François Boullier of France and Isaac Hunt of England both took credit for inventing the cheese grater in the 1540s. Ingredient supplies, mainly milk, ebbed and flowed in both France and England, as they have in the United States during this coronavirus pandemic. Boullier originally aimed to use up an overabundance of cheese in Paris. An avoidance of meat led French farmers to convert their meat herds (often boys) to dairy-producers (girls), which led to more milk and even too much milk, which led to a market flooded with cheese. Boullier made his first cheese grater out of pewter to grate hard, sometimes dried out cheeses, which turned them into a sort of condiment. Pewter is known as a rather soft metal, and Boullier’s original grater is reportedly on display in a museum in Le Havre, France. Isaac Hunt wanted to stretch cheese due to a shortage in England, so he grated and melted it for Welsh rarebit and other dishes. Grating cheese allowed more even distribution of the cheese to melt it in cooking and still does. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Philadelphia cheesemonger and entrepreneur Jeffrey Taylor also wanted to stretch cheese for to bulk up cheese features, including vegetables, to make them look like more filling food during difficult economic times. Taylor read about Boullier’s invention and made his own by sharpening the holes of a metal shower drain. For the last century, many companies have tried to improve the cheese grater and invent a new “latest” one that we all must-have. Graters are now made of all sorts of materials including bamboo, wood, and various metals. Some are decorated with clowns’ heads, some are shaped like plastic frogs, while others bear knuckle protectors. They vary in size, shape, and function. Grating slots come with different angles and shapes of slots and can grate everything from zucchini, onions and cheese, to cooked eggs, coconut, potatoes, cabbage, and lemon and orange peel, and possibly even create wood shavings. Smaller graters grate ginger and garlic. https://www.cheeseprofessor.com/blog/antique-cheese-gratersThe grater has been used for hundreds of years and has proved its worth in the kitchen throughout history.Grater metal (3 parts) Tripartite with hinges for folding.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, grater

The Moulin Legumes No. 3 food mill is a useful manual kitchen utensil for milling, sieving, grating and pureeing various food types (legumes, vegetables, fruit and herbs). The food is placed in the chamber and the handle is turned to push the food through the holes in the blades and into a bowl placed below it. The various blades allow choice of consistency as they have different sized holes. It was in use before electric food processors were invented and is still used in modern times. The vegetable mill was invented by the French inventor and industrialist, Jean Mantelet, in 1932. Inspired by his wife, he invented the mill, which simply and quickly made cooked food into puree or mash. He said "My greatest pride is to rid women of a daily chore." The business started using the brand Moulinex in 1956 and today is it a household name linked to useful and good quality kitchen utensils and aids. The name comes from combining the words Moulin Express, which was an electric coffee mill. The embossed text "BREVETE S G D G" was a type of French patent without a government guarantee. It stopped being used in 1968. This Moulin is an example of a kitchen utensil used before electric food processors were invented, and had gained popularity to process foods such as vegetable's, fruit, nuts and herbs in a domestic or commercial kitchen. The first model of the Moulin Legunes was invented in 1932 by French industrialist Jean Mantelet to meet the reduce labour for housewives in the kitchen. Millions of this labour saving device have since been sold. Food mill, metal, for manually processing food. Conical-shaped food chamber, two U-shaped handles on opposite sides, two clips inside. Three interchangeable twelve-sided cutting blades, each with different sized holes. Made in France. Model is Moulin Legumes No. 3. Impressed into the side, within a circle "MADE IN FRANCE - BREVETE S G D C -" and in centre "2" (Brevete is French word for Patent)flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, made in france, french kitchen utensils, moulin, food preparation, kitchen utensil, food mill, food processor, sieve, moule, mouli, grater, puree, hand operated, moulin legumes no. 3, vingage, kitchen gadget, moulineux, jean mantelet

Metallic cylinder that is wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. Has various sized holes cut/drilled into it to allow food to be grated. Hollow in the centre to contain grated food.Willow', 'registered design' and 'made in Australia' all featured on cylinder.cooking, kitchen

Tinplate moult grater with a wooden handlefood graters

Coconut grater, hand-cranked and on a wooden base.fruit graters, food graters

Hand-cranked rotary vegetable grater, with wooden handle, on a wooden base."Ceres"food graters

Hand-cranked rotary grater, on a wooden base."Houchin Mfg. Co. N.Y. NO. 709"food graters