Customer Reviews

Microplane 40001 Stainless Steel Zester

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It reduces a large lemon to a pile of fine, well-flavored zest in mere *seconds*, and it's really easy to clean (I give mine a quick rinse through the reverse side, then into the dishwasher). Although I have all the other Microplane products, this is the one I use most often, as the size, shape and cutting surfaces are perfect for citrus zest.

The Microplane line of zesters and graters is worth every dime. It has made life much easier. The design is effecient in all cases and easy to maintain at home without much fuss. Because of its stainless steel nature it does not acquire odors either -- though do wash it after garlic/onion to be safe.

This particular model, however, should be used with a certain amount of caution because there is NO handle. One must grip this thing carefully. The folded edges of metal along the side can be grepped though it is a small area. It can also 'fit' over a large bowl but you must have something to anchor it properly or it slips. Which is why it gets a 4star instead of 5 like the others.

The other models such as the cheese grater model, does a good job with fruit zest as well and for those who don't want too much thinking about scraped knuckles it has a comfortable rubber/plastic handle that is easy to grip.

On the cooking front -- because of the ease and quality of the zest one is getting from these microplane zesters some adjustment in the amount of zest in recipe maybe called for. Your orange or lemon shortbread cookies will have extra kick from the same amount of zest (You have a finer, more surface area amount available).

Get a microplane zester and you will never go back. Matter of fact you will be tossing out your other zesters and graters.

Several years ago there was an article in a cook's magazine on cheese graters. They tested a bunch of different kinds.This "hasp" type was awarded the best of all after much testing. I had never seen one available until recently on Amazon.com. i ordered one and was amazed at the ease of grating both hard parmesan cheese and lemon zest.I shall toss out all the others I have. But it was so good I mailed it as a birthday present to a friend and now (right now) I have to order another for myself. It is truly the best one yet!

I have spent hours in my kitchen preparing lemon zest for a catering job, using a traditional garnish zester. But since I bought my Microplane, I have thrown all my other graters and zesters away. This simple little file, that looks like it belongs in a toolbox, not a gadget drawer, is one of the most useful tools in my kitchen. It is an amazing timesaver. Minimalist design makes it seem like a work of modern art. But, a warning for prospective users - if you've ever ground your knuckles into a box grater, be careful on this tool. I looked away from my work for one second and ended up grating down to the bone on the second knuckle on my index finger. This baby is sharp!! Really sharp!! Until they make Kevlar knuckle guards, pay attention to what you're zesting. I use it all the time, but I have a cautious respect for it now.

Simply the best zester on the market today. I've used this one for many different citrus fruits. So easy to get ALL the zest with NO pith whatsoever. Creates fine flakes of zest that are easy to incorporate into any recipe. Great for sorbets! Also works great for hard cheeses and ginger!

With sharp teeth you will find this tool indispensable for grating hard cheese, chocolate, shallots, garlic, ginger, onion, radishes, horseradish as well as zesting limes, lemons and oranges. I have not noticed any dulling, and I do use it for nutmeg which can dull the blade. You may want to own a separate grater if you grate a lot of whole spices.

If you have used the model 40020 Microplane Zester-Grater with the black plastic handle, this handle-less version can take some getting used to. The 40020 has rounded edges and I found that some foods tend to collect in the underside edges, which is why I recently purchased this model. The edges are squared and do not trap food.

Important Note: the Microplane breaks down hard cheese into very light, feathery shards that weigh less than cheese grated on a box or rotary graters when measured by volume. One ounce of parmesan grated on the fine holes of a box grater yield ½ cup of grated cheese; one ounce grated on a Microplane yields ¾ cup of grated cheese. So when following a recipe use the recommended weight of the hard cheese. If the amount is given by volume, increase it by half using a Microplane.

No problems with lack of a handle. Never come close to grating knuckles. Stores in a protective hard plastic case to prevent damage in the drawer. Much more versatile than originally planned; use it for lemongrass, ginger and cheese for a VERY fine grate. Zesting is so simple and has been mentioned elsewhere produces very fine pith free zest. Could not recomend this product more!

I was actually shocked by how well this zester worked when I first tried it because of all of the negative comments about how it will cut your hand off, etc.

It works effortlessly and is therefore very easy to hold. Just grip the sides, rub it over the fruit, and the zest practically falls off. The best thing is that it removes only zest, 100% of the pulp is left behind. Unbelievable!

The Microplane makes very fine zest that disappears into your recipe, so there is no chopping up zest-like strings as with my old Henckels zester (which is now just a bad memory).

Be careful with this one - there isn't a handle so it's easy to scrape those knuckles! I've done it a few times, until I got the handled version. It works GREAT though, I highly recommend it (or spend a couple bucks more and get the next version up which is even better!).

This is a must have! It grates lemon peel (among other things!) with ease. It's a great time saver too. Easy to clean, but a warning since this model has no handle; it's very sharp and can be awkward to handle.