HOW GREAT IS GRATING?

Chefs grate frozen foie gras and truffles. Home cooks grate apples, potatoes and chocolate. But did you know about grating butter? And that you can get an insanely good box grater for $7?

I get these texts from Terry, if he’s out and about before we get together to sit down to the home/office lunch. “Can you take the butter out?” “Please take the butter out.” “Have you taken out the butter?”

I get it. You can’t spread an Iggy’s baguette or a Bread & Butter Project sourdough or a slice of toast or (especially) a slice of white sandwich loaf, if your butter is too cold. But I have the answer for all those who, like me, probably did forget to take the butter out (oops). Grate it.

This is, of course, a brilliant tip when you’re making pastry. As the cold, grated butter suspended in the dough melts in the heat of the oven it creates steam, which expands to give the end result a flaky lightness. It’s also very handy when your cake recipe calls for room temperature butter.

But the idea really fulfils its destiny when you have cold butter and hot toast. See?

Brick-hard butter to soft and spreadable in 5 seconds flat.

Chefs know the power of the grater. I’ve had a ‘cheese course’ served to me as a fluffy pyramid of finely grated Comte, a spectacular way of increasing the ratio of cheese flavour molecules across your tastebuds.

I’ve been served (ethical) foie gras, frozen and Microplaned into sorbet-cold threads that melt on the tongue, although I can’t say I actually liked it very much.

And how about this appetiser – a panisse (chickpea) base, topped with a spicy paste of wild boar ’nduja, creamy parmesan custard and a shower of parmesan, at Jane in Sydney’s Surry Hills. A little Cousin It, but cute.

BUT WHICH GRATER IS THE GREATEST?

There are many different graters around, for zesting, shaving, shredding, etc., but there are only two that are non-negotiable.

1/ THE BOX GRATER ($7!)

Best for apples, potatoes, carrots - and butter.  The best box grater you can get costs $7 at Kmart, shown here. It’s as strong as a horse, as sharp as a tack, and easy to clean.  You’re welcome. TIP:  Grated tomatoes (coarse side) make a beautifully textural mess to throw onto hot toast or use as a salsa.

2/ THE MICROPLANE

The best Microplane grater (there are many variations) is the Home Series version with a coarse blade, closely followed by the Home Series version with a fine blade. The handle is rubber-coated making it easier to grip and hold than the metal one, which hurts, and the blades are, literally, razor-sharp.

Use for zesting oranges and lemons, turning hard cheese into a soft, fluffy cloud of cheesiness, and transforming fresh garlic and ginger into a virtual instant puree. Use, especially, to make gremolata: finely grate 2 tbsp worth of parmesan, 1 tsp of lemon zest and 1 garlic clove. Lightly toss with 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley and scatter over autumnal stews, fried eggs, or late-summer tomato salads.

TIP:  Most people grate so that the gratings fall directly into a mixing bowl or onto a chopping board.  Try flipping this instead, so you’re grating from the top, not the bottom. Let me explain. Let’s say you’re grating orange zest. Hold the orange in one hand, and grate the top of it with the Microplane, so you can see the grated stuff come through and gather on the top of the grater. This way you  a/ know when you have enough, and b/ can just thwack it all into or onto wherever it should go. One sharp tap and it’s off.

I did this once without even thinking on BBC Good Food’s Saturday Kitchen TV show, and host Antony Worrall-Thompson took a step back in awe. “I’ve been doing that all wrong” he said. “You Australians… you just know.”

The exception to this little trick would be grating Parmigiano over your bowl of pasta, when you just want to lift the grater high and let the tiny little curlicues of savouriness float down like snow.

RECIPE: POTATO LATKES

Makes 8 medium, 16 small

I don’t peel the spuds for this because I like what happens, but you can. Top with smoked salmon and sour cream, or serve instead of toast under eggs benedict.

• 600 g all-purpose potatoes eg pink-skinned

• half medium onion, peeled

• 1 medium egg, beaten

• half tsp sea salt

• 2 tbsp plain flour

• vegetable oil for frying

GRATE: Using a box grater, coarsely grate the potatoes and onion.

SQUEEZE: Place in a clean cloth and wring out the excess moisture. Skip this step only if you want soggy latkes.

MIX: Place in a bowl and add the beaten egg, flour and sea salt, tossing well to mix.

FRY: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a cast iron or non-stick frying pan until hot. Take a small handful of the mixture, and again squeeze out any excess juices, then drop into the oil and poke it about a bit to get straggly edges; you don’t want perfect.

PRESS: Use an egg flip to lightly press it flat, leaving the edges rough, and fry for 3 to 4 minutes until darkly, not lightly, golden, then cook for 2 minutes on the other side. Gently remove and drain on paper towel.

REPEAT: Repeat with a little more oil and remaining potato mixture.

SERVE: Here’s a suggestion: beat 200g cream cheese with 100 g sour cream. Scatter with poppyseeds and serve alongside, with smoked or cured ocean trout.

(Trying out a new recipe format. Anyone like it? Mildly annoying? Prefer simple step by step numbers? Speak now, or I may do it again.)

Same recipe, made small and cocktail-friendly.

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Thanks for reading – it’s your turn now, to add a comment, or share with a friend, or subscribe for more Jill Dupleix Eats in your inbox (free!) every Thursday.  Special thanks to my right-hand man, Terry Durack, for the constant inspiration, by text or in person. And for proof-reading this for me and saying “it’s great.”

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I would also like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and waters upon which I work, live, cook and play; the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. I fully support the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice to be enshrined in Australia’s Constitution. It’s about time, folks.