Do you know what the different sides of the grater are for?

Even those who rarely cook have a grater in their kitchen. Although this is an extremely simple device, not everyone has the knowledge of how to use it correctly.

Standard graters usually have four sides: with large tear-shaped holes, with small tear-shaped holes, with large oblong slots and with small sharp holes in the form of stars. Hexagonal ones still have sides with corrugated oblong slots and with double rectangular holes. We tell you what each side is for.

Side with large teardrop holes

This surface is perhaps the most popular. It is convenient to grate cheese, fruits, raw and boiled vegetables for soups, salads, potato pancakes and pancakes and butter for shortcrust pastry.

Side with small tear-shaped holes

This edge is useful if you need a thinner cut. Use the side for boiled eggs, chocolate, garlic and ginger. On such a surface it is convenient to rub the peel of citrus fruits for zest, as well as onions, potatoes and other fresh vegetables for cutlets, dumplings and other minced meat dishes.

Side with large oblong slots

You will need it to quickly cut hard vegetables into thin slices, for example for homemade chips or ratatouille. To do this, you need to put a zucchini or potatoes perpendicular to the grater and pull it down sharply. You can also chop cabbage with this edge.

Side with corrugated oblong slots

This face has the same purpose as the previous one. But on it slices of vegetables will turn out wavy. You can make corrugated chips or an unusual decoration for dishes from them.

Side with double rectangular holes

This surface is suitable for the same purposes as a face with large tear-shaped holes. But the pieces will turn out longer and even. Therefore, on this part it is convenient to grate raw hard vegetables for salads, for example Korean.

Side with star holes

The "prickly" side is the most mysterious and at first glance useless. It is easy to get hurt on it, and the products strive to get stuck between the cloves, so this part of the grater is often ignored. But sharp stars were invented not to cause suffering to cooks, but to grind nutmeg into powder. In stores, devices with such holes are even sold under the name "nutmeg grater."

It seems strange to come up with a separate type of grinder for one condiment, but several centuries ago, nutmeg was trendy. It was added to food and hot drinks, and also was consideredthat the spice can protect against the plague. For special fans of nutmeg, they even made compact graters with a built-in container so that you can enjoy the aroma of seasoning at any time.

If whole nutmeg is not a frequent visitor to your table, use the "spiky" side for other hard foods that need to be reduced to dust. These can be cinnamon sticks, ginger root, hard cheeses like Parmesan, chocolate and crackers.

Sharp holes are also useful for soft vegetables and fruits if you want to puree or juice them. And some manage to clean the fish with this edge. But it seems that a special knife is still more convenient.