Truthfully, you don’t really need a special nutmeg grater—the side of a box grater with the little crown-shaped protrusions does the job. But as someone who loves gadgets that are truly useful, I’ve grown fond of this little number, Microplane’s Grate-N-Shake, because it’s more than just a grater. It has two sides that lock together for storage. One side holds whole nutmegs, so when you want fresh nutmeg you don’t have to hunt for the grater and the spice; they’re already together. The other side is a little box with a flat grater attachment. The box collects the nutmeg as it’s grated, and then you can either slide back the grater part to collect the nutmeg for measuring, or you can turn the whole thing over and use it as a sprinkler (the nutmeg falls back through the grater holes). Look for it in kitchenwares shops, or online at US.Microplane.com.
