Save Space In Your Cabinet By Owning A Flat Grater Instead Of A Box One

Decluttering your kitchen? It's time to toss out that unwieldy box grater and replace it with a space-saving flat grater that still gets the job done but has a compact, easy-to-store design. While it's true that box graters have a variety of blades, producing both fine and coarse shreds and slices, it's unlikely you use all four sides. Switching to a flat-style option will save you heaps of space in your cabinet while still allowing you to grate cheese and veggies as normal.

Flat graters have blades on a single side and you can hold them by the handle to grate ingredients directly over pasta and salads. You can also place them on top of a container so your shredded veggies can fall neatly below into a catcher. However, the best thing about these tools is that you can lie them down in your utensil drawer and put your spatulas and whisks over them when not in use. You can also store a series of them on their side, like books in a bookcase, if you have deeper drawers that can account for their width. To save even more cabinet space, stow your flat grater in a countertop bain beside your cooker so you can grab it easily and free up your drawers. Although some flat graters are more paddle-like in their design, with a wider surface area and curved edge, which can be trickier to store than smaller, level ones, both kinds save more space than box graters.

Flat graters are easier to clean than box graters because you don't have to put your hand inside the cavity to scrub away grated food that's stuck to the surface. You can simply run them under the faucet and give them a quick clean with a soapy sponge on both sides, which guarantees that no bits of food are accidentally left to fester on the blades like they can on the internal structure of a box style grater.

Some flat graters have a couple of styles of cutters on their surface too so you can make classic shreds of cheese or wider slices. However, if you regularly use the fine-bladed side of your box grater to prep ginger or garlic, consider supplementing your flat grater with a microplane. These nifty gadgets are perfect for finely mincing aromatics and zesting citrus fruits because they have super-sharp teeth. The strength of these rasp-style graters also makes them ideal for grating hard cheeses, like Parmesan, and whole spices, such as nutmeg. Store your microplane alongside your flat grater and you'll still save heaps of premium space in your kitchen drawers and cabinets because you can slide them into the sides of cupboards or stack them up on top of pans and baking trays. It's one of those kitchen organization hacks that seems so simple but makes a real difference.