Top 5 Best Rotary Cheese Graters 2023:
- ZYLISS Classic Rotary Cheese Grater
- Kuuk Drum Grater for Cheese, Hash Browns, Coleslaw, Nuts, Salads, Chocolate and more
- Westmark 11722260 Trio Rotary Grater, A, White
- OXO 1052349 Rotary Cheese Grater, Bi-Directional, Stainless Steel
- LOVKITCHEN Vegetable Cheese Grater with 3 Interchanging Rotary Ultra Sharp Cylinders
In the world of cooking, cheese is considered royalty. Seriously, it is hard to find food so simple with such a devoted follower base. Of course, this worldwide obsession is perfectly reasonable – the names like Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, and Cheddar simply taste too good to be ignored. Without them, countless dishes would not exist, or at least wouldn’t feel nearly as good (we’re looking at you pizza).
But, if you have any experience in the kitchen, you know that this culinary fable has a dark twist. Yeah, cheese is sticky, hard to cut, and needs to be perfectly timed in order to meet at just the right moment. All these things make your knife incredibly inappropriate for grating, even if it’s coated in Teflon all the way through.
Still, the cheese is worth the trouble, and humanity found a solution to this problem as well. We are, of course, talking about rotary cheese graters – a simple, streamlined, and fast way to spice your dishes with this incredible ingredient. So, let us quickly sort out some of the most popular units out there and try to see which one of them is the best rotary cheese grater currently on the market.
5 Best Rotary Cheese Graters In 2023: Detailed Reviews
1. ZYLISS Classic Rotary Cheese Grater – Best Grater Overall
There is a lot of beauty to be found in simplicity. It looks like Zyliss truly embraced this concept when making their latest cheese grater and ran with it all the way through. You see, this package will definitely not impress you with its content or amazing set of features the grater can perform. But, what you do get is top-notch and works like a charm.
Let us start with the build quality. I don’t know how to describe it rather than rock-solid. The sturdy housing is made from incredibly durable plastic and features a streamlined and ergonomic design that makes grating incredibly easy on the hands. The smart choice of materials keeps the weight under control, so even if you need to shred a fair amount of hard cheese, you’ll never get tired.
But, even in spite of all these qualities, the frame is not the main star of the show here. What steals the spotlight? We are, of course, talking about a hard as nails, stainless steel drum that can easily shred anything from hard cheese to chocolate and various nuts.
Sure, you only get one drum, but the blades feature high density and endurance you can expect them to remain sharp in years to follow. All these things are largely helped by the fact that the unit is reasonably easy to dismantle, and all parts are dishwasher-safe.
As for the downsides, they are very few and far between. We could live with an easier way to remove the parts and a couple of interchangeable drums, but these are only minor complaints.
Pros
- Excellent ergonomic design
- Durable plastic body
- Stainless steel drum featuring very sharp blades
- Excellent durability
- Dishwasher-safe
Cons
- The package feels very barren
2. Kuuk Drum Grater for Cheese, Hash Browns, Coleslaw, Nuts, Salads, Chocolate and more – Best Countertop Cheese Grater
We hesitated to even put this unit on the list. To put it simply, Kuuk Drum Grater is so much more. But, if you have to be guilty of something, you better be guilty of versatility. And a lot of versatility this grater packs.
So, what we have here is a full-sized countertop grater capable of shredding a whole slew of ingredients ranging from chocolate to vegetables and potatoes, cheese included. As you can expect, the unit features a pretty spacious body and a set of interchangeable drums (you get two of them).
Once again, we have a body made from durable plastic, this time with a couple of clever upgrades designed to improve upon the whole tabletop concept. For instance, the suction base you can find at the bottom enhances the unit’s stability on flat surfaces, which is great to hear since you don’t get the traditional C-clamp screwing mechanism.
Also, the grater features above the average capacity so you won’t need to insert new pieces of cheese every few seconds.
The option to replace drums definitely lends the unit a great deal of versatility, and although you get only two of them, the list of the ingredients you will be able to grate is surprisingly long. Cleaver and well-designed turning mechanism will make this process very easy, regardless of the food you put inside.
All that is left at the end is the fact that the parts can’t be cleaned in your dishwasher. Also, if cheese is your food of choice, you can find a couple of units out there that do a better job cutting it into pieces.
