by KitchenFanatic

[Editor's Note: This product was sent to us from Savora for review.]

Among food lovers, graduating from "parmesan" powder out of a green cardboard cylinder to freshly grating Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table is a rite of passage. So too is grating your own nutmeg and zesting your own orange peel. The staggering selection of graters at a Williams-Sonoma indicates that more Americans are willing to GIY (Grate-It-Yourself). You can find graters in all shapes and sizes, tailor-made for specific ingredients (nutmeg, ginger, citrus zest, chocolate and coconut, to name a few). But with 3,795 search results for "grater" in Amazon's Home & Kitchen department, do we really need another one to throw on the pile? The people at Savora, a line of culinary gadgets owned by the North American Lifetime Brands, think so.

The Savora Hand Grater, a relative newcomer, combines rasp-like perforations with a removable container in one racy handheld grater. The company's lead designer, Sid Ramnarace—who has previously worked with Ford Motors—is behind the ergonomic designs that "mirror the smooth, aerodynamic lines of a modern automobile." Indeed, Savora's products have a whiff of something newly acquired by a man in a midlife crisis.

But how does it perform? In my kitchen tests, a desiccated nubbin of Pecorino Romano glided with ease over the gently curved grating surface. The result: soft wispy clouds of cheese in the plastic container. Thanks to the sharp, etched bands (similar to those on the popular Microplane grater), I was able to shave fine ribbons of the Pecorino Romano. When I rubbed that same knob of cheese over the stamped metal spurs in my box grater, I got powdery cheese dandruff. The Savora worked just as well for grating chocolate. However, lemons showed to be too succulent: The zest snagged on the etchings like the pull on a rusty zipper.

With the container, the contraption was stable enough to withstand the grating pressure when held either upright or flat on the countertop. The container itself proved to be helpful: It prevented bits of food from going rogue. Further, I could see the output so I didn't inadvertently grate a full cup of cheese when the recipe only called for two tablespoons. When I removed the container, the soft casing on the hand grater provided a secure, non-slip grip over a bowl.

The product copy reads "The Savora Hand Grater features a sleek design that can be used in 3 configurations; upright, flat or with the container removed, over a bowl... [It's] engineered with an elegantly designed, ergonomic handle suitable for large and small hands." The curved handle felt comfortable in my hands (small). After grating that Pecorino Romano down to the rind, I did not experience fatigue or claw-handed cramping. The same held true in the considerably larger banana-hands of my husband.

Here's the video "teaser:"