Average Customer Review: ( 28 customer reviews )
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* AN ALL-METAL FRAME--makes it awesomely durable for heavy duty use. For grating lots of carrots as additions to ground meat or to soups, this grater is tops.
* A RUBBER REST OPPOSITE THE HANDLE--makes it ergonomically more efficient, since you can rest the end on a cutting board or in a bowl, allowing you to use more pressure.
* A PROTECTIVE SHIELD FOR THE GRATING SURFACE--makes it easier to store safely.
* TWO-WAY GRATING--makes it faster, since cutting edges face both ways.

DOWNSIDE: Two way grating means that this grater is inherently less safe. Now you can cut yourself both ways! Also, unless you're "grating" something that melts under hot water, such as butter or chocolate, this two way cutting feature makes this model harder to clean: Bits of carrot or apple stuck between the "blades" cannot be removed by running your fingers the opposite direction from the cutting edge. A wooden toothpick or an old toothbrush (brush from side to side, not top to bottom) will do the trick.

BOTTOM LINE: This may well have a valued place in your kitchen, but it isn't the first one to buy.

34 of 35 found the following review helpful:

We'd give it 10 stars if you had 'em, lolJul 27, 2003

We're definitely ordering this RIGHT NOW after trying one at a friend's house [unfortunately she paid A LOT more for it than the price I paid fabulous price].
Beats us how a company can make a perfect product even better, but Microplane managed it :::
[1] We already have 3 different 'original' design flat graters (purchased here & all still available, I believe). The 'originals' -- basically one-way grating -- still seem best to us for unusually hard things (e.g. nutmeg) or otherwise fairly difficult ones (e.g. fresh ginger).
[2] For THIS newer two-way design, we'd say the description given in the product entry here is right on. It's ideal for somewhat softer foods, especially those you normally wouldn't even consider grating -- yikes, like a stick of butter?! This thing is so fast & efficient that butter-chocolate-soft cheese-etc barely has time enough to go all icky-gooey on ya. SUPER for obtaining taste with *serious* portion control if you're on one of those hideous physician-mandated restricted-everything diets, as we are.
[3] The nicest feature of this newer design is that little extension opposite the handle. Makes it easier to rest the grater flat on the edge of a bowl or a vertical-rimmed plate when using it.
[4] Bottom line: in our opinion & experience, any or ALL of the Microplane flat graters are just plain NECESSITIES, not luxuries, for every kitchen.

16 of 19 found the following review helpful:

You can't go wrong with this grater.Feb 08, 2006
By monkeywrench
I love these microplane graters (I have three in different sizes) because you're able to grate food with very little pressure. They're extremely sharp and mine haven't dulled after three years of frequent use. Actually, that's the only negative; you must be very careful of your fingers when grating small items (I've added more flavoring to my meal than intended on a few occasions!). Food particles rinse off pretty easily with running water or you can throw them in the dishwasher and they'll come out spotless. This is the best one to buy as your first microplane grater since the size is pretty versatile for cheese, veggies, chocolate, or wax or soap for candle and soap-making.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

Buy this Pofessional version!Sep 06, 2008
By Gail Volkert "Cat lover, kitchen gadget freak"
These Microplane graters are wonderful, and I only recommend the Professional versions. If you use your graters a lot, the plastic edges of the cheaper versions will eventually break, so spend the extra few dollars and get this steel edged Professional version to start with. I just replaced two plastic edged graters myself because they broke within nine months.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

The best of the bestJul 16, 2007
By Smart Shopper
When my food processor quit working, I replaced it with a set of Microplane graters (the 35000 series). At the time I placed my order, I didn't know about Microplane's professional graters (the 38000 series). However, after using them, I was so impressed that I sent the 35000 series to my daughter and ordered the professional 38000 series for myself.

I do a lot of cooking, so I know these graters are going to get a lot of use. I'm in no mood to buy another food processor, as I rarely used the one I had and a food processor takes up a lot of valuable kitchen storage space. The Microplane graters, on the other hand, fit neatly inside a drawer and have protective covers on them.

I'm giving the 38000 series graters a 5-star rating because they're better quality than the 35000 series graters and look like they'll last longer. They are very sharp and do an extremely effective job. I especially appreciate the sliding hand guard. I very seriously doubt I'd use a tool as sharp as this without something to protect my hands.

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