This is great for a variety of purposes. While it is good for zesting, that isn't what I normally use it for. It's excellent to grate anything down finely, like garlic or cheese. The handle makes it easy to hold and I have never cut my fingers on it. Very simple to use.

matmars

USA

I used to use a regular four sided grater to shave and grate chocolate to add to cakes and cupcakes but I could never get the grit to the texture that I wanted or needed. Someone told me about this zester and let me try it for a week. I was impressed with the ease at which it handled all types of chocolate and because it was longer than my regular grater I could get the job done quicker. This is marketed as a zester and grater but you are only getting one size of grate from it so chances are most people are going to need to have a regular grater in their kitchen. I love the curved lip sides because I can make longer curls with the skins of oranges and lemons as well as using just the middle for smaller chips of chocolate pieces. If you grate your own cheese this is nice to have for single servings or if you want to fresh from the cheese block but if you are grating a pound of cheese you might be better off with something that's triangular so your hands don't get overworked. This is easy to clean too; just remember to go with the grain of the grater when cleaning to avoid catching the sponge or your skin on the surface of it. The plastic sleeve that covers it when it isn't being used is thick and durable; unless you are banging it off concrete there is no way you are going to crack or break it. The same thing applies to the zester; even when I have pressed hard to get long flowing pieces from chocolate it shows no sign of bending or warping. Ease of Cleaning It is easy to clean but you have to go with the grain to avoid ripping up your fingers. Durability I haven't had any problems with it bending or warping. Design It is easy to hold and use for small quick jobs.

AlexFortune

Undisclosed

I love these. I have two sizes, fine (the one shown in the picture) and a larger flat surface, like some places now sell for pedicure use. I've had both for almost 8 years. They've been used consistently. The small one is absolutely always kept in the protective sleeve for storage. Both have held up well, and easily shred a variety of substances, but nutmeg and citrus zest are most common in our house. Ease of Cleaning It's sharp, so basic common sense is needed, but the surface can be easily cleaned by wiping against the blades (opposite cutting direction). The handle on my larger one does slide off (I don't remember if it came that way or started after being used for a while), so water was getting trapped for a while causing some funk. Now I just take the handle off before washing and make sure both parts are completely dry before reassembling. Durability I'm impressed at how easily it still works. The blades are holding up very well. Design Not much to it-a blade with a handle. Basic, but practical.

smithmm12

USA

I received this microplane as a gift last year. It has quickly become one of my favorite kitchen aids. It is a versatile grater/zester that comes in useful for almost any situation -- zesting citrus (lemon's and lime's especially), fresh cheese, nutmeg, spices, ginger, chocolate and more. It is quick and easy to use, zesting a lemon takes seconds and guarantees perfect results, gone are the days of ruining recipes thanks to chunks of bitter pith. I have begun using this microplane to dress up salads by grating in cheese, breadcrumbs and fresh herbs. The handle is comfortable and easy to gripe. It doesn't feel light and cheap but at the same time it does not feel heavy and intrusive. The grater is extremely sharp and so you don't need to use force. You do need to be careful when cleaning the tool however due to its sharpness. This would make for a great gift for any cook. I can't believe I had gone this long without owning one. Ease of Cleaning Cleaning is straightforward but you do need to be careful as the grater is sharp (which is what makes it so great).

mw10

New York, NY

If you use any sort of citrus zest in your cooking, then this microplane is a must. You will not get the same results if you use a grater because the zest will be too big. This microplane zests the rind into tiny little fine pieces so that they will not overpower your dish due to any large pieces. In addition, you can also use this microplane to finely grate other food items such as nutmeg. Nutmeg is extremely hard and I find that this microplane handles nutmeg very well and grates it into dust basically. There is nothing like freshly grated nutmeg so I highly suggest using a microplane to achieve that. This microplane is kind of expensive for what is basically a fine grater, but you can't get the results anywhere else. There are just some things that require a microplane instead of a grater so I suggest you buy this if you are looking to make cooking a serious hobby. It is kind of hard to clean though because the holes are so tiny that it's hard to get the zest that is stuck in there out.

