the grater we always use at home, the Microplane Zester grater. Does a simple grater deserve a whole post? This one does! It's the best grater in the world (that's what they told me, and that's what I've confirmed). Without a doubt, it deserves that I tell you its virtues.

What surprises the most and why it receives the best reviews is that it achieves an ultra-fine grate of hard foods without you having to make the slightest effort. Almost without applying pressure, a grate falls that looks like cotton. That's why it's ideal for hard cheeses like Parmesan, citrus, chocolate, spices and vegetables such as garlic and onion.

You'll get an idea of how well it works just by watching the beginning of this video:

Thanks to its excellent cut it has become the market reference worldwide for graters of its class. The most curious thing is how this grater was developed: it was not long ago, in 1994, when a carpenter's wife used one of her husband's favorite tools to grate the orange she wanted for the cake she was preparing (she was fed up with the graters she'd tried up to then not working well). She was astonished to see how the zest fell with no effort and in the shape of snowflakes, and that's how a grater of the same style was developed.

Another thing I love is that the blade has small lateral walls on the underside, which helps keep the grate from falling off. It's great for me when I'm grating citrus or spices from which you get a small amount of zest, because that way I keep it on top of the grater to then deposit it where I want. You just have to grate on the top of the food, with the grater inverted, as you can see in the photo.

(Left) Grater Zester placed flat so the zest falls downward; (right) placed upside down to retain the zest on the grater itself.

Another feature of the Zester is its very long blade. It measures 32cm long including the handle, ergonomic and smooth, very pleasant to the touch. Being made of stainless steel, you can wash it in the dishwasher.

While I was writing the article, I checked the reviews our customers have left on the product page. I see I'm not the only one who is absolutely in love with this grater, because all the reviews speak wonderfully of it. I encourage you to read them (here), the truth is it brings a smile to my face when I read them. Also, you'll see that the grater has a very affordable price, and that it will be more than compensated by the great results it will give you.

You may also be interested to know that we now have the mini version of the same grater, ideal for spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, chili or for garlic or nuts. And if you're afraid of cutting yourself, you'll also find the Microplane cut-resistant glove, ideal for cutting with a knife or grating.

Spice grater (left) and cutting glove from Microplane

I should also mention that the Microplane Zester is Microplane's most famous grater, but it has other graters designed for other uses and preferences. If you want to see them, you can find them at this link.

Graters to achieve shavings of different thicknesses (top photos), and electric mills to grate cheese and to grind spices (bottom photos)