Gena W. wrote:Has anyone seen a ceramic ginger grater for sale locally? I can find one online for about 6 bucks, but then they want another 6 bucks to ship it. I just hate that. I don't get into the asian grocery stores often, so I was hoping someone on this site had seen one recently. Thank you!
Now that this discussion is off to a good start, I've moved it over to The Louisville Kitchen since it's really more about home cooking and tools than restaurants. Hope no one minds!
Adding to the microplane discussion, I'll recommend a great kitchen toy, er, tool: A sturdy box-shaped grater that has a large fine microplane on one side and coarse microplane on the other. It combines the benefits of both the microplane and the old-fashioned grater and can reduce a block of cheese to beautiful shreds in seconds.
I got mine at the old Gourmet to Go, which is sadly no longer with us, but I expect you could find something similar at Campbell's, The Dine Co., etc. Mine was a little over $20, as I recall, and worth it.
Another ginger tip: Peel a chunk of ginger and press it in a sturdy garlic press. It gives a different effect than grating, but does an amazing job of pressing out a quantity of delicious fresh ginger juice and a smaller amount of fine pulp, leaving a woody chunk inside the press that can be discarded.