52 Things We 💙: Cuisipro box grater

Wirecutter picks that have withstood the test of time Michael Murtaugh Think of the [Cuisipro box grater]( as a food processor with wickedly sharp blades carved by acid and electricity. by Tim Heffernan If the term “box grater” conjures memories of the flimsy, rusty, dull gadgets many of us grew up using, put them out of your mind. The [Cuisipro Surface Glide 4-Sided Box Grater]( is a different species entirely. It’s sturdy, stainless, and wickedly sharp. I bought mine five years ago, when it first became the Wirecutter pick. And I quickly stopped thinking of it as a grater. In reality, it’s a manual food processor. The blades on this box grater cut through ingredients, rather than tearing them apart. This box grater makes quick work of fussy tasks that would take me much longer if I used my knives. They include: - Shredding cheese for pasta. - Mincing garlic and ginger for stir-fries. - Pulping tomatoes for sauces. - Shredding carrots and apples for slaw. - Waferizing cukes for a quick pickled salad. I use it about five times a week, and it shows no sign of rusting or even dulling. The only time it leaves my countertop is for a quick hand-wash between jobs. Wirecutter is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. [Learn more](. How it started The Cuisipro box grater is in the same class of tool as the handheld Microplane graters many of us use to zest citrus. What distinguishes them is the sharpness of their blades. Standard graters are physically stamped out of sheets of steel, which creates dull and uneven cutting edges. The Cuisipro, by contrast, is electrochemically etched—essentially, carved by acid and electricity. This is a precision process, and it creates highly regular, razor-sharp blades that cut through ingredients, rather than tearing them apart. Although Cuisipro touts its etched grooves (“[Surface Glide Technology TM]( as some great advance, we don’t have enough comparative info to say that the grooves make a meaningful difference—but the etched blades definitely do. Those razor edges are also the Cuisipro’s one liability: Unlike a cheap box grater, the Cuisipro will cut you if you don’t take care. I’ve learned from experience to be careful—the first time a generous chunk of my fingers went into the spaghetti sauce was the last. But it’s a good idea to use cut-resistant gloves. I like [these]( for their skintight fit and rubbery grip. When to buy We used to see price drops every few months. The best deals for the box grater are in late fall and early spring. The numbers $25 Average street price $15 Best price we’ve ever seen Make it last Hand-wash the Cuisipro. It’s probably dishwasher-safe, and it is definitely made of high-grade stainless steel—mine shows zero corrosion or even dulling after five years of heavy use. But, like a good knife, it benefits from care. Copyright © 2020 Wirecutter, Inc., all rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our newsletters. You are free to unsubscribe at any time.‌ Our mailing address is: Wirecutter, Inc. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018‌ [View this email in your browser]( [Unsubscribe from this list]( | [Update subscription preferences‌](