Food Grater

Dateca.1750-1840

MediumWrought iron and tinned sheet iron

DimensionsHeight: 16 1/2" Width: 6 3/4" Depth: 3 3/8"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1953-58

DescriptionTinned sheet iron grater, composed of a pierced and wire-edged half-cylinder with a double bead at either end, riveted along its side to a "U" shaped combination frame and handle of twisted wrought iron. A single iron strut spans the width of the piece below the top end of the pierced tin sheet. Tiny scrolled feet are formed at either end of the handle/frame component.
Label TextAnother common found in both contemporary and early American kitchens is the perforated sheet metal food grater. Far more efficient than a chopping knife for reducing foodstuffs to very small bits, the use of such a device requires the risk of a skinned knuckle, should one's concentration wane. Similar in appearance to a punched lantern, graters were fairly easy to make, and would have been a staple of the items produced for sale by the local tinsmith.