'In the Kitchen' Archive Fridays: Microplane REreview

Welcome to the third installment of 'In the Kitchen' Archive Fridays!  Today I'm going back to the archives of Everything 'In the Kitchen' Up Close to feature a review for the first time.  The review is of the Microplane 4-sided box grater.  Make sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post for an update on my experience with the product between the time I reviewed it in 2009 and now!

Enjoy!

"Recently, I was surfing the net looking for new and interesting kitchen tools when I came across a company called Microplane. Microplane originally started by designing woodworking tools in 1990, but only 4 years later, they realized the need for high quality, ‘sharper cutting tools’ in the kitchen and introduced their kitchen tool line.

The story of how the kitchen tool line came to be is quite amusing: “The big moment came, when Lorraine Lee, a homemaker in Ottawa, Canada, was making an Armenian orange cake. Out of frustration with her old grater, she picked up a new tool her husband, Leonard, had brought home from their hardware store, Lee Valley Tools. She slid the orange across its blades and was amazed. Lacy shards of zest fell from its surface like snowflakes. The Lees marveled at the tool, ate the cake, then promptly changed the product description in their catalogue. The Microplane® grater had earned permanent space in the kitchen.”

Microplane is now known worldwide for making quality kitchen, personal care, and woodworking tools that are sharp for superior results, yet safe.

Review
After seeing all the neat kitchen tools Microplane carries (graters, slicers, zesters, etc.), I was determined to try one out for myself. Microplane offered to send me one of their newest award winning products: the Microplane® Specialty Series 4-Sided Box Grater. This amazing grater has been classified as Fine Cooking Magazine’s choice of best overall box grater. In addition, the 4-sided box grater received top honors in the 2009 Housewares Design Awards for Kitchen Hand Tools. After seeing all the features of this grater and hearing about all the awards that it had won, I was really looking forward to testing it out.

The Microplane 4-Sided Box Grater includes Microplane’s three most popular grating blades, the fine/zester, medium ribbon and extra coarse. Microplane has also added a slicer blade to this product. Each blade is made from premium surgical grade stainless steel and the overall grating area size is 5.25” by 4.25”. To ensure that this grater is easy to use and comfortable to handle, Microplane decided to include an ergonomic soft grip handle. Rubber feet ensure that while you are using the grater, it won’t slip. Microplane has truly thought of everything with their new 4-Sided Box Grater. They have even included a plastic cover that you can easily slip over the top when it is not in use. This is a great way to protect yourself and others in your household.

When it comes to doing dishes, it is really not something I enjoy doing (who does?). We have a dishwasher and use it as often as possible. I do admit that if something isn’t dishwasher safe, I generally will not purchase it. Unless, I really really really like it. Luckily for me, Microplane has catered to people like me with this product. Since it is made with stainless steel, rubber, and plastic, it is completely dishwasher safe. Microplane has made this grater easier than ever to clean and has even made the fine blade removable for easier cleaning access.

Finally, it came time to test out Microplane's grater! I was busy making chicken wraps in the kitchen for lunch when I remembered that the Microplane had a slicer on the side of it. Since I had to cut vegetables and shred cheese and I hadn’t tried out the Microplane 4-Sided box grater yet, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity. I was about to cut slices of cucumber so I decided to use the slicer instead of a knife as I normally would. I was extremely impressed by how sharp the blade was. I have a Mandolin for slicing things but I never use it because it is so dull. I am impressed that the blade on the grater is even better than mandolin I have, especially since the slicer is not the main function of the grater!

Next, I had to shred some cheese; so of course, the grater was a perfect solution. When I picked up the grater and looked at the blades, I noticed they were quite different from any other grater I had ever owned. Instead of the holes being round, they were rectangular. I thought this was neat. I am embarrassed to admit that when I shredded cheese with Microplane’s grater for the first time, I was excited about the new and interesting shape of it. Both the small size and large side of the grater were the same shape. After making my chicken wraps, I have been using the Microplane 4-Sided Grater on almost a daily basis. My other graters have gone into retirement. Each time I have used the grater (all functions of it), I have had wonderful results.

One thing I did notice is that the small grater side seems a bit smaller than most graters. At first, I thought it made it a bit harder to grate cheese on the small setting. But then, I noticed that it wasn’t necessarily harder, it just took a bit more time. The fact that this grater grates cheese a bit smaller is actually a good thing for me. When I use the small side of my grater, it is often because I will be melting the cheese. Since cheese melts faster the smaller it is, I don’t have to worry about overcooking the rest of my food if I am just adding it at the end (for example: a baked potato or garlic cheese bread).

In conclusion, I can see why the Microplane 4-Sided Grater has won all the awards that it has; this is a great product! After seeing the high quality blades that Microplane uses in their products, I am certainly looking forward to trying more of their products in the future."

Update:
It isn't all the time that I review a product that I find myself using for years to come.  The Microplane 4-sided Box Grater is a product that I loved when I reviewed it 2 years ago and I still love it today.  Not only do I love this grater but it has become one of my favourite kitchen gadgets.  While I do have other graters, Microplane is my primary grater and I'm truly disappointed when it happens to be dirty or unavailable for whatever reason.  After two years of using this product at least a few times each week, it performs just as well as the day I got it; the blades haven't dulled at all and the overall sturdiness remains the same.  Microplane truly sets itself apart from other graters on the market with it's surgical stainless steel blades (they are the sharpest blades I've experienced from a kitchen product).  The only part of the grater that I no longer use is the plastic shield (cover) that came with the grater; I found that it was just easier to store the grater without it. 

Since receiving this item for review, I have purchased numerous other Microplane products because I know that Microplane equals (=) quality!  I have also often suggested Microplane products over other brands to family and friends and they have been equally impressed by the quality.  Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed using the 4-sided Microplane Box Grater and would highly suggest Microplane kitchen products to anyone who spends anytime at all in the kitchen!