The Greatest Graters

In 1994, the wife of the owner of Lee Valley Tools found that the Microplane--a woodworker’s rasp with a surface of razor-sharp slots--zested citrus peel beautifully. That was just the beginning. It turned out the rasp also grated Parmesan or chocolate into something light and fluffy, rather than the traditional tiny pellets. On top of that, it’s harder to scrape your knuckles on it than on a regular grater. Lee Valley started selling foodies 12x1-inch Microplane rasp blades (originally designed to go in a hacksaw frame) late last year and ended up moving so many that Microplane’s sales doubled.

Lee Valley and Microplane both now offer more kitchen-friendly versions of this rasp. Lee Valley, which still has the original 12-inch blade, also sells 5-inch blades on an offset or straight handle (round- and triangular-profile blades are also available for the offset handle; you can switch blades--they’re affixed with a screw). Microplane itself now sells the original blade on a straight handle and also broader blades, either fine (for cheese and citrus zest) or coarse (for vegetables), with handles and a cylindrical blade for grating spices.

Microplane rasps, $8.95 to $16.95, from Lee Valley Tools, (800) 871-8158; and $9 to $13, from Sur La Table, or from https://www.microplane.com.