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One of my favorite tools in the kitchen is my microplane. If you have never heard of a microplane, let me explain.
 A microplane is actually a rasp (a tool used to wear away nails, wood, and other construction material). It small metal teeth that are used for grating. Some culinary genius discovered that a rasp was just as useful in the kitchen. It is the best tool I've found for zesting lemon and other citrus, grating ginger, grating parmesan, and grinding nutmeg. You may wonder what makes it better than the fine side of a grating block. I find that the fine side of a grater ends up making more of a mess than actually helping. Whatever you are grating ends up clogging the holes; you end up with very little of what you were grating; and it's just not easy to use. The microplane is exactly the opposite. Zesting a lemon is a breeze with this tool. You simply slide the fruit across the microplane and small beautiful zest comes out. You don't have to use a lot of force, you end up getting all the zest off the fruit, you avoid getting any of the pith, and the zest is tiny (ie no need to chop after zesting). Grating ginger or nutmeg is the same - perfectly small pieces, no waste, and easy. You could even do garlic with it. I also love to grate my parmesan cheese with it. You end up with the perfectly grated parmesan. I prefer the result much more than what you get when you throw parmesan in the food processor and come out with powder. One thing to note when using the microplane, your grated items will be finer and have more air. When you measure the grated product, be sure to compress it a little to remove the fluffiness. What looks like a cup of grated parmesan, ends up being half a cup when you take out all the air. You can find a microplane at almost any food store these days. I've even seen them at Target. There are different size microplanes. Some give a finer grate and are better for zesting or ginger. Others are less fine and are meant for parmesan or garlic. I have the fine microplane and use it for everything. I don't like to clutter my drawers with too many of the same tool. So check out the microplane. I know you'll love it!
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