Pros
- Great price-value ratio
- Solid capacity
- Two interchangeable, stainless steel drums
- Sturdy plastic body
- Easy-to-use turning mechanism
Cons
- If you are looking for a great cheese grater, you can find a better one
- Not dishwasher-safe
3. Westmark 11722260 Trio Rotary Grater, A, White – Best Value for Money
There is something about German kitchen appliances that simply reeks of confidence and reliability. Anyone who has ever owned a Bosch oven or dishwasher will know what I’m talking about. And although this neat grater operates on a far lower level, the footprints of German thoroughness and ingenuity can be found all over its body. Unfortunately, manufacturers also made a couple of missteps along the way.
But, let us start with the positives. First and foremost, the package packs a lot of goods. Sure, three different drums are nothing to write home about, but they are more than anything we’ve seen so far and come at a price like this? Honestly, the offer is too good to resist.
Speaking of drums, the three units you get here do offer enough variety for a lot of different ingredients and a number of dishes – one of them is designed for coarse grating, the other for fine grating, and finally, you have a drum you can use for slicing. So, far so good.
Unfortunately, the construction is the area where things slowly start to fall apart. The building blocks for greatness are there, at least when it comes to stainless steel drums. However, it turns out that the ABS body is far less durable than the manufacturers initially thought.
This material usually features excellent strength and durability. Here, that is not the case. Apply a stronger pressure or accidentally drop the grater, and the chances are you are going to lose some parts. Too bad, a bit more of fine-tuning, and we could’ve had a serious contestant for the number one spot.
Pros
- Ergonomic design
- Rock-solid performance
- Three drums you get in the package offer a lot of variety
- Great value for the money
- Easy to clean
- Five-year warranty
Cons
- The grater’s body is very fragile
4. OXO 1052349 Rotary Cheese Grater, Bi-Directional, Stainless Steel – Best Ergonomic Cheese Grater
If you take a look at the cheese grater market, you will see that opportunities to make some exciting innovations are very rare. With a design so simplistic, there are only so many ways to put together your product. That is why we are always excited to see manufacturers trying to bring something exciting to the table. Are these efforts worthwhile?
Well, let us start the review by stating that OXO Rotary Cheese Grater is quite a looker. Beautiful white body, encapsulated drum, and ergonomic handle padded with black silicone all create one very pleasant and clean visual impression.
Also, it is evident that manufacturers have put a lot of effort into making this unit as ergonomic as possible. The handle can be adjusted to accommodate both left-hand and right-hand users while the silicone cap keeps the cheese inside fresh and even allows you to store this grater into a refrigerator.
But, not every addition makes as much sense. For instance, adjustable openings on the drum caps are simply overthought and offer very little practical value. We would much rather like to see a couple of additional drums.
Still, the biggest offense this grater makes comes where it matters the most. Yes, the performance is pretty average. Spinning the drum feels incredibly wonky, and you need far more time to shred all the pieces inside than we’d like.
But, neither of these things can be considered cardinal sins. If you are bored with the same old graters and want to try out something new, you will definitely find a lot of things to enjoy here.
Pros
- Appealing design
- Ergonomic feature
- Silicone drum caps
- Suitable for left-hand and right-hand users
Cons
- Wonky performance
- Some design elements are a bit overthought
5. LOVKITCHEN Vegetable Cheese Grater with 3 Interchanging Rotary Ultra Sharp Cylinders – Best Grater for Traditionalists
If the previous grater tried too many new things and pushed some of the ideas probably too far, Lovkitchen’s contender on this list couldn’t be more different. It’s probably the most by-the-numbers cheese grater we’ve seen in our lives. And you know what – that is perfectly ok.
So, it should be evident by now that what we have here is a good-old all stainless-steel cheese grater you would find in your grandma’s kitchen if you had a time machine and could travel back to the ’70s. This design approach has its share of pros and cons.
On the more positive side – the grater is hard as nails, and the savings the manufacturer made in the design department allowed it to supply this package with as many as three different drums that will definitely keep the things fresh in years to come. The blades are sharp, so no matter what you put inside rest assured – you’ll get it shredded.
Unfortunately, this traditional approach also has a fair share of limitations. Namely, you can all but forget words like ergonomic and silent. This grater requires that you bear with it while slicing the cheese, and you better be ready to do that.
When it comes to cleaning, the good news is that the unit is dishwasher-safe, so there’s a piece of convenience you may desperately need. However, be sure to wash the grater in hot water, or you may pick up a couple of stains.
