Microplane 45004 Gourmet Series Black Fine Grater

I demured from the idea of buying expensive microplanes like this for ages, convinced that the cheaper alternatives couldn't be significantly lesser than their higher-priced counterparts - egg on face time again. They're worlds apart, so much so that I use a cheap one for day to day stuff, nutmeg shavings etc, and keep this one aside for zesting, grating ginger etc.With the cheaper planes all I'd normally accomplish was a stringy paste and more pulp atop the plane than beneath, with this one it's actually sharp enough to cut/grate instead of mushing.I suspect it will eventually blunt enough to require being replaced, but it's been in use for more than nine months now and is still seemingly as sharp as it was on day one.

Just shell out for the best. You won't regret it.The first time I used a fine Microplane I literally laughed with delight. Garlic is so delicate it just melts in the pan; lemon zest disappears into whatever you're making, instead of getting stuck in people's teeth; chocolate turns into a heavenly powder. You feel like a wizard!

OK it's sharp and it grates, so deserves the one star for it that I'm forced to give to leave the review.It's huge, bigger doesn't always mean better.The grater part flexes a bit when using, which doesn't fill me with confidence that this will last a long time.The grating part is not all one piece of moulded metal, which when washing meant I found that food debris got stuck down the join on each side. It was a pain to stand and clean out each side. My old one is all one piece of metal so food debris wasn't an issue.The grater blade itself doesn't wash up easily, maybe because the grater holes are so tiny so food gets stuck.We've used it once and washed twice and it's already showing a couple of scratches on the grating part.I really dislike it already.Items we buy generally are supposed to make life easier which unfortunately this doesn't.My old morphy Richards one that I've had for years is so much better..

I wanted to understand what “grade” to get. I might update as I try more things. The Fine Grater when you grate garlic produces an interesting dry fibrous purée. When you grate Parmesan you get very fine gratings very light - lighter than expected. I think my Parmesan wedges are definitely lasting longer which is a benefit. I’m really happy with it so far. I didn’t have the sticker issue. Hope that helps.

I bought this almost despite my better judgement, given the number of negative reviews. I’m pleased I did too! What about all those one and two star reviews, that mention how difficult the slider is to remove, I hear you ask? Well, admittedly, it is easier to just clip the slider on but it’s far from impossible to remove. You do have to be prepared to use some common sense though. I gripped everything in a cloth, just in case my hand slipped. Then I simply slid to the handle end of the microplane so that only one part of the slider is gripping and pushed that off. Really, not that hard and my hands are pretty rubbish too, as I have ‘issues’. So, don’t believe the negative reviews. Use a bit of initiative and I’m sure you’ll be fine. One star docked, as if the grater handle was slightly slimmer, I think the slider would come off really, really easily.As for the gap between the slider attachment and the blades themselves, well, yes there is a gap but to design a single attachment to fit the entire Professional and Gourmet range (I have the Gourmet), would be impossible. You’d need a different slider for each grater. With the course grater, there’s a bit of waste left in that gap but not enough for me to worry about.So, for me, with those slightly dodgy hands, I think this is a very, very useful kitchen gadget. Without it, I suspect I’d lose what’s left if my fingers!