To Find the 3 Best Box Graters, We Shredded Cheese, Potatoes, Tomatoes, and More

What’s the first thing you reach for when you’ve got a block of cheese to shred? A grater, of course! Box graters are essential kitchen tools that can do a whole lot more than just shred cheese; they can turn all kinds of food into ribbons, strands, or tiny particles.

While a food processor performs similar tasks, I often end up reaching for the box grater instead since it's way easier to clean. A box grater is there for me if I need tomato pulp for a quick pan con tomate; it’s handy for garnishing a salad with a confetti of carrots; and it's ideal for turning potatoes into latkes or hash browns.

Box graters typically have four sides, each devoted to one function. Two sides usually feature large- and medium-size holes for grating; one side includes a wannabe mandoline; and the final side has a zester. And while you might think that a box grater is a box grater is a box grater, you'd be wrong.

I tested 11 different graters, using various ingredients of varied textures to assess how each grater performed on each side. All of the graters reviewed were made of stainless steel, which seems to be the norm these days as it's rust-resistant and dishwasher-safe (a quick search of “vintage graters” turned up old aluminum models). Here's what I found.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Box Grater

The eight graters we tested ranged in price from $10 to $35 at the time of testing. While we wondered whether their prices would correlate with their performance, our primary concern was how well each one would shred, slice, and grate, and how easily they would accomplish those tasks. Beyond performing well, the ideal box grater should be comfortable to use.

In terms of performance, the uniformity of cuts each grater was able to make was another consideration. This isn't just a question of aesthetics; for example, when it comes to using shredded vegetables in a recipe, such as hash browns, having a consistent shred size ensures even cooking. I also paid particular attention to clogging, which is a big potential drawback. Scraping off pecorino from a zester or reaching inside the grater to pry free stuck-on Cheddar can slow you down and add to the time spent cleaning.

Here are some other things I looked out for during testing: Does the grater slip easily on a work surface or does it stay in place? Is it sturdy or will it break, bend, or dent after a run-in with a block of Parm that's been in your fridge just a little too long? Does it stay sharp after each use or dull easily? How easy is it to clean? Does the grater contain the food it shreds or will I have to embark on a scavenger hunt to find stray bits all over my kitchen? And how easy is it to store? Some graters came with extras—removable parts, container attachments, bonus zesters, and measurement marks. Do they add value?

The Testing

To select graters to test, I researched top sellers on Amazon; availability at retailers such as Bed Bath Beyond and Williams Sonoma; and consulted the reviews of other publications.

I decided to limit the test to the graters that were most widely available and that had received several good reviews. I eliminated any that had too many removable parts and any that weren't four-sided (they are called box graters, after all). My testing plan was three-pronged: First, I tested them under real-world conditions, using them a home cook would, and evaluating them for ease of use, ergonomic comfort, and stability. Then, a measured-and-timed test to assess yield per stroke. Finally, I conducted a visual inspection of the gratings and how contained they were, I assessed how easy each one was to clean after washing them by hand and in the dishwasher several times, as well as their overall design and durability.

Test 1: Usability

For the initial tests, I grated/sliced/zested foods of different textures on each side, as I would when prepping any meal. I used carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, baking chocolate, cheddar cheese, and low-moisture mozzarella on the large holes; for the medium holes, I grated carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and cheddar. On the slicer, I tested radish and cucumber. On the zester side, I used lime, ginger, nutmeg, and hard Parmesan cheese. From these tests I was able to discern if items grated easily and uniformly; if they clogged in the holes or released easily; and whether the shavings were roughly the same size and shape.

These tests highlighted which graters were useful no matter which side or function you needed to use, separating them from the ones where the zesting and slicing sides were more like ornamental accessories.

