Pro Grip Large Tower Grater - A Tower of Power!
Written: Jan 12 '03 (Updated Jan 07 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use and clean, four grating surfaces, non-slip grips.
Cons: None so far!
The Bottom Line: Tired of cheese graters that are a chore to use? Check out the Pro Grip Large Tower Grater for a well-designed, easy to use product.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Cooking.com Pro Grip Large Tower Grater (10.75") |
Until I purchased the Pro Grip Large Tower Grater I was working with a flat single textured grater that had a plastic base [very cheap but it worked] and an old, on its last leg, rectangular grater that has seen better days. I knew that I needed to invest some money into getting a quality grater but I never found one that I really liked. They were either too big and bulky or didn’t have enough different grating textures to warrant the purchase. That all changed when I saw this grater and the accompanying sale price of $9.99.
The unique tower design allows you to great food items without exerting a lot of pressure and the rubber grips on the base of it keep it from sliding around on the counter top. Most of the time when I had to grate cheese or make breadcrumbs I spent more time rearranging the grater than I did using it. The hard rubber ball at the top makes it a lot easier to hold on to this while using it and almost eliminates hand cramps. I no longer have to keep the grater at a certain angle or worry about it sliding all over the place – at least I found a grater that’s perfect for all my cooking and kitchen needs.
Features
There are three sides to this grater, but there are four grating surfaces. The smallest two are located on one panel and while it is nice to have the additional grating surface, it reduces the area with which you have to work. The two smallest surfaces are prefect for hard cheeses [Romano], zesting orange, lemon or lime skins, chocolate, stick cinnamon, garlic and for making thin carrot slices. If you ever found yourself with a bounty of stale, dry bread – this is the perfect grater to use to make your own breadcrumbs [see instructions below].
The largest grating surface features twenty two metal teeth that are great for grating cheese for lasagna [provolone and mozzarella], radishes, carrots, larger chocolate chunks, fruits and celery. If you like to make chicken salad, the large teeth will work perfectly to break up cook pieces into small manageable bite sized pieces. This is the side that won’t eat your fingers or knuckles if you aren’t pay attention but the teeth are sharp so be careful when getting to the end of your food item. I was holding a block of chocolate that I wrapped in wax paper [to prevent it from melting all over my hand] and wasn’t paying attention and raked my palm over the teeth, it didn’t bleed but it was sore and red for a while and served as the perfect reminded to pay attention.
The side that gets the most use here is the medium sized teeth. This is great for everything from carrots to medium sized chunks of chocolate and everything in between. I’ve found that this grater will go through a one pound block of cheese [cheddar or Monterey Jack] in about six minutes – a far cry from what it took with my other two graters. This side gets used from time to time for spices [dried parsley bunches], pepperoni, ham, cabbage for coleslaw, iceberg lettuce for sandwiches and my favorite – cucumbers.
There are three rubber feet on the base that prevent it from sliding around when you are using it. Even when I grate breadcrumbs inside a large plastic container it stays in place without having to keep a lot of pressure on it. These feet are secured into the base of the tower through small holes that the rubber has been pressed into so chances are they will stay in place for a long time to come. The rubber ball handle is secured with a large screw through the tops of all three panels of the tower. Until I stopped to give this the once over I was a little skeptical about the construction of it and if it would last but after checking it out I can say that this is one well crafted kitchen tool.
Cleaning
One of the things I hate most about cooking is cleaning the cheese off of the grater – at least I did hate it until I picked up this baby. The tower design allows you to really see the inside panes so you won’t be in for a nasty surprise the next time you use the grater [hidden food items that have dried to the metal]. I prefer to use a finger brush to go down the front sections to ensure that all the food has been removed. You could use an old toothbrush or a sponge with a scrubber side to it. There aren’t any instructions on the package about cleaning so benefit from my mistakes. I try to run all my metal kitchen utensils under extremely hot water to make sure there aren’t any bacteria or germs left after washing. Once this grater heats up – it stays that way so make sure you handle it using the top plastic ball / handle.
It’s really important to make sure that you get the food off the inside walls of the grater as well. If you grate chocolate, orange peels or nuts you should double check the inside or you might have a nice infestation of ants to deal with [had that happen] or the smell of ‘less than fresh nuts’. I haphazardly washed and rinsed the grater and set it in the drying rack to drip dry but didn’t check the ridges at the bottom. There, hiding, was a small piece of orange rind – and less than thirty minutes later there was an ant buffet starting in my kitchen. [Southern California is having a tough time with ant this year]
Price
I picked this up on sale for $9.99 but it has a list price of $16.00 and in all honesty, it would have been a great bargain at the original price. It is a breeze to use, cleans up nicely and takes up a minimal amount of space when not in use. When compared to the rectangular or flat graters that often show signs of wear after a few months [if that], this is a great investment into a product that will serve you well in the kitchen. So stop spending a few dollars every so often on graters that rust, fall apart or slide all over the place and pick up one of these nifty looking and ultra efficient graters!
Size
This grader is a three sided unit, the base measures five inches across [on all three sides] and it stands eleven and a half inches high. The actual metal surface is only eight and a half inches, the rest of it is the nice black ball that rests on the top. This takes up less space than my old rectangular grater and is less dangerous than the flat grater that I used to store in my silverware drawer. I don’t know how many times I reached in while not paying attention and got an unpleasant surprise from the flat grater [lots of cuts from that one].
About Those Breadcrumbs
I was sick of paying money for breadcrumbs only to have them be too spicy or completely flavorless. After playing around with the different types of breads I found that old French loaves or Italian bread works best. I try to get it fresh then cut it into one inch slices. I make a garlic butter paste and apply it to the bread [evenly]. Pop it in the over for about ten minutes at 350 degrees and you’ll have tasty garlic bread. What ever doesn’t get eaten can be left to dry out in the over [gas off of course] for a few days. Don’t seal it in a plastic container or plastic bag or you will end up with mold. When the pieces are dry [hard as a rock] all you have to do is grind them up and put them through a large plastic strainer to remove any large chunks. These should be stored in an airtight container and used within a month. No more wasted bread and no more paying for breadcrumbs!
The Bottom Line
After fighting with the flat grater and then the rectangular one I am glad that I splurged on this one. The rubber feet keep it in place and you don’t have to use as much force to keep it in place when you are using it. Cleaning it up is a lot easier than the others I own and so far it looks as good as the day I bought it – and it’s been put to the test! Even if you don’t grate a lot of different items, it is nice to have a solid, well made kitchen product that will be there when you need it – and won’t give you cramps after five minutes of use.
As always, thanks for the visit ...
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2004 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
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