Customer Reviews

Microplane 39005 Rotary Grater with Coarse and Fine Blades

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I got this Microplane rotary grater to replace a tired old Mouli rotary grater of a very similar design. I picked it for the famous 'Microplane' name which works so well in the form of a straight rasp shaped grater. I was also drawn to how neatly the three leaves of the holder fit so snugly together, holding the cylinder so firmly in place, unlike my wire / metal device which seemed to be in danger of falling apart with a slip of the hand.

Unfortunately, my anticipated reservations also came true, plus an unexpected glitch. First off, I missed a large holed grating cylinder for things like cheddar. The two barrels provided did a superb job on Parmesan and other hard or fibrous material, but made something of a mess of semisoft cheeses. I also found the plastic handle just a bit light, giving the appearance of iminantly sheering off in unexpected directions, in spite of the firm clasp fastening the top and bottom arms locking in the cylinder. I would have been happier with a bit more metal rigidity. I also found the grating cylinders a bit harder to clean, as they were closed at one end. This also made grating the semihard cheeses more difficult, as one had to spoon them out instead of simply being able to ram them out one end from the other.

The one unexpected problem was when I started grating when I didn't have the cylinder correctly seated and found I was grating black plastic into my classic Southern cheese spread! I suppose this is a testament to the sharpness of the grating openings, but I didn't like the job of picking out the plastic from the cheese.

If you limit your use to hard cheeses and nuts, I believe this gizmo is a reel (sic) winner. You just have to find something else for your cheddars, mozzarellas, and fontinas.

I just got the rotary grater and I am delighted. It is super-sharp and grates both hard and soft cheeses effortlessly. So far, I have tried it with parmesan and mozzarella. I have used both drums for the parmesan and both produce pleasing results. I like the fact that it can be used with the right or left hand. (I'm a lefty; my husband is a righty.) It also cleans well in the dishwasher.
The drums are quite sharp, so store it carefully, in its original box or a plastic storage box.
It is a little more expensive than some other brands, but it is worth it for the quality. It is s pleasure to be able to grate fresh cheese, whenever I want it. Yum!!

I was disappointed by the flimsy nature of this product when being used with hard cheeses. Why not make the body more reinforced in order to not flex when being used? The actual grater mechanism did an excellent job cutting the cheese, but when the body flexes in your hands as you are using it, so much effort is being wasted instead of being transferred into grating that cheese!

We have many other products from Microplane and love them all. But we have been absolutely disappointed with this one. So much so that we have returned to using our old grater. My husband was such a microplane fan that when my mother bought him a grater from William-Sonoma he returned it to get this Microplane grater. Many of the problems we have with this product are listed in a review from another Microplane fan as well. Here are the problems as we see them.

1. Very Flimsy Construction. The main grater handle feels like it's going to break and handle that turns is stiff and makes it difficult to turn the grater. Everything feels like it will break at any moment.

2. Messy. - The way the top is made, you can't avoid making a mess when you are grating. Chunks of cheese fall out of the top when you open it to put more cheese in and there is no way to avoid it. Heaven forbid you turn it sideways. Cheese will be all over the place and, unfortunately, it happens frequently.

We are back to using our grip type grater which has always worked great but sometimes guests can't figure it out. The main motivation for switching was the fact that Microplane had made this and that was a mistake for sure. The blades for this grater work great (no pun intended) but the mess and the construction makes it a big zero.

Avoid this product.

I've had this for about a year and love it. I only use it for grating parmessan. After each use, I simply put the grater back in a big ziplock bag along with the remaining parmessan and put the bag in the fridge, so it's all handy for the next use. After a couple blocks of parmessan, I take the grater apart and put it through the dishwasher before using it again. You wouldn't want to clean it after every use.

Be sure you put it together so that you can use the hand you want to turn the crank - and crank direction you prefer - for maximum ease. It can go together numerous ways - for righties and lefties - so pick the arrangement of barrel and crank that's easiest for you.

microplane's grating drum is superb, however, the housing is flimsy and the unhinging mechanism is difficult to open.
zyliss has a more substantial housing,is easier to disassemble, but has an inferior drum blade compared to microplane. Both get the job done.

I used this once. All the cheese stayed inside the drum, and I had to take the grater apart to remove the cheese. The plastic bent while it was being used on your basic supermarket cheddar, not a very hard cheese. After one use I threw it out.

I've been using my coffee grinder for grating almonds but wasn't getting the result I looked for. The Microplane grater is perfect and is also versatile in that there are two sizes of grate, and it is equally efficient for left-handed users. Really nice item.

Love my microplane graters, but this one is constructed poorly. Lousy plastic, grater enclosed at one end (unlike the old Mouli graters which were open on both ends), packaging was impossible to get into. Hated it so much I sent it back and ordered a new Mouli

Great cheeze grater, super sharp blades do a great job, very good for people with difficulties in their hands.