Hard to believe this kind of misinformation is allowed to proliferate on the World Wide Web:
[T]urns out not everyone actually knows what the purpose of all the different sided of a box cheese grater are. ...
According to Washington Post, the largest side of the cheese grater is for different cheese or even produce such as grated apples or potatoes for cakes or fritters.
The smaller shredding hole is to finely shred cheese like parmesan to be used as toppings etc. This can also be used to shred toasted bread into breadcrumbs.
The slicing hole is to be used to slice vegetables and fruits or even cheese into thin curls.
Finally ... the fourth side of the cheese grater is used to grate seasonings like citrus zest, garlic, nutmeg and hardened brown sugar into a fine and easily-dissolvable consistency.
Um, no. That's false.
Just so we're clear, the "fourth side of the cheese grater" is this — the side that looks like a bunch of bullet exit holes from a tiny gun shot by a garden gnome.
Guess what? Those things are awful for "grating seasonings like citrus zest, garlic, nutmeg," etc.
Why? Because the sharp blade-prongs that constitute the grates — those things absolutely shred whatever it is you're trying to grate, and they get all gummed up and stuck in between the holes themselves.
Example:
It's just awful! A useless frustrating mess.
To be clear: This is technically what the fourth side is designed for, but it works as well as a car with square wheels, which means no one can actually use it for anything.
It's far better to invest in a good microplane or something similar. That'll do all the zesting/ultra-fine grating you could ever ask for in the kitchen.
