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How To Determine When to Retire Your Rasp-Style Grater

Think your rasp-grater has lost its edge? Use this test to find out for sure.

You're trying to whip up a quick stir-fry, but grating the amount of ginger called for in the recipe is taking forever. Is it possible that your trusty grater has finally lost its edge?

Though they're impressively sharp when new, the teeth of even our favorite rasp-style grater can dull over time. To determine whether it's time to replace your tool, grab a lemon (try to find a really bumpy-skinned one) and run your grater over it. If the resulting zest is fluffy and dry, your grater is fine. But if the zest forms a wet, oily paste, it's time for a new grater.

FINE TO KEEP: Zest is fluffy and dry.

TIME TO REPLACE: Zest forms wet, oily paste.

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