Test 2: Timed Stroke and Yield

Then I practiced some of my musical skills. I thought of songs known for using a guayo or a guiro—a box scraper percussion instrument—and perhaps one of the most well-known is "Oye Como Va," the Tito Puente classic. The Santana cover has a metronome setting of 129 beats per minute, so while stroking to that rhythm, I set a timer for 30 seconds and shredded away. While grating, I noticed which graters made it easiest for me to keep the steadiest rhythm of measured strokes, as if I were playing that grater for Carlos himself. After the timer went off, I measured the amounts produced in unpacked cups and examined the quality and uniformity of the shreds. I also assessed the graters for how well they contained the shreds.

This test highlighted the graters that were a pleasure to use, singled out those that were the best for bigger grating jobs, and also showed which ones excelled at uniform shreds and gratings.

Test 3: Cleanup

After each test, each grater was washed either by hand or in the dishwasher. When washing them by hand, I noted how easy it was to get food bits to release from each grater, and how easy each one was to sponge wash and towel dry. After going through the dishwasher, I examined whether the grater was completely clean or not and, after multiple machine washings, if the grater was durable enough to withstand them. Finally, I noted all the while how the graters handled different amounts of pressure, and what would happen if I lightly tapped them against a countertop to release shreds. I also eyeballed the design, noting which models were easiest to store.

How We Chose Our Winners

The winners were the easiest and most comfortable to use, the most durable, and produced the highest yield of grated material the fastest. The winner also was usable on all four sides, with not a single ornamental zester in the bunch. They were also easiest to use and clean.

Before we get to the winners, a quick note on the differences between etched versus stamped graters: While photochemically etched graters tend to be sharper than classic stamped graters, I found there wasn't a sufficiently noticeable difference between the results to make any kind of general recommendation of one kind over the other. The main point of difference became evident while I was grating hard cheeses on the zesters. Etched models like Oxo, Cuisipro, and Microplane worked best in terms of clean shredding, producing fine, fluffy shreds with no clogging, while the star-shaped grating rasps on the stamped models made a more powdery grated cheese. This won't have much of an effect on most dishes, though Daniel previously found that more powdery grated cheese melts into creamy emulsified cheese sauces like cacio e pepe more successfully than those fluffy flakes. If you make a lot of pasta at home, that might be worth taking into account.

When to Use a Box Grater Vs. A Microplane

Box graters feature a few sides with different hole sizes, while microplanes have tiny, super sharp perforations. Both have their use cases. Box graters are great (heh) for shredding larger pieces of food—think cheddar cheese, carrots, or beets. Try to shed a beet on a microplane and it won't end well. Microplanes are better for zesting or flaking tiny pieces for a garnish, like grating chocolate over a cocktail or perhaps a smidge of nutmeg. Some folks also use them to grate fine pieces of parmesan, though editorial director Daniel Gritzer finds the smallest side of a box grater does a better job if you want the cheese to melt smoothly into your pasta dish.

Our Favorite Box Graters

The Best All-Around Box Grater

Cuisipro 4-Sided Boxed Grater

$42 $27 at Amazon $40 at Walmart $37 at Target

What we liked: While "surface glide technology" sounds an awful lot like marketing speak, it made all the difference in the world for this box grater, putting it ahead of the rest. What it means: a subtly grooved grating surface that allows for smooth, easy grating and maximum efficiency. The holes are sharp and angled which allows for uniformity of shreds. The combination of etched and angled teeth made this the best performer of all the graters, on all four sides, and also helped to keep the grated material efficiently contained.

Large and medium holes produced delicate even shreds and the largest yield of all eight (3.5 cups in 30 seconds) when time-tested. The zester did not clog—no scraping necessary to release zest—and even the mandoline was serviceable, which is saying a lot. The nonslip handle was comfortable to use, and while there isn't a catchbin there is a removable non-slip base that has a finely pointed grating surface (seemingly modeled after a Japanese ceramic yakumi grater), which did an admirable job of collecting ginger pulp without the fiber snagging, the way it does on most zesters. If you leave the base on while grating, the entire grater acts as a catchbin, and there are volume measurement markings along the side. And even if the base is removed, the grater does not slip.

