6 More Ways to Use a Microplane

If you like to cook, it’s hard to imagine life without a Microplane zester. In fact, this little gadget even made it onto our list of The Top 10 Most Useful Kitchen Gadgets! While there’s no other tool that does such a fine job of turning thin citrus skin into fluffy piles of fragrant zest, here are a few more foods that this tool can handle with great finesse.

1. Chocolate – The Microplane can turn a block of chocolate into beautiful little flecks for garnishing cream pies, a mug of hot chocolate crowned with whipped cream, or as a substitute for sprinkles on top of cupcakes.

2. Whole Spices – Hauling out a spice grinder or working a mortar and pestle for just a little bit of spice for garnishing is a pain, but sometimes you need that freshly ground flavor. Just run cinnamon sticks or whole spices like nutmeg, allspice, or even star anise over the Microplane when garnishing drinks or desserts.

3. Chiles and Peppers – Like a little bit of heat in your food but don’t want to bite into a chunk of chile or pepper? A Microplane can turn the flesh and seeds of a pepper into tiny pieces so you just taste heat, not vegetal pepper flavor.

4. Fresh Ginger – The tough fibers on fresh ginger make it a pain to mince or chop up. Grate the ginger on a coarse Microplane and it does a fine job of turning the ginger into a paste that will melt right into the food you cook it with.

5. Garlic – If you don’t have room for a garlic press and hate chopping garlic by hand, just run the cloves over a Microplane and you’re left with a perfect garlic paste.

6. Hard Cheese – Grate Parmesan and other hard cheeses onto popcorn, pasta, or pizza for a quick hit of cheesy flavor without having to haul out and wash the big box grater!

Any other smart uses for the Microplane that you rely on in your kitchen?