No one’s perfect, least of all the so-called ‘successful’ businessman who speaks in superlatives and hopes to occupy the Oval Office by winning the US election on November 8. (Or November 28 if the ‘astute’ businessman is to be believed.) While his bombastic rhetoric grates on the nerves of the rest of the world, below are some other — and much better — ways that the world would like to see America make itself grate. We can endeavour to lead by example. All that is needed to begin is a simple handheld stainless box grater.

Eggs

Eggs are little packs of pure protein so partake of them as often as possible. Fried, scrambled, poached or boiled, there are so many ways to enjoy an egg. Egg salad sandwiches are a favourite at picnics and they are so easy to make, especially if you grate the hard-boiled eggs instead of chopping them. Grating results in finer pieces which, when mixed with mayonnaise, help to create an extra creamy egg salad. If there is no room for sandwiches on the picnic menu, then sprinkle grated hard-boiled eggs on top of a vegetable salad instead. 

A dizzying variety of graters can add zest to your food, and literally too

Ginger and garlic

It’s time to stop using the electrical grinder to make jarfuls of ginger and garlic paste, then putting the jars in the refrigerator to be used over time. Freshly grated ginger and garlic may require a bit more work, but the unbeatable aroma makes it worth going that extra mile. The box grater is especially handy when it comes to dealing with fibrous and stringy ginger. Use the fresh grated ginger to marinate steaks, while the grated garlic will make everything from homemade salad dressing to sautéed mushrooms doubly delicious.

Onion

Along with ginger and garlic, try grating the onions next time you’re in the mood to cook up a storm. Forget about chopping or mincing, grated onion offers an intense flavour — in the form of pulp and juice — that cannot be beaten. And the manual process takes no time at all; just remember to catch the liquidy mush in a deep bowl.

Tomato

Looking for the fastest and easiest way to make a simple homemade tomato sauce? Grate those tomatoes! Combine with some grated onion and lots of grated garlic, as well as salt, pepper and oregano according to taste and cook until it’s done. Use the sauce right away to make lasagne, spaghetti or pizza, and then freeze the remainder for later. How do we grate tomatoes, you ask? Cut each tomato in half then work each piece down the coarsest side of a box grater. What you will get is a fresh tomato puree that is ready for cooking. Don’t want seeds? Once all the tomatoes have been grated pour the mush through a fine sieve.

Bananas

When your bananas are fast moving from the ripe to overripe stage, what do you do? One favourite solution is to bake banana bread. But another quicker, easier, no-bake option is to make a banana-chocolate-peanut butter dessert that is similar to ice cream. Put overripe bananas in the freezer for a couple of hours (they must be overripe otherwise it won’t taste as good), When the bananas are frozen solid, grate a generous amount into individual bowls. Top with a generous dollop each of peanut butter and Nutella. You are welcome.

Cabbage

What is more American than coleslaw? Make the perfect ’slaw each time by using a generous amount of freshly-grated cabbage. The pieces will be similar in size and small enough to ensure that every piece is coated evenly

with mayonnaise. Pile on the crunch by adding grated carrots and grated green apples. Make it sensational by throwing in a handful of sweet, tart, dried cranberries.

Potatoes

Grating raw, peeled potatoes takes a bit of effort but it’s all worth it when the outcome is crispy, delicious all-American hash browns. You can also toss grated potatoes into omelettes or use them to make the base for quiche. Use the biggest holes on your grater to shred the potatoes. Remember to squeeze out excess liquid from the grated pile before introducing it to a heated frying pan.

Charcoal

Love that smoky flavour you get by carefully placing a smouldering piece of coal in the cooking pot? There is another, much easier way to use charcoal to get that smoky burnt-wood accent in your steaks and stir-frys. Grate a small piece of charcoal into your finishing salt. Use about one tablespoon of grated charcoal for one cup of salt, pulse together in a spice grinder and sprinkle over almost cooked food when desired. Just make sure to use charcoal that is not chemically treated.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, October 23rd, 2016