I liked that it was slim, lightweight yet sturdy, and easy to store. This isn't just the best all-around box grater; it's also the best for big jobs that need to be done quickly. While it wasn't the easiest to hand wash (sponges may catch; do NOT use precious towels on this one), it weathered the dishwasher well, despite the fact that the packaging does not claim it's dishwasher-safe and the manufacturer doesn't recommend putting it in the dishwasher. My internet research suggested it could be done, and my testing experience backed that up. The grater also comes with a 25-year warranty, which is a testament to its durability and really makes it worth the price.

What we liked: Not much—this is a great all-around box grater.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 4.5 x 3.75 x 10.5 inches
• Materials: Stainess steel, silicone
• Sides: Coarse, fine, ultra, slicer
• Cleaning: Dishwasher-safe
  

The Best Mid-Priced Box Grater

KitchenAid Gourmet 4-Sided Stainless Steel Box Grater With Detachable Storage Container

$25 $14 at Amazon $15 at Wayfair View on Bed Bath & Beyond

What we liked: KitchenAid's grater had sufficiently sharp grating holes on all sides, and its sides also had the largest surface area, which allowed for long, fluid strokes. I found it durable, comfortable to use because of the grip and non-skid base, and easy to clean. Food tended not to clog any of the holes, and in the timed test this grater yielded 2.5 cups. Despite the fact that this grater was the largest and clunkiest of the bunch, I found its higher price justified by the fact that it has an easily attachable 2-cup catch container with a separate lid for storage that's dishwasher-, microwave-, and freezer-safe.

What we didn't like: I wasn’t impressed with the zester or the mandoline (which was a bit of a struggle to use), even if the placement of the mandoline did not require you to tilt the grater in order to use it (an issue I had with other graters).

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 5.25 x 6.5 x 10.3 inches
• Materials: Stainless steel, silicone
• Sides: Coarse, medium, fine, slicer
• Cleaning: Dishwasher-safe

The Best Budget Box Grater

Spring Chef Professional Box Grater

$16 $14 at Amazon $15 at Walmart View on Springchef.com

What we liked: Spring Chef’s mandoline had a slight edge over other graters and it was placed high enough on the grater for easy use; the grater yielded an efficient 2.5 cups in the 30-second timed test; and it was easy to clean.

What we didn't like: While very similar to the KitchenAid, especially in design, the thicker bottom on the non-skid foot of the Spring Chef brings a more abrupt end to strokes. The zester did not work well—parmesan and citrus clogged the holes and scraping was required to clear the clogs. Like the KitchenAid, it's clunky, and perhaps not the easiest to store.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 9.88 x 5.59 x 5 inches
• Materials: Stainless steel, silicone
• Sides: Corse, medium, fine/zester, slicer
• Cleaning: Dishwasher-safe