comeatmebro

Arlington, TX

This is a very nice microplane with a large black ergonomic handle for grating fresh lemon or lime zest or hard cheeses like Parmigiana reggiano. You can save a good bit of money if you grate your own cheese and you will discover that not only does it taste better but you get quite a lot of grated cheese! You can use the microplane right over your pasta though I think it would be nice to have a somewhat smaller microplane as this tool is about a foot long. The microplane stays sharp over many uses and is quite durable. You do have to be careful to note where your fingers are and how close you are getting to the microplane surface because it can give you a nasty cut! This is easy to clean by rinsing it with a blast from your faucet and wiping it backwards or you can also put it in your dishwasher. As I said, it is quite sharp so keep out of reach of small children! It does come with a plastic cover also.

viewpoint10021

USA

One of my favorite pasta recipes calls for lemon zest, and so early on in my marriage I bought a lemon zester. It had a bulbous handle with a small metal protuberance that had five sharpened circle blades at the top. It took a little effort, but using it I grated relatively long and thick strands of lemon peel. I had heard the hype about microplane zesters, however, and after a couple years, I invested in one. As far as lemon zesting goes, this thing is awesome. The zest is very fine and fluffy--not at all like what I got from my lemon zester. I also use the microplane zester for grating parmesan and other hard cheeses. Again, because its blades are so small, it creates a fine, fluffy grated cheese which is perfect for evenly incorporating it into dishes. My only complaint is that the grating surface is almost too long--it makes it somewhat more difficult to handle than it would be if it were slightly shorter.

elledent

San Antonio, TX

Whenever I would zest something (which wasn't often) I would just use the small holes on my regular grater. That worked fine but it wasn't great. So I was in the market for a zester and came across the microplane version (mine was turquoise). It worked great! This gadget makes quick work of zesting whatever it is you want to zest! The zester blade is really sharp so you don't have to push hard to get what you want which is good so that you don't accidentally grate the pith part and make whatever you're creating taste bitter. I liked that it has the rubber handle and the 2 rubber feet at the bottom to help stabilize it while you zest. Mine also came with a plastic sleeve cover so no one accidentally cuts themselves picking it up. I also LOVE that this is dishwasher safe! For the most part I won't buy a product unless it is, who wants to hand wash anyway?! Ease of Cleaning Dishwasher safe need I say more? Durability Made of stainless steel Design sleek and sharp with a great handle and 2 rubber stabilizing feet.

texasjewel

Spring, TX

I received this for Christmas about 6 years ago. Not only is it in the same condition today as the day I received it, but I use it at least 5 days a week. It's great for shredding a little parmesan over pasta at the table, or to zest lemons, limes, and oranges for baking. Not sure what I would do without this in my kitchen. Ease of Cleaning It wipes out quickly and doesn't hold residue. Though special attention should be paid to the handle at the bottom as sometimes it holds a bit of extra food. Durability 6 years and counting. No issues yet. I even bought an additional microplane brand large hole cheese grater to go with this one. Sometimes the box graters try to take off your fingers. Design The handle is shaped perfectly to fit in your hand and it simple enough to use.

AshleySandburg

USA

Sharp, plenty of surface area and easy to hold with the textured plastic handle. Keep in mind this is a SHARP tool with LOTS of sharp teeth. It will grate your fingers just like it will grate your garlic, hard cheese, ginger root, chocolate and lemon rhine. Ease of Cleaning Just pop it in the dishwasher. Sometimes I have to hand wash it if I used it on ginger root. The fibers don't always wash out in the dishwasher. Durability I have no complaints. The only 'flaw' on mine is I melted the handle a bit when I rested it on a hot pan while zesting garlic. User error. Design I love that it has a safety sleeve for storing.

howipinchapenny

USA