Who doesn’t love grated cheese? Whether grated on top of soups, chilis, nachos, mac and cheese, pizza or cheese sauces, grated cheese is a must-have ingredient that can take your dishes to the next level.
Adding large chunks of cheese may not work as well as grated cheese because shredded cheese combines better with the other ingredients.
However, if you’re making a dish that needs grated cheese but you don’t have a cheese grater around, there’s no need to panic. Here are some clever alternatives where you can get your grated cheese in a jiffy without a grater.
Ways to Shred Cheese without a Grater
Food Processor
You can use your food processor to mince/grate cheese easily and quickly. Check if your food processor has a grating plate or a shredding attachment. Usually, food processors offer two shred options i.e., medium and fine. So, once you decide the size of shred you need, choose the appropriate attachment. Cut the block of cheese into cubes or long rectangular pieces.
Then, feed the cheese into the food processor via the shoot and use the feeding tool to push the cheese through the shoot. A good thing to remember is that cold cheese cubes are much easier to grate, so make sure that when you’re shredding cheese, it is straight out of the refrigerator. However, make sure that the cheese is firm but not very hard.
Knife and Chopping Board
Using a kitchen or chef’s knife to chop cheese is one of the oldest and most efficient ways of shredding cheese. This method is extremely simple and needs only a very sharp knife and a chopping board or any other flat cutting surface.
Hold a chunk of cheese against the surface of the chopping board and cut thin slices onto the board. Then, chop the cheese slice into thin matchsticks. Use the plain edge of the knife and not the serrated edge because this will help to shred the cheese better. Avoid using a large block of cheese as this may not offer you a firm and steady grip on the cheese.
Vegetable Chopper
A vegetable chopper can work as a good cheese grater; however, it is best for semi-hard and softer cheese like cheddar and mozzarella. If your chopper is sturdy, then you can try shredding cured cheese too.
To shred cheese in a vegetable chopper, cut the block of cheese into smaller pieces. Select the chopper plate that resembles a cheese grater the most. Place the pieces of chopped cheese into the chopper and press down the cutting lid. You may need to repeat the process a few times at varying angles and in no time, you will have grated cheese.
Vegetable Peeler
The humble vegetable peeler can be used to shred your cheese in the absence of a grater. Simply hold the block of cheese over a plate. Move the vegetable peeler against the cheese in a forward motion. This method works very well for hard types of cheese like parmesan or alternatively, you can refrigerate the cheese before grating it with the vegetable peeler.
Lemon Zester
A lemon zester is another great tool that you can use to grate cheese. A zester is quite similar to a hand grater and is perfect for grating hard cheeses like parmesan, pecorino, etc. Avoid using the zester to grate soft cheese such as mozzarella or you will end up getting a mushy mass.
You can use the zester as you would to zest lemons or oranges. Hold the zester on the board or a plate and move the cheese along the grate up and down until you get the amount of cheese you want.
Crumble the Cheese
If you want to use soft grated cheese such as feta or fresh gouda in your recipe, then simply crumbling the cheese with your hands is a good idea. To do this, just wash your hands thoroughly and dry them properly.
Cut the amount of cheese required and roll the cheese between both your hands to crumble it into small pieces. If the cheese is extremely soft and turns mushy when you roll it, then simply tear very small pieces of the cheese, which will give you very finely grated cheese.
Rub the Cheese Together
If you want to grate crumbly cheese like semi-hard ricotta or parmesan that does not have a lot of moisture, then you can cut 2 blocks of the cheese and apply moderate pressure with your hands, rub the cheese together.
The cheese will crumble into small pieces because when you rub the cheese together, the coarse surface creates friction. Alternatively, you can rub the cheese against any hard rind from old cheese blocks, which will give you nicely crumbled cheese.
Make Your DIY Cheese Grater
If you have time on your hands and don’t want to spend money on a new grater, then you can make a simply DIY grater with the stuff lying around your home. To make your DIY grater, you need an empty soda can, a can opener, sandpaper and a small screwdriver. First, remove the top lid of the soda can completely by using the can opener.
Wash the can properly and allow it to dry. With the screwdriver poke, a few holes on one side of the soda can in a row and column pattern. Leave sufficient space behind the face of the can having holes so that you can hold the can without getting hurt. Place the screwdriver in the holes and pull it a little toward you so that the metal is bent outward and acts as blades.
Using sandpaper, brush the holes lightly from the bottom to the top. Brush off the metal dust and allow the can to stand in a dry place for a few hours. Once the can is dry, you have the perfect grater that you can use to grate cheese and anything at all. However, take care not to use this soda can grater to grate anything acidic, which may react with the metal.
So, now that you’ve learned the tips and techniques of shredding cheese without a grater, you can choose the method that works best for you. While these techniques may not work as well as a good quality grater, they are quite effective and can get your job done.
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