I really want to be able to grate garlic and make mounds of fluffy lemon zests, but a microplane grater is really pricy--like £18--and I am just not sure I can justify it unless it is really worth it. My box grater is rubbish at that sort of thing (but great for carrots) but i want proper lemon zest.

can i hear from others who have one and will you tell me what you really think? Is it worth it?

Thanks!

I have the fine microplane as well as the coarse grater. The blades are very sharp, made of the highest quality of stainless steel and the end results for obtaining finely grated food is excellent - no more mush.

I use the former for nutmeg, ginger (straight from the freezer) garlic and lemon zest ( great for cocktails). You can also grate chocolate and cheese.

The coarser one is great for vegetables, cheese and onions and nuts.

As I like to cook and bake I really think that it is one of my best buys and really worth the £s.

that sounds like an awful lot for a planer. Can you do some looking around on your amazon.com over there? It's also great for freshly grated nutmeg....nothing like it in storebought stuff!

I was looking at the fine microplane--and it does seem expensive but I was trying to support a local independant cooking shop rather than amazon--but may have to resort to amazon. thanks

They are much cheaper in the US. You can pick them up for anything between $8 to $14.

If you buy it online it works out as the same as in a local shop if you include P&P. I still think that a MP is worth the money.

The Microplane zester/grater is on amazon for $14, which is like 9 gbp. I don't know why it's so expensive where you live.

I swear thats the thing with trying to support your local shops. I prefer shopping in real shops (For starters you can see what youre buying therefore guarantee the quality), but when they charge a good £10 more than everything online and have half the choice its a hard call. Ive never hever heard of a microplane but youd have to use it a LOT to get £18 worth!

wow, I only paid about $7 if that, for mine. I hope you can find one. It definately is nice to have, but maybe you can search some more for better prices.

This is the cheapest one I can find that looks like it might be any good (there are some cheaper ones on Amazon but they look a bit flimsy and no reviews):

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/15100/Cuis...ne-Rasp-Grater

Any cooking gadget is worth it, even if it only sits in the drawer most of the time.

LOL!!!! I TOTALLY agree with this! Because it's that one darned time you "need" a gadget, and you don't have it! But I love my kitchen gadgets anyway!

I decided to buy it from the local shop as lots of shops have gone out of business recently --you could play noughts and crosses sometimes with empty shops--and it was sooooooo worth it. I did lemon zest with it and it was just as I had hoped--ribbons of the stuff. I tried grating a garlic clove but was afraid i'd slice my finger. But it is worth it for the zest alone--I'll add it to everything.

very good!