The Competition

• Microplane 4-sided Stainless Steel Professional Box Grater: I found the Microplane 4-sided Stainless Steel Professional Box Grater bulky, especially with its plastic safety shield. I also found it stumpy, with a limited surface area that made it inefficient and somewhat awkward to use. The shreds, however, were flat, delicate, and downright beautiful. There’s a reason that the brand has made its name on zesters—this was the best zester of the bunch, producing small particles that weren’t quite as stringy and wispy as the other etched zesters, but also not as powdery as the stamped ones.
• NorPro Stainless Steel Grater: This is cheap, but you get what you pay for ($9.97 or two for $16 on Amazon). It feels flimsy and is—when I tapped it against the sink to release shreds, it dented. A lot of elbow grease was required for shredding, too. None of the functions were outstanding.
• OXO Etched Box Grater with Removable Zester: Please excuse any typos as the OXO Etched Box Grater with Removable Zester is responsible for slicing off a wee bit of my thumb. This is another way of saying that this model is extremely sharp and very good at grating. It's so sharp that it was the only one tested that included a sharpness warning on the packaging. Something to the effect of "Extremely sharp, keep away from children, and Kathleen." So this is not the grater you want the kids to use when they want to help in the kitchen. Also, the zester, while doing a decent job with citrus, failed with nutmeg and ginger.
• OXO Box Grater: The slicer on the OXO stamped box grater is awkward to use and essentially useless, as the slices produced end up in potluck shapes. Food tended to stick in large holes, scraping was required for the zesting. For the same price, the KitchenAid performed much better.
• RSVP International Endurance Box Grater: While the RSVP International Endurance Box Grater fancies itself "commercial quality," that description could only really apply to the side with large grating holes as food tended to clump in the medium holes and the slicer and zester made me very, very sad. It was not easy to clean. There’s an additional mini zester/ginger grater on the slicer side that's purely ornamental.
• Utopia Cheese Grater and Shredder 6-sided Box Grater: This box grater made quick work of hard and soft cheeses, but was unable to zest citrus.
• Cuisinart Boxed Grater: Finicky to clean and with a poor-performing star-shaped zester side, the Cuisinart boxed grater just didn’t measure up to our top picks. 
• OXO Good Grips Multi Grater: Not technically a box grater, this foldable multi-grater felt flimsy when grating hard cheese and zesting citrus. It would be better replaced by either a rasp grater or a standard box grater.

FAQs

Is a zester better than a grater?

A rasp-style grater/zester (like a Microplane) and a box grater can perform some of the same functions (like grating hard cheeses such as parmesan or zesting lemons), but both have their merits. With a rasp-style grater, you'll likely find it easier to zest citrus and grate the likes of garlic and ginger. A box grater is better for tackling large amounts of ingredients, like cheese or zucchini.

Are box graters dishwasher-safe?

Depending on your box grater, it may be dishwasher-safe. We recommend checking the manufacturer's care instructions. Some materials, like rubber and silicone, can wear down under the intense heat of a dishwasher, so it's best to handwash those.

What is a box grater good for?

Box graters are designed to help you grate food, and are most commonly used to shred cheeses. With a coarse side for medium-firm cheeses and a finer side for harder cheeses, box graters are useful no matter what style of cheese the dish calls for. They can also be used for other types of processing, like grating tomatoes for pan con tomate, zesting citrus, and shredding cabbage and carrots for coleslaw.

Can you use a box grater for potatoes?

Yes—box graters can be used with potatoes. The two sides that are most pertinent are the coarse shredding side and the slicer side. The slicer can be used like a mandoline for uniformly sized potato slices, while the coarse shredding side can be used to grate potatoes for hashbrowns. Not ever grater is sharp enough, or sturdy enough to grate potatoes, which is why we used potatoes in our testing.

What is the spiky side of a box grater for?

The star-shaped, spiky side of a box grater is for hard cheeses, like Parmesan, or for zesting lemons. Hard cheeses, when grated against the zester, become fluffy piles of grated cheese dust. They can also be used for zesting citrus, though we usually recommend a Microplane for that task. Finally, this side can be used to grate spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, which can't be processed easily in an electric spice grinder.

Can box graters dull over time?

The teeth on a box grater aren't sharpened the same way that a knife is, but over time, they can wear down and become duller. The best way to test this is by attempting to shred a medium-soft cheese, like mozzarella. If the block of cheese you're holding starts to break and crumble instead of shredding, it might be time for a new box grater.

Why We're the Experts

• For this review we tested 11 box graters, using them to shred, zest, and slice a variety of foods (including cheese, tomatoes, potatoes, and citrus).
• Recently, we tested more models (including the OXO Good Grips Multi Grater and Cuisinart Boxed Grater), comparing them to our favorite box graters. Our top picks still came out on top, which means that they've stood up to more than two years of consistent evaluation.
• Kathleen Squires is a Serious Eats contributor and award-winning food writer.