9 best graters and peelers to make easy work of vegetables

This grater from Cuisipro – a brand which has many, many graters to choose from – receives rave reviews from all who try it. A clever dual grater with two sliding surfaces and a sliding safety cover, it is a dream to use. Every food we tried – softish cheese, red cabbage, ginger – glided smoothly and effortlessly over the grater and left neatly shredded piles of produce, whether we used the coarse cheese and veg blade or the finer parmesan, spice and zest blade. 

These blades are made of razor-sharp stainless steel (handwash to keep them just so) and feature ‘surface glide technology’, which involves a repeated grooving pattern. It explains why were able to zoom through our cabbage without a single snag – there is very little resistance and the non-slip handle and feet allow for good stability. The grater is narrower than some we tried, but the length makes up for it and leads to neater grating overall. 

The Cuisipro is of similar quality to the brilliant Stellar grater (below), but has the bonus of two blades to choose from: a brilliant two-in-one grater.

We’ve had what we considered to be a good, speedy julienne peeler for years: and then we tried this Oxo good grips one. Made from non-slip soft-touch plastic that gives good grip even with wet hands, this is the best hand julienne peeler we’ve found. Featuring a flip-top safety shield to protect the blade and your fingers when not in use, the evenly spaced serrated teeth and blade of this peeler are devilishly sharp and helped us to knock up our celeriac remoulade in half the usual time. 

This peeler is swift in shredding veg to ribbons and doesn’t snag the way some julienne or Y-shaped peelers can – even the bumpiest, lumpiest skins didn’t get stuck in its teeth. A brilliant find and a must if you’re a regular maker of slaw, courgetti and the like.

We’ve long lusted after one of these graters, so often wielded by Italian restaurant staff. Featuring two bladed drums – one fine and one coarse – this handheld grater shreds your cheese of choice quickly, cleanly and without any risk to the knuckles. 

The barrel will accommodate 30 to 50g of cheese, and any medium-hard cheese works well, making for a hygienic and easy way to dress your pizza, pasta or beans on toast. Parmesan works beautifully with the fine grating drum, of course, but we also had good results with a fairly soft Stilton in the larger drum. The drums are simple to swap between or remove for cleaning and the handle folds inwards for compact storage. 

Not enough graters come with containers. A mini grater from reliable kitchenware brand Judge, this is just the right size for grating Italian cheeses for pasta, nutmeg to spice your roux, or cheddar for your beans on toast. 

This no-mess grater has small to medium holes and grates directly into the clear Perspex container, which is then detached and ready to use. The plastic handle means you can keep the grater steady while you work, and it’s dishwasher safe and has a 25-year guarantee. Plus, it’s only £3. 

If, like us, you avoid big oranges due to the need to peel, this is the gadget for you. A dual-function item, this KitchenCraft orange peeler has a sharp plastic point at its concave centre with which to pierce the tough orange skin and then continue to follow the curve of the fruit around until fully peeled. There is also a robust stainless steel head for zesting any citrus fruits quickly and effectively. 

The zesting part produces very fine strands of peel, leaving the bitter pith behind: a boon for bakers and anyone wanting to make a zested salad dressing. The finger hole isn’t huge, so anyone with particularly large digits may like to try before they buy. 

This is an outstanding Microplane-style grater that holds its own against the better known, pricier version, and may even outlast it. It’s equipped with acid-etched razor-sharp teeth that will grate almost anything effortlessly – so much so that it is recommended that you use a hand-shield or food pusher type device to save your fingers. 

It’ll grate cheese, hard veg, boiled eggs, soft courgettes – you name it – and holds steady with anti-slip rubber feet while you do it. It’s dishwasher safe and comes with a lifetime guarantee, making this an essential piece of kitchen kit. 

Sometimes you just want a good old fashioned peeler, don’t you? And, for those times, may we point you to this specimen from Saturday morning TV chef James Martin, in collaboration with Stellar. It’s a very standard, very sharp, traditional potato peeler that has a soft-grip, anti-slip plastic body encasing the metal blade.

It’s easy to clean, dishwasher proof and truly zips through carrots, parsnips and potatoes at a rate that will please anyone who doesn’t enjoy using a Y peeler. There are many James Martin-approved knife items to match, should you like, and it comes with a lifetime guarantee. 

If you don’t get on with a Y peeler but still crave the speed and precision of one, you should take a look at this option from Swiss kitchenware brand Kuhn Rikon. Designed in the shape of a traditional potato peeler, this is anything but: it features razor sharp tiny serrated teeth along the usual peeler blade, making for a fiendishly effective peeler. The serrated stainless steel blade is so sharp it steams through usual vegetables, but its real value is in the fact it can tackle soft skinned items. Peaches, tomatoes and other fruits are defuzzed quick sharp without compromising the soft flesh beneath, and it is great for preparing paper-thin layers of veg for cooking. Comfortable to use and non-slip, it’s suitable for left and righthanded cooks – plus, it’s inexpensive.

This Microplane style grater comes at a rock bottom price, still does the job well and looks great. OK, it probably won’t last forever and isn’t in the same league as the incredible Stellar version, but for a few quid this slim, sleek copper coloured grater will look great in your kitchen and is pretty enough for a place at the table too. 

The fine blades on this grater make it ideal for hard cheeses, but it also tackles softer blocks of cheddar style cheese if you’re not after too much. It works brilliantly for grating nutmeg, garlic and lemons too, and the non-slip edge is handy for these, but you’ll need to watch your fingers with small items. The Kirkton House range has many matching items, including a decent Y shape peeler for vegetables. This grater is sadly sold out online, but it’s available in-store.