9 Smart Ways to Use a Microplane
Updated: Feb. 06, 2024
If you thought a microplane was just for zesting lemons, think again.
Soften Butter
Forgot to take a stick of butter out of the fridge to soften? Swipe cold butter over a Microplane grater to get small shavings that are much easier to spread than trying to slice a chunk off the stick.
Pro tip:Â When making pie crust from scratch, try incorporating cold shredded butter into the flour. You can mix it together faster without overworking it. The colder the butter, the flakier the crust! Learn our best-kept pie crust secrets.
Mince Garlic
Banish the time-consuming task of mincing garlic by sliding cloves along a Microplane. You’ll end up with a nice paste that blends cleanly into soups, flavors roasted vegetables or mixes easily into Garlic Shrimp & Orzo Salad. When you’re finished, follow these tips for how to get the garlic smell off your hands.
Grate Chocolate
Anything that makes it easier to consume chocolate is tops in my book. And nothing’s better than a Microplane to get a fine dusting of rich chocolate on the top of cakes, trifles or cupcakes. Try grating a little onto this easy Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Torte for a luscious dessert.
Grate Whole Spices
The taste of fine, freshly grated cinnamon, nutmeg and other whole spices elevates a dish to perfection. A Microplane takes the place of a mortar and pestle—and takes a lot less time and elbow grease, too. Freshly grate cinnamon to put these 50 delicious cinnamon recipes over the top.
Grate Hard Cheese
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is a must on top of recipes like Garlic-Cheese Flat Bread. A Microplane is perfect for finely shredding hard cheeses like Parmesan, Asiago and Romano to top vegetables and your favorite Italian dishes. Here are three reasons why should always grate your own cheese.
Shred Chiles & Peppers
If you like a little heat, but biting into a chunk of jalapeno pepper isn’t your thing, shredding it finely with a Microplane gives you zip without zapping your tastebuds. Mix your freshly grated jalapeno into this tasty Black Bean Tart.
Rice Potatoes
Instant hash browns, anybody? When you don’t have a bag of frozen hash browns in the freezer, use a Microplane to finely shred potatoes for this Sausage and Hashbrown Breakfast Pizza.
Fix Charred Food
Burned the edges of your muffins? Salvage charred food by lightly shaving off the blackened portion with a Microplane.
Grate Fresh Ginger
This could be my favorite use of a Microplane. I store my washed fresh ginger root wrapped in plastic in the freezer to make it last longer. (Here are 19 more surprising foods you can freeze.) When I want to add the zippy tang of ginger to a dish, I grab it out of the freezer, grate off as much as needed with a Microplane, then wrap it up and pop it back in. It’s perfect for recipes like Sparkling Ginger Lemonade.
Originally Published: March 27, 2018
