Customer Reviews

Zyliss All Cheese Grater, Fine and Coarse Drum Set, White

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Length:: 1:11 Mins

This is a short demonstration of the Zyliss Cheese Grater. It works properly, but the handle is too short for it to be comfortable to use.

FYI, we generally used ours for hard cheese...

1. The grater was slightly uncomfortable for me to hold/use (I have large hands), my wife had a much harder time and commented to me that she didn't like using it due to this.
2. The handle is attached with a small piece of plastic to the drum. Within a few weeks, both handles had broken off of the drum. It's now in the trash.

I will say it worked well when it worked (for the most part), however, based on the overall design flaws, I wouldn't recommend.

This item grates cheese well and I love the funnel, it helps direct the cheese where you want it. What I didn't like about this grater is that it is hard to hold on to. It's made of a very smooth plastic and it is very narrow toward the back. The whole time I was trying to grate cheese my hand was sliding toward the back of the grater, making it hard to keep a firm grip and keep the cheese pressed against the wheel. It says that is has a non-slip grip, but there is only a small spot with rubber where your thumb sits.

I don't do much grating of soft cheese, this might work for that, but it is awful for hard cheese.
1) The large drum and short handle give you very poor mechanical advantage.
2) The large surface area of the drum in contact with the cheese creates a large amount of friction.
3) The above two problems caused the designers to reduce the number of cutting holes on the drum to reduce the effort necessary to turn the drum. resulting in the grater cutting very slowly.
4) The large surface area also means that you have very poor mechanical advantage when squeezing the handle to force the cheese against the drum.
5) The large drum requires the addition of the funnel to prevent cheese going all over the counter top when grating.
The end result is a grater that takes much longer to use, and leaves you with sore hands when you are done.

I have bought many cheese graters over the years trying to find the perfect one to grate Cheddar cheese,with it being a soft cheese that's a real test for a grater.....but this is the first grater I have ever bought that did a perfect job...It's easy to crank (because of the larger handle it has) and it's really easy to clean because the grater barrel is bigger around than other graters....I have gotten rid of all my other graters that I have now because this one is simply the best !!!

Have owned this grater for 16 months of hard use (Parmesan or Romano from the fine drum, shredded carrots from the coarse). Hard to imagine salads or pastas w/o this little tool. No durability issues have ever surfaced. I can't understand the "too large to grip" complaints of other reviewers--I've given this grater to friends and their kids love to grate carrots on salads with it!!! Maybe they are overfilling the hopper? I have thrown all my other graters away due to storage difficulties and non-use. The advantages of this grater are unique and numerous:
1) Coarse (carrots and softer cheeses) and fine (hard cheeses) grating drums.
2) Ambidextrous capabilities
3) Flat storage in kitchen silverware drawer---this is the #1 advantage for me
4) Dishwasher safe cleanup
As far as durability issues, if this thing EVER breaks, I'll buy a new one immediately---the rest of its benefits far outweigh any possible problems. And actually, I can't imagining it breaking in normal use---heck, this spring I grated 3 cups of carrots with it for carrot cake 'cuz I dreaded the cleanup on my full-size food processor.

I've gone through 2 Pampered Chef cheese graters so I thought I'd like to try something new. I ask every Italian waiter I see what brand they use and why they like it. Zyliss was highly recommended. I have to say, I am a little disappointed. It is not as easy to use as the Pampered Chef, though I do like how easy it is to take apart. I have small hands and perhaps that is the problem. I have a hard time getting enough pressure on the handle to grate easily. The knob for turning the grater is really cheap and keeps flopping around. It should lock, but doesn't. I'm sure for bigger hands, this item would be great. I think I'll go back to Pampered Chef.

I read some of the other reviews cautioning buyers about the handle--how I wish I had taken them to heart. The handle is just plain mean! The problem is you have to hold this thing in one hand while pressing the cover over the cheese. With the other hand you rotate the little short handle that moves the drum. Trust me, this is akward and challenging even for those who have strong hands. I should have returned it, instead I took it to the thrift store and bought another one of those hand-held grater boards that work quite well. Don't waste your money on this poorly designed product.

Poorly made. Handle broke the second time we used it. Whoever "designed" the handle had no knowledge of the force needed to grate cheese. Contacted the company and never received a response to our complaint.

This grater has many things going for it. Interchangable drums for hard and soft cheese. Straight forward loading of cheese. Fairly easy to clean. The main reason I got this was because I can grate just the right amount of soft cheese as I want it, where I want it and I don't have to worry about my knuckles.
I already own an older model of hard cheese grater, which still works wonderfully. I figured it was worth taking a chance on this product.
Overall, I'm very pleased when grating soft cheese (I have not used the hard cheese drum yet). I use the funnel attachment, which is necessary to direct the cheese. The only thing that really bugged me, any cheese that's too soft will stick a little bit. Use a lower fat cheese with a touch more firmness. Also, use cool water first when cleaning the drum. Otherwise it melts onto the thing.
Final note, the design is great, though the handle may need a bit more grip for those with weak hands.