How To Stop Cheese From Sticking To The Grater

The challenges of a box grater include clogging, cheese sticking, and the fact that it never cleans completely unless you have a powerful dishwasher or soak it for what feels like forever. Using the grater often creates a mess, with pieces of rebellious cheese escaping under the kitchen table, evading even the dog. Instead of enduring this headache, try a simple kitchen hack to alleviate the frustration of this kitchen tool.

To make cleanup easier, spray or brush some olive oil on the grater. This makes it almost impossible for the cheese to stick while grating. Be sure to do both the inside and outside of the grater, or it will revert to its original frustrating and messy state. This hack gained popularity on TikTok, leading creators to have a hand in saving many fingers from accidental cuts while trying to scrape out leftover cheese. After learning this trick in the kitchen, grating cheese at home almost seems worth the effort.

Pre-packaged shredded cheese is a convenient alternative, but grating your own cheese has its benefits. This way, you can skip the additives and choose whether you want your cheese shredded or sliced. Sliced cheese works well on sandwiches, while shredded is perfect for chili — the majority would agree that shredded cheese on a sandwich should be illegal. Plus, avoiding the chemical taste of pre-packaged cheese makes for a more delicious and authentic flavor.

With so many hacks available to make your box grater less of a headache, it's easy to get value for your money. One way to simplify the task is to change how the grater is held. Turn it on its side instead, placing a cutting board on the bottom. Grab the handle and grate away from yourself, letting the cheese fall inside for easy transfer to a dish afterward. There is no fuss or secret ingredient; just a simple change in hand placement makes all the difference.

Graters have multiple sides with different slicing types. The classic cheese grater is handy for transforming a block of cheese into fine pieces to toss onto fluffy scrambled eggs. Many forget about the long slicing side, which is ideal for peppers, onions, carrots, and other vegetables. On the sweeter side, graters can elevate your desserts and offer an exemplary way to impress guests when you sprinkle a touch of flaky chocolate over ice cream.

Don't overlook roots and spices. If ginger or garlic needs to achieve a paste texture, put down the mortar and pestle. Rubbing them against the zest side of the box grater, which has the tiniest holes, works well. Aside from zesting, the smaller holes are great for reducing spices like nutmeg to a finer consistency. Whether grating, shredding, zesting, or slicing, box graters have a multitude of uses.