I have to give this grater only 4 stars due to a design flaw. More on that later, but first, the good news:
-The main reason I was so happy to find this greater is that the two main grating surfaces are COARSE and MEDIUM, not COARSE and FINE like virtually every other grater in the world. Why not more MEDIUM graters? I don't know. All I know is that I prefer to use a medium grater for most everything, and this is one of the very, very few MEDIUM graters (there's also one known as "the Greater Grater", which is pretty cool but is not as sturdy as this one and falls apart too easily.)
-Yes, it's big. My other box grater fits comfortably *inside* this one. Which makes storing the two together rather convenient, actually. Anyway, a bigger grater means more grated cheese more quickly, right? I like the size just fine, but don't expect to stick it in the back of your silverware drawer...
-Seems built like a tank. I'm sure it will last a long time.
-The Empire Red color is really cool. If you don't get the red grater, you're missing out.
-Yes, the rubber rim on the bottom *would* collect junk and be hard to clean, if I hadn't ripped it off and thrown it away immediately. Who needs it? The handle on the top is so big and sturdy, it's not like it's difficult to hold the grater in place or something... unless you like to grate cheese on top of greased glass?!?!
-Can't comment on the tupperware catch-bin that comes with it. Seems fine, but I don't really use it as that's not how I operate.
Now for the bad news: On the first trip through the dishwasher, the tubular handle became filled with water. This water did not drain easily at all, in fact it's pretty much impossible to get out; however, just enough leaks out that you'll get grungy dishwater dripping into your grated cheese if you let it. Yuck!
However, the problem was easily rectified by two minutes with a power drill -I just drilled a small 3/8" hole in each end of the plastic frame that's holding the handle in place. Now the water drains out just fine.
However, this is a phenomenally stupid design oversight on KitchenAid's part. Didn't they even test thing thing after a trip through the dishwasher? The handle could get water trapped in it even with hand-washing, I suppose, unless you were extraordinarily careful.
So, I would not advise you to get this grater unless you have a drill and some drill bits and don't mind making a slight modification to it after you receive it. Once the modification is complete, it's truly a great grater.
This is an attractive and easy to use box grater. Love the container which goes with it (under and in the grater for storage) for storing cheese, etc. The container sits under the grater when in use and also serves as a knuckle saver, as it raises the grater surfaces about 3 inches off the countertop.
Buy KitchenAid Box Grater Now
The tupperware-like container that you can stick onto the bottom of the grater to store grated cheese, zest, etc. is a good idea, but the hard plastic is very brittle and an edge broke off just from the pressure of grating some cheese on the grater. It's a sharp edge, I might add. The container still functions, but it's dangerous.
My second complaint is that there's a somewhat flimsy rubber piece that goes around the bottom of the grater, which fills up with cheese, vegetable pieces, or whatever else you've been grating, and after only putting it through the dishwasher 2 or 3 times I noticed how all the gunk in there had gotten REALLY gross. Luckily it comes off easily and I just rinsed it off, but I'm not a fan of things like that, which just make this thing more of a pain to clean. I'd like to find a grater that looks this nice and works this well but doesn't have an issue like this.
This thing would be worth 5 stars if it weren't for the strange plastic ring around the bottom and the easily-broken plastic storage container that it comes with.
Read Best Reviews of KitchenAid Box Grater Here
This is just a great grater! High quality materials, has not rusted, and the plastic container fits perfectly on the bottom to collect the shavings. Comes thru dishwasher nicely. I couldn't wait to trash my piece-of-junk rusted grater for this one.
Want KitchenAid Box Grater Discount?
This grater looks great and works really well. I'm a big fan of the containter that fits in the bottom to collect whatever it is that you're grating!
However, due to a couple of issues, I will most likey not be keeping it.
The rubber piece at the base of the grater collects cheese/veggies, etc. I have to remove the piece entirely after every use to clean it and it can be somewhat tricky to get back on.
I ran this through the dishwasher one time, when it came out, the handle was full of water, even though the item is supposed to be dishwasher safe. Most of the water drained out, but I don't like the idea of old water being left in the handle.
Save 20% Off
The knife is terrific. One end has two parallel blades, serrated and sharp, with a small gap in between. You position this over a radial membrane to quickly and easily separate the grapefruit from both sides of the membrane. After zipping down each membrane, you can efficiently slide the knife's curved other end around the circumference of the grapefruit. Voila!
