How to know it’s time to replace your Microplane grater (even if you don’t want to hear it)
Once you’ve decided to devote your heart to a particular kitchen tool for the rest of your life (and why is that a Microplane grater?), it can be incredibly painful to discover that your Microplane, in turn, doesn’t always want to do its damnedest for you for the rest of its life. Or perhaps it does, but its lifespan may just be a little shorter than you think…
Because yes, this is difficult to hear, but your Microplane grater needs to be replaced from time to time. Even this seemingly unrivalled kitchen helper eventually reaches the point where it can no longer deliver the quality that bowled you over on day one. And when is it time for your paths to part ways?
Vague memory
According to food platform Bon Appétit, you should definitely get rid of it if you can no longer remember when you bought, received or first used it. Let’s think… did I buy it when I lived there? Or in the house before this one? Ah shit, there I go already. I can feel the goodbye approaching…
Find the sharpness
It’s true that with my wide grater (which grates very finely), I keep searching for a surface that grates more pleasantly and quickly. That’s not a good sign, but I thought – if I just keep moving over a centimetre at a time (it is the wide model, after all), sideways and then downwards, it can keep going for a little while longer, right?
Simple test
But culinary website Cook’s Illustrated shares the harsh but ultimate way to determine whether your Microplane needs replacing: take an organic lemon and run your grater over it. If the zest you grate off is dry and fluffy, the grater is still in excellent condition. But if the zest forms a wet, oily mush, then it’s time to say goodbye.
The king is dead, long live the king
I know what I have to do, and I’ll be trudging to the kitchen shortly. But if there’s one thing that can cheer me up, it’s the thought of how wonderfully easy and lightning-fast it will be to tackle Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, lemon zest, ginger and garlic with a new Microplane! And when I consider that I use this thing virtually every day, it suddenly seems like a very good deal for those twenty-five euros or so, right? #nospon #justlove
Also read:
- New viral hit: grated egg on bread
- Such a shame: buying grated cheese
- Handy, handy, handy: these are the best kitchen tools (according to the FavorFlav editorial team)
