People have just realised what the 'spiky' side of the cheese grater is for

Ever wondered what the spiky side of the common kitchen gadget is really for? You can now set your mind at cheese. 

It’s a staple of every Australian kitchen, but it turns out a lot of people (myself included) don’t actually know how to use one of our most common kitchen gadgets properly.

While you won’t be shocked to learn a box grater is used to… you know… grate stuff, it turns out there’s a specific side that’s being used wrong.

A heated debate was sparked online after someone questioned what the purpose of the star-shaped side actually is.

“Does anybody ever use this part of the grater? What is it even for?,” someone asked in a Reddit post.

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The Reddit user sparked debate after asking what this side of their grater was used for. Source: Reddit

"That side of the grater is for shredding knuckles!" 

While you’ve probably never given it a second thought and just opted to use the bigger side of the grater for cheese or vegetables, it turns out the spiky side has a lot of different uses.

“Ruining sponges,” one person joked.

“I thought it was just for tearing your knuckles to shreds as get to the end of the ginger,” added another.

“It’s for getting the bloody thing stuck in the kitchen drawer and tearing a chunk of the front of the draw off!” said a third.

But it turns out it actually has a specific purpose. Who knew!?

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It turns out this side is for zesting fruits and hard cheeses. Source: Reddit

The purpose of the "spiky" grater 

While hundreds of people shared their hilarious takes, it was revealed the spiky side is actually for zesting fruits or hard cheese.

“It took (me) years to figure out,” one person responded. “Parmesan and lemon/orange/lime zest is best shredded on those 2 sides."

"Zest hard cheese or garlic and nutmeg maybe ginger to make like a paste," another added. These smaller shredding holes can also be used to finely grate chocolate.

“Use it whenever a recipe calls for finely grated Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, Asiago, or ricotta salata to garnish pasta dishes, grains, green salads, and soups,” MarthaStewart.com says.

“It should produce a consistency so fine that the cheese easily dissolves into salad dressings, sauces, and casseroles."

Gouda to know! 

This article was originally published in November 2022 and was updated in May 2023.

Originally published as People have just realised what the 'spiky' side of the cheese grater is for