Greater graters

I have a big thing about kitchen equipment as you may have noticed, and since I've finally got my finances sorted again for the first time in years I've been upgrading my kitchen stuff a piece at a time.
So I thought I'd share what I've been purchasing and if I thought it actually deserves any hype it receives or not.
First up is my new hand grater, a very strange thing to spend over a fiver on and to lust over indeed but hear me out on this one.
I have used a box grater for years and whilst it's fine when your grating something like cheddar, it's an absolute pain when it comes to harder cheeses like Parmesan. It gives your wrist a workout that's akin to shaking a Walkman which isn't working.
Since I got into baking I also found grating the zest of citrus fruit rather frustrating, finding that either I can't get all the zest off or I end up hitting the pith and then spend ages picking it out of whatever I'm making to make sure that it doesn't taste bitter.
Lastly, who hasn't felt the pain of grating their knuckles when trying to use up that tiny last piece of cheese?

So when I found myself in Lakeland Limited with only a Swiss roll tin in my hands that cost a tenner, and in possession of a voucher that gave me a fiver off if I spent over twenty five I found myself wandering over to the section with the graters.
As I stared at these handheld everyday pieces of kitchen tech I balked at the price,£22!
Next, I went through in my head where I'd seen this particular make of graters recommended, hmm Nigella, Nigel Slater I think and just about every foodie mag I'd ever read.
The next thing I know I'm walking out of the store with a brand spanking new micro plane grater with the smallest hole size available for grating zest and hard cheeses.

So far I've just babbled on about acquiring my new bit of kitchen tech, but let me now tell you more about how it is to actually use.
When I got home obviously I wanted to put it to the test and so decided to cook a pasta recipe that would need the use of mucho gracias parmesan cheese.
After only having used discount shop graters all my life I have to say that using a micro plane grater is actually a bit of a revelation, it's like when you get your first cashmere jumper after only having worn nylon and acrylic.
The handle is nice to the touch and easy to grip on to, it also has a hand guard to stop you from slipping.
I never knew that grating Parmesan could be so easy, I actually felt like Jamie Oliver standing there going "and now you just finish it off with a bit of this". I used to stand there for what felt like an age and then stare down mournfully at the pathetic pile that had required so much effort from myself.
Zesting is also accomplished with similar ease, for once I haven't had to leave most of the zest on to guarantee that I also don't add pith to the recipe.
So the conclusion I've come to is yes I can see why people go on about the micro plane graters, and I'm extremely happy that I spent my hard earned cash on one.
Saying that £22 quid is a lot to spend on a grater so I'm not going to go down the route of "everyone" should buy one as I remember having the tinniest and most crappily kitted out kitchen ever. I also remember turning out better meals than some people I knew who had better kitchens than me because they just couldn't be bothered to attempt anything more laborious than things on toast.
I love things though that make everyday tasks easier and when I find something that I like I am prone to becoming a bit of a fan girl.
So from a fan girl perspective let me say that if you hate grating as much as I used to and you have a spare twenty odd quid spare then go on and treat yourself it will probably last you a lifetime (or pop it on your Xmas or birthday list, I acquire a lot of expensive stuff that way), and let's hear it for the micro plane the greatest grater!