Grate Plate review

[willsands]

As promised in an earlier post, here are my thoughts on the ceramic Grate Plate grater.
I received the well-packaged Grate Plate 5 days after ordering. Good service with cross-country shipping.
The box included the plate, a garlic peeling sleeve, and a brush for gathering the product. All parts appear to be well-made and durable. The surface that grinds is definitely "finger friendly" without sharp edges or points.





The plate is a hexagon shape measuring ~4¼ inches across the flats. It is smaller than I anticipated, but roomy enough for garlic or ginger grating. The garlic peeling sleeve works well, and the brush has the proper stiffness to gather the grated product. It purées garlic or ginger to a fine consistency and is quite easy to clean. This where the Grate Plate shines!



I tried grating whole nutmeg and zesting a lemon. Both those operations are more efficient and effective using a MicroPlane.

Grating an onion produces onion purée. The plate is too small to grate a whole onion in one operation. I often substitute finely grated onion for the onion powder called for in a recipe, as it provides a fresher taste. Again, the MicroPlane may be the better choice for onion grating.

Overall, I am a satisfied customer. The Grate Plate with all its pluses is a fine tool for grating garlic or ginger. Supporting this American owned and operated small business adds to its appeal.

[FireMan]

Muchos gracias!

[STEbbq]

Thank you! I will be interested to know what else you find handy to grate on the plate. It seems to have a lot of potential.

[willsands]

The small size of the Grate Plate limits its potential to ingredients that are used in small quantities, such as garlic and ginger. It excels at grating those, and cleanup is accomplished with a warm water rinse.
I'm curious how it handles hard cheese. I'll give that a try when I have a chunk of suitable cheese.
I was surprised that the lemon zest attempt was a complete fail. It must be that the oil in the lemon peel provides sufficient lubrication to prevent all grating action with lemons.

[STEbbq]

My wife loves cheese so that sounds like a good idea..

[bmillin]

This is something that seems like a good idea until you use one. I am on Team Alton Brown on this one - no uni-taskers in my kitchen. I can pound cloves with the side of chef knife then mince and get the same thing.

[willsands]

I think it is a good idea after I used it. It grates garlic and ginger quickly and efficiently with minimal cleanup. I store it in the basket with the onions and garlic bulbs without suffering great loss of kitchen space.
I agree that a good knife and cutting board(s) are the most useful tools in the kitchen and could replace many of the other "gadgets" that we collect and use. For me, cooking is a continuous experiment, and I am always in search of a "better mousetrap".

[Murdy]

"garlic and ginger" -- not a unitasker, I'm in.

[Histrix]

I've used Japanese plates like that years ago for ginger. No thanks, I'll take my Microplanes every time for ginger, garlic, whatever

[willsands]

Can't argue with the virtues of a Microplane. However, the Grate Plate is quite different from a typical ginger grater. It has no sharp points or edges (finger friendly). It is fast, efficient, and so easy to clean.

[Uncle Bob]

Good commentary, thanks. I like your attitude about fresh over granulated.

[willsands]

I watched an interesting YouTube video where Jack Bishop of the American Test Kitchen gave a short dissertation and recommendation on fresh garlic substitutes.
I don't know how to post a link in a comment, but here is the URL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anbWTqJMQC8

The folks at my local Kroger store seemed to be contemplating calling the home to find if someone had escaped when I inquired if they had frozen garlic.