Fluff, Flakes or Shavings? How to Pick the Best Parmesan Grater

A wedge of Parmesan is hard, dry and expensive, and those three facts decide which grater makes sense. You want a blade sharp enough to shear it without much pressure, and you want every bit of what falls off. That second point is what most general graters ignore, and it is why a small grater with a tray or a wooden box earns a place on a table.

We already have guides to the best Microplane grater, the best rotary cheese grater and the best box grater. This page is narrower. It is about what to use on one hard wedge, at the stove or at the table, and it includes none of the graters on those pages. The same tools work on cotija añejo, which is hard enough to grate, as our guide to Mexican cheeses explains.

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Quick verdict: which parmesan grater to buy

The table below compares five standouts. All eight are reviewed after it, followed by what to look for and common questions.

Five parmesan graters at a glance

One pick for each way of serving, with the style and catch each maker or listing states.

Our picks for the best parmesan grater

How to choose a grater for a hard wedge

• The texture you want. Fine fluff melts into hot pasta, medium shreds keep some body, and shavings sit on top. Pick for the way you usually serve it.
• Table or stove. A handheld paddle is quicker at the stove. A tray or a box wins at the table, because the cheese stays put until someone takes it.
• Blade sharpness. Hard cheese punishes a dull grater. Etched and photo-etched blades shear with less pressure, and Microplane and OXO both use them.
• Care. Steel usually goes in the dishwasher. Oak, cherry and olivewood do not like it, so plan on hand washing them.
• Rind and the last inch. The end of a wedge is where knuckles get hurt. Stop there, and save the rind for soup or beans. A rotary grater keeps fingers well away if that worries you.
• Not this page’s tools. For a general kitchen grater, compare our box and flat grater guide. A box grater’s fine side works on Parmesan, but it won’t catch a small amount as neatly.

How we picked these eight graters

We have not used these products ourselves. We looked through graters sold on Amazon in the United States, kept only new items in stock when we checked, and read each maker’s listing. We searched for independent reviews of Parmesan graters and mostly found affiliate lists, which we did not rely on. Those lists tend to name fine Microplane rasps and the Zyliss rotary, both of which are on our other guides. So these picks rest on the makers’ details, and each entry says where the listing falls short.

To keep this page distinct, we used no grater from our Microplane, rotary or box grater guides, and we looked for tools with a real difference: catch trays, wooden boxes, shavers and medium faces. There are no Amazon-first brands here, and none of the picks has a glazed or enameled food surface. A search of the saferproducts.gov recall database by brand found no recall of a cheese grater from these makers.

Parmesan grater questions, answered

What is the best parmesan grater for most people?

The Microplane Gourmet Series Parmesan Grater at the stove. At the table, choose the BOSKA Table Grater, because the tray keeps the cheese together.

What is the difference between a parmesan grater and a zester?

There is a lot of overlap. A zester is narrow and fine, made for citrus peel. A Parmesan grater is usually wider, so it covers a wedge in fewer strokes. Our Microplane guide covers the narrow rasps.

Should I buy a wedge instead of grated Parmesan?

If you use it often, a wedge is the better buy for flavor, because grated cheese loses aroma faster. Keep it well wrapped in the fridge and grate just before serving.

Can these graters handle cotija?

Yes, if it is aged cotija, which is firm and dry. Young cotija is softer and crumbles easily with your fingers, so you don’t need a grater at all.

How do I clean a grater with dried cheese on it?

Rinse it right after use, because dried cheese sets hard. Use a brush from the back of the blade, and don’t wipe a sponge against the teeth. Dry wood parts right away.

Our final pick for a wedge of Parmesan

Buy the Microplane Gourmet Parmesan Grater for the stove and the BOSKA Table Grater for the table. Add the Microplane shaver if you like curls, or choose the Sur La Table olivewood box as a gift.

For other jobs, see the best box grater and the best rotary cheese grater. And if you would rather have someone else make dinner, see the menu or call to order.