The Idea

The concept for what became the Citrus Grater first took shape after a bout of skinned knuckles for inventor and cook Lois Jaynes Puustinen in 1968.

Needing a large supply of lemon zest for a holiday feast dessert table, she was forced to use a standard metal kitchen grater in haste, leading to an injury common among that older form of grater. After dealing with the immediate first aid, Lois knew there had to be a better and safer way.

While grating produce with a standard razor-sharp kitchen grater, sooner or later your knuckles or fingers will pay the price. Oddly enough, some metal graters and zesters even boast of their 'surgical quality' steel. While that may be an excellent characteristic for a knife, we feel it has no place on a citrus grater.

The problem is made somewhat more difficult when, as with the separation of zest from citrus fruits, the cook must be careful to grate only the smallest fraction of the upper peel or risk poor flavor.

To solve these problems, Lois designed a grater with a citrus shaped concave surface of sturdy plastic teeth, set at an angle intended to maximize the grating surface in contact only with the zest, while eliminating the chance for dangerous cuts.

Problem:

The outermost portion of a lemon rind is where the sweet essential oils reside. It is this fine layer that is desirable in recipes calling for lemon zest. The white pith underneath the zest is bitter, and therefore unsuitable for most recipes. Sharp metal graters tend to cut through to the pith layer, producing an undesirable bitter product.

Solution:

The Citrus Grater's patented grating teeth are set at the perfect angled height to grate & collect the zest, while leaving the pith behind. With just a few twists, the Citrus Grater quickly and safely grates the sweet lemony zest needed for any recipe or confection requiring the best tasting ingredients and freshest quality.

Photo by André Karwath

Problem:

The common metal citrus grater has razor sharp teeth that can cut fingers and hands. Those metal teeth are prone to dulling and the metal itself can corrode and rust.

Solution:

The Citrus Grater is molded from virtually indestructible dishwasher safe FDA-approved food grade plastic. The patented grating teeth on the citrus shaped concave surface will not injure the Cook and will never dull or rust like metal often does.