Overall, a good effort and solid purchase for all the folks out there who like to keep things traditional.
Pros
- Good price-value ratio
- Three drums offer a lot of variety
- Durable body
- Dishwasher-safe
- The blades are very sharp
Cons
- Rudimentary performance
- You better get used to squeaking
What Is A Rotary Cheese Grater And Things To Look For When Buying One
And now that we’ve covered our top 5 contenders, we have to discuss a couple of important questions. Questions like what exactly is a rotary cheese grater, and do I need one? Well, the first question effectively answers the other.
A rotary cheese grater is a popular kitchen tool that uses drum blades to easily shred the wedges of cheese. Grating down these wedges with a knife takes too much time, and effort, and kinda kills the experience.
But, it’s still more than worth pointing out that not every rotary grated is not made the same, and the level of enjoyment you’ll get largely depends on a couple of very important features. Let us quickly cover the basics.
1. The Type Of Grater
Although they come in countless sizes and capacities, all the graters you can find out there can be divided into two major groups:
- Handheld cheese graters – This type is very simple to use – you hold the unit in the primary hand and use the other hand to turn the drum blades. Due to this simplicity, they are very affordable and can be easily stored away.
- Countertop cheese graters – Countertop graters may be more expensive, and a bit bulkier, but they are irreplaceable when it comes to large quantities of cheese. Also, they offer excellent stability, so they are not that hard on the hands. On the other hand, you need an additional plate to collect the cheese.
2. Size And capacity
When it comes to cheese graters, the rule of thumb is that countertop units feature better capacity. Of course, you can find too many exceptions to take this rule as a fact. So, before you make the final decision on some other feature, be sure to check the size of the cheese container. The more you can squeeze inside, the better.
Keep in mind though, that larger container usually comes hand in hand with larger the rest of the grater, so don’t forget to consider how and where you are going to store the unit. Having the ability to grate more cheese in one run is cool, but not to the point where you need to completely reorganize the shelves.
3. Blade Density And Number Of Drum
This section is all about versatility. Some dishes require more delicate pieces, some require bigger ones. And sometimes, the only thing you actually want is to cut the cheese into delicate slices without making a mess. It should be very obvious that, no matter how well designed it might be, one drum can’t meet all these expectations.
So, look for packages that feature different drums designed for various purposes. Ideally, your set should contain at least three pieces – fine grating, coarse grating, and slicing. However, don’t forget to make sure all the pieces are made from stainless steel. Versatility should never come at the expense of maintenance.
4. Ease Of Maintenance
Ok, we already covered one important requirement in the previous section – all the drums you get in the package should be made from stainless steel. This does not only make them far more durable but also far easier to clean.
But, the drums are only the beginning of the story. The frame of the grater should be easy to maintain, as well. So, the first thing you should make sure of is that the frame of the grater is dishwasher-safe, meaning you should aim for materials like galvanized metal, ceramics, and even some types of plastic.
Second, you need to be able to disassemble your unit fast and without too much effort. The cheese has a nasty habit of sticking in some hard-to-reach places, you don’t want to spend too much time trying to ferret the pieces out.
5. Accessories
Accessories can be best described as all these things that are note quite essential for premium cheese grating experience but sure make life a lot easier if you have them. What are we talking about? Well, things like cheese slicers, cleaning brushes, and why not – even a good old nutcracker.
However, we have to give you a disclaimer. All these things are nice to have, but only as long as they don’t affect the price of the package too much. Bloated bundles with bloated price tags are something you should strongly avoid.
6. Appearance
We’ve purposefully put an appearance in the last place of this list. After all, cheese graters are not exactly something you will put on a shelf and show to your guests. But, it is also hard to deny that owning beautiful items is much better than flooding your kitchen with hard-to-look-at pieces.
So, if you have a couple of dollars more to spare, knock yourself out and bring some style into your kitchen. Black matte units tend to look especially good.
Conclusion
It is finally time for us to proclaim the winner of this short roundup, and what to say – all of the contenders brought at least something interesting on the table so you should rule out neither of them.
Still, it is hard to deny that ZYLISS Classic Rotary Cheese Grater simply represents the best overall product. But, if you need a stable countertop shredder or need more than one drum in your package, you can take a look at Kuuk Drum Grater for Cheese and Westmark Trio Rotary Grater respectively.