Home cooks have long puzzled over the fourth side of a box grater, the one covered in sharp, raised spikes that is often avoided due to its awkward cleaning and unclear purpose. While the large holes are typically used for grating cheese and the slicing blades for vegetables, the smallest holes are reserved for hard cheeses, leaving the spiky side largely untouched.
Reddit User Sparks Discussion
One home cook took to Reddit to ask what the mysterious side is actually for, admitting they had been cooking for decades without finding a use for it. They said: "There's that fourth side. The one that makes it impossible to hand wash the thing without drawing blood. The side that's just covered with sharp pointy spikes that do... what, exactly?"
The user also questioned whether they were missing a useful kitchen trick or if another tool could do the job better.
What the Spiky Side Is For
The spiky side is designed to break ingredients down into a very fine texture, often closer to a paste than the distinct shreds produced by the other sides. However, it is not necessarily the best option for every job. Lifehacker explains that the sharp teeth can trap lemon zest rather than releasing it cleanly, making the grated peel difficult to collect and the grater awkward to clean.
Instead, the side can be useful for pulping tomatoes for sauces or breaking down hard cheeses. It may also help when preparing ingredients such as garlic and ginger, depending on the desired texture.
Home Cooks Share Their Tips
Other Reddit users shared their own suggestions for making better use of the fourth side, with some revealing how they use it to prepare ingredients other than cheese. One user said: "You can also grate tomatoes for juice there, if you don’t have a food processor or something along those lines. Same for garlic if you don't have the proper utensil."
Another added: "Grating parmesan, ginger, horseradish, garlic... Basically anything you want more of a paste or powder as opposed to shreds." A third also noted: "I was always told that it's used for hard cheeses like parmesan. But it's so hard to clean that I never use it."
