The 8 Best Nutmeg Graters

For most kitchens, the Microplane Specialty Spice Grater is a cheap way to turn a whole nutmeg into fluffy powder. Its etched steel teeth are shaped for hard spices, so they shave the nut instead of tearing it, and a snap-on cover protects the blade in a drawer. It handles cinnamon sticks too, and it can go in the dishwasher. You hold the nut in your fingers, so the last little nub brings your knuckles close to sharp teeth.

If you'd rather keep your fingers away from the blade, the Microplane Spice Mill grinds by twisting, like a pepper mill. The body holds about five whole nutmegs, and the cap seals them in between uses. Inside sits the same kind of etched steel blade the brand puts on its rasps, so the powder comes out fine, and allspice works too. The plastic parts can jam or crack, and it belongs on the dishwasher's top rack only.

Cooks with stiff or sore hands tend to get along well with the Gefu Moscata. A small handle folds out and turns the nut against a steel blade, which takes little grip strength and grinds away nearly all of each nutmeg. Up to four spare nuts ride inside, and a cap holds in the aroma. The handle folds back flat for the drawer. Some of those handles have snapped within a year, and the maker lists no warranty.

The Cole & Mason Wallis is a clear crank mill with a sprung arm that keeps pressing the nutmeg onto two steel blades, so it keeps biting as the nut shrinks. That spring answers a common complaint about older mills, a small nut that slips and stops grating. A stack of spare nuts stays in view inside the body. It's hefty and costly for a spice tool, and it has to be wiped clean rather than run through a dishwasher.

Peugeot has made spice mills in France for well over a century, and the Peugeot Tidore carries the company's lifetime guarantee on its grinding mechanism. A round clear bowl holds spare nutmegs, and the chrome crank turns each one against hardened steel blades. It arrives with a few whole nuts to get started, and it looks good left out on a counter. Quality varies from one unit to the next: some grind smoothly, while others feel stiff or come apart.

Polished steel with a black cap, the WMF Top Tools mill has no crank at all. You pull it apart, drop in a nutmeg, and let small spikes in the cap hold the nut while you twist it against the grating base. Spare nuts store inside, the mill stands upright beside the stove, and the seller says it can go in the dishwasher. Twisting a hard nut by hand takes more wrist effort than turning a handle.

Plenty of cooks already own the Microplane Premium Classic Zester, and it does a fine job on nutmeg. America's Test Kitchen picked it as its favorite zester-style rasp, and the long blade also handles lemon zest, hard cheese, garlic and ginger. The blade is made in the U.S. and can go in the dishwasher. Wash it well before a nutmeg job, because traces of garlic or citrus carry over, and the long blade feels awkward over a small cup.

This is the old-fashioned kind: the HIC Nutmeg Grater is a small curved plate of stainless steel with a lidded nook at the top for a spare nut. It's inexpensive, sharp out of the box, and it also works on cinnamon sticks, chocolate and hard cheese. The nook is tiny and the finish is plain. The sharp face can nick a knuckle too, so brace it on a cutting board and slow down near the end of each nut.