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Basic Skills
Shredding Cheese

You'll need:

• A block of cheese
• A cheese grater
• A plate or bowl to catch the grated cheese

Lots of recipes call for shredded cheese, so this is a skill you'll use often!

A cheese grater is basically a series of little blades to shave the cheese off a block. Those little blades are plenty sharp so you have to make sure your fingertips and your knuckles stay clear of the blades.

We picked up our stainless steel four-sided grater at a garage sale. It was made in Denmark and we thought it was especially nice because it has a wide base that keeps it from sliding around too much. We gave it a good wash when we got it home.

The trick with shredding cheese is that you want to slide the cheese down the length of the grater and against the blades with an even pressure. If the cheese is very soft, you will want a light touch. If the cheese is hard you might have to give a little push toward the grater as you slide down it. You will soon find a touch and a rhythm that will work.

Every so often you will need to adjust how you are holding the cheese to keep your fingers clear of the grater.

When the piece of cheese gets too small to grate, you should set it aside and get another block of cheese if you still need more for your recipe.

Visit Spattula.com for more great videos and ideas for cooking with kids!