Customer Reviews

Peugeot Tidore Nutmeg Shaver, Clear Acrylic, 19501

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

 

 

This nutmeg shaver is fantastic. Turn it one direction for a course grind and the other for a finer grind. The thicker grind is perfect for recipes, while the thinner grind is just fine enough to put on top of your iced cap.
The design is simple and clean. You can always see how much nutmeg you have left and its really easy to drop a new seed into the grinder.
Knowing Peugeot, this thing will last a REALLY long time.
Check out the rest of their collection if you like freshly ground anything!

This is an attractive grater, and it is relatively sturdy (though some of the chrome you see is actually plastic). But there are core problems, which I have experienced in the 8 months I have owned it. I frequently grind spices.

The first problem is that it is hard to load. The bizarre engineering requires that you open the grater in the middle, which causes all the whole nutmegs to fall out. It is awkward to keep the nutmegs inside while also loading the nutmeg which is currently being grated.

The more important problem is a fatal design flaw in how the nutmeg being grated is held. Generally, it grates a nutmeg part of the way, and then the "teeth" inside which grip the nutmeg strip the nutmeg (like stripping a screw), and you are unable to continue grating. The result is that I have a lot of half-grated nutmegs.

It might, nevertheless, be your best option.

I just want to write a counter-review to the one star review posted here that has been voted as helpful. Though I agree this grater has some faults, it does not merit a one star review in any way.

In two years of using the walnut wood colored version of this grater (there are many color option for the bottom half of the grater), I have found 3 minor faults:

1) Incomplete shaving - After shaving halfway thru a nutmeg, you will need to open the shaver and flip the nut over (rounded side down) in order to shave the other half down. Even then, after you finish the second "half" you will be left with a wafer of nutmeg about 3/32" thick that it will no longer shave. On the other hand, if you were to grate by hand you will also end up with an unusable piece unless you're very fastidious and careful. (Also, if you do it by hand, you will likely be grating not shaving - maybe a small distinction, but important to some people) Either way, I don't really count this as a fault. I just toss the little wafer in the compost and move on without regret. It's still much easier to use than a hand grater.

2) The opening and closing of the shaver is actually simple and easy in itself. Unless, you want to keep nuts in the clear dome portion for visual impact. Then, it becomes a balancing act of keeping the bottom half level while you compress and twist the top half down. This is because there is only a very small lip on the bottom half keeping the nuts from rolling out before putting the two halves together. But seriously people, it's NOT that hard to do. Put the bottom half on the counter, load your nut in the middle, load the "ornamental" nuts around the perimeter, then, push the top half down and twist 1/10 of a turn. If that's too hard, just store the ornamental nuts somewhere else. Does not warrant a 1 star review of "useless"!

3) No one else has mentioned this but the screw on top that holds the twisting lever kept loosening on mine. I merely applied a little thread lock compound to the screw (a year ago) and have never had a problem since.

The actual shaving mechanism (and this IS a shaver, NOT a grater) is unquestionably good. Very fine shavings come off releasing a delicious amount of aroma adding flavor without encountering distractingly coarse chunks. You can evaluate the appearance yourself from the picture, but as far as these things go, I think the appearance is exceptional no matter what color you choose. Four stars, minus one star for three minor faults.

UPDATE: 12/26/09: bought some new nutmegs and received a couple really large nuts that did not fit in the ornamental dome casing. They DID fit in the hole where the shaving action takes place but not in the storage area dome. Another fault to this device but I still think it is a four star product.

Positives - This is a nifty grater for the first half of the whole nutmeg but fails when you get beyond halfway to grasp onto the nut and grind the last half. I have lots of half shaved nuts in a jar waiting for another grater to come into my life! It is easy to use once you get the nut properly seated in the chamber. It grinds off nice small pieces or shavings from the nut, you keep your fingers away from any sharp areas and it is quick. I store one nut in the chamber for instant use.

Negatives - After only a few months of use I had a tooth break loose which has not so far reduced its ability to grind but if another one goes well it just might not work. The teeth are not hardened steel but some other metal composite which is not as strong. Loading and storage of extra nuts in the outside compartment is not practical because when opening the device all the stored nuts will fall out if you are not careful. My advice is buy any one of a number of other nutmeg graters for less money, just watch your fingers when grating if using one of the microplanes and store your nuts in a glass jar with a lid.

I use this nutmeg grater all the time. The only thing I wish was different is that it is too hard for me to open the top to put in another nutmeg. I just can't get a good grip on it. I have to ask my husband to open it for me.

I bought one of these 2 years ago when I was traveling through Paris. It's been the best "souvenir" I've ever gotten myself. And I've been looking all over the states for one to get my sister, so I'm really excited I finally found it here. Grating nutmeg on a typical grating board always made me nervous that I might take some skin off my fingers. This grinder works a lot like a pepper mill, you put one nutmeg in the center part and grind away until it's almost gone then you open it up, take a new nutmeg from the storage part and put a new one in the middle.

Love freshly grated nutmeg.
I have used this one for several years and love it.

I have to say that after loading the fresh nutmeg, putting the two pieces (top & bottom) back together can be a bit awkward.
The effort is worth it!

I used to skin my knuckles and get blisters too, no matter how carefully I grated nutmeg with a plain, flat grater.
I am so happy to have found and ordered this nutmeg grater. Now I can use freshly grated nutmeg in it's prime of flavor, painlessly.
It also saves quite a bit of time and the whole nutmegs themselves. This works so well, it's not a big deal anymore to me to use fresh nutmeg.
Also, when I grated nutmeg with an ordinary grater, I'd be left with tiny peices, I could not grate any smaller. This makes the process much nicer and doesn't waste much nutmeg and time.
I recommend this to anyone who loves the flavor of freshly grated nutmeg.

I bought one of these in France and like it so much that I bought 2 for Christmas gifts when I got home. For being acrylic it is solid and does a great job. I'm only satisfies with freshly shaved nutmeg now.

great way to grate nutmeg and I like that it came with the whole nutmegs.