Thanks so much, everyone!

Food processor. We had a party recently and served skyline chili. Thank goodness for the food processor -- 3 lbs of cheese grated in less than a minute.

I also use my food processor, but only if it's a LOT of cheese. Mine is the 11 cup cuisinart and it came with a grater. Food processors aren't for everyone (if you don't like doing dishes), but for me it's awesome. I use mine several times a week and it sits out.

We've got a rotary grater with two drums, a fine one for parm/chocolate, and one with larger holes from cheddar etc. Just make sure the cheese is straight from the fridge- it doesn't work as well with warm/room temp cheese.

http://www.amazon.com/Zyliss-Cheese-Grater-Coarse-White/dp/B000AEODVS/ref=pd_sim_k_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0XZ2X65JYFR01MN49MY7

Anonymous wrote:I use my cuisinart food processor - it will shred a whole block of cheddar in about a minute

Thanks, PP. Is there a specific attachment for this? I need a new food processor anyway. . . .

Anonymous wrote:I mean, is it really that hard? There's also that handheld grater that they use in restaurants.

Gee, I'm sorry to bother you, PP. Perhaps you should skip posts that you find so very annoying.

Cooks who regularly feed large numbers of guests know that grating a lot of cheese by hand is time-consuming and tiring. Hence the question about a tool to cut prep time. A rotary grater is for hard cheeses, not something like cheddar.

I use my cuisinart food processor - it will shred a whole block of cheddar in about a minute

I mean, is it really that hard? There's also that handheld grater that they use in restaurants.

You're doing it how I do it.

The grater wheel in a food processor also works, but getting the food processor out and then cleaning it afterward negates any saving of effort.

I use a micro plane for grating parm and that's quick and easy. When it comes to cheddar and similar cheeses, though, I still use the equivalent of a box grater. Does anyone use or know of a tool that would help you rapidly grate a lot of cheddar or similar cheese? Thanks.