A cheese grater is an appliance with sharp blades or files used to grate food. They are commonly used (as the name would suggest) for the preparation of cheeses and lemon or orange zest.

There are various types of Cheese Graters some are made with plastic, some with metal.

Some manufacturers of graters are:

1. Alessihttp://www.alessi.com/en/2/4603/kitchen-accessories/aaru01-i-parmenide-grater-with-cheese-cellar
2. Anolonhttp://www.anolon.com/cs/Satellite/mArticle/1177513656321/anolon/1177513657047/Page/ShapeName/Graters/en_US/FullPage.htm

Types of Cheese Gratershttp://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-cheese-graters.htm:
Box Cheese Grater - When looking to buy a cheese grater consider the space it takes up. Box graters can be quite bulky while flat hand held models are much easier to store.
Mandolin Cheese Grater
Rotary Cheese Grater - Rotary or electric models can be more expensive but they can save you time.

If you own a food processor consider buying a grater attachment for it. Food processor graters are fast and have a large capacity but cleaning is more complex as the whole machine needs to be washed. Storage and cost are also issues with a food processor.

When looking to buy a cheese grater consider the space it takes up. Box graters can be quite bulky while flat hand held models are much easier to store.

Rotary or electric models can be more expensive but they can save you time.

If you own a food processor consider buying a grater attachment for it. Food processor graters are fast and have a large capacity but cleaning is more complex as the whole machine needs to be washed. Storage and cost are also issues with a food processor.