While cooking, one comes across foods that need a small process before being cooked. These processes can be cutting, peeling, shredding, grating, etc.
Shredding and grating are two processes often confusing and sometimes used interchangeably by many.
Key Takeaways
- Shredding involves cutting food into thin, uniform strips, like cabbage or lettuce, for a salad.
- Grating involves rubbing food against a rough surface to produce small, coarse pieces, as with cheese or vegetables.
- Shredding is best for creating long, uniform pieces, while grating produces small, irregular pieces.
Shredding vs Grating
Shredding is a method of cutting food into thin, long pieces that can be used in various dishes, such as salads, sandwiches, tacos, and stir-fries. Grating is rubbing food against a rough surface to create small pieces. It can be used in various dishes, such as pasta, pizza, soups, and stews.
Shredding means cutting some into small strips called shreds. This process can be done using a hand grater or a box grater. The shredded food takes a longer time to cook.
Grating refers to the process in which the food is reduced to the tiniest pieces possible that may sometimes look like powder. The food can be grated using a grater with very small holes.
Comparison Table
| Parameter of Comparison | Shredded | Grated |
|---|---|---|
| What does it mean? | When it comes to shredding during cooking, the food must be reduced into small strips. | Grating means reducing the food into tiny fragments that are almost powdery. |
| What it looks like? | Shredded food looks like small stripes that have a smooth texture. | Grated food may look like tiny particles that appear as a powder but are rougher and uneven. |
| Equipment required | Shredding the food into strips requires a hand or box grater. | A food processor or a box grater is required to grate something Microplane. |
| The time required for cooking | Shredded food takes a longer time to cook. | Grated food takes less time to cook since it is sometimes grated so that it melts faster, or to add vegetables to add soups or sauces. |
| Food that can be shredded or grated | The common shredded foods are cheddar, Edam, mozzarella cheese, ginger, carrot, coconut, etc. Shredded food is used as toppings. | The common foods that are grated are romano, parmesan cheese, etc. The grated food is either used as a topping or for stuffing. |
What is Shredded?
The dictionary meaning of shredding is the act of cutting or trying into shreds, and it also refers to a style of very fast and complex guitar playing.
Shredding food in the kitchen refers to reducing food into small and thin strips, known as shreds. In shredding, the food is pushed or rubbed across a shredding surface with holes in it for the food to come to the other side.
The shredded food looks like small strips with a smooth texture.
Most vegetables and cheeses can be shredded using a hand or box grater. However, vegetables like lettuce and cabbage can be shredded using a knife. Some common foods that need shredding are cheddar, mozzarella, coconut, ginger, etc.
Shredded food is mostly used as toppings in dishes.
What is Grated?
Grating is a word that refers to a process used in kitchens. Grating means reducing food into tiny particles or fragments that are powdery to look at.
The grated food looks like the smallest fragments that are coarse and uneven.
Food can be grated using a hand or box grater, a microplane or a food processor. To great use, a hand grater pushes the food from top to bottom across the state holes of the grater.
Cheese is the most common food that is grated.
Main Differences Between Shredded and Grated
- Shredding is a word used in various fields, whereas grating refers only to a process used in the kitchen.
- Shredding refers to reducing food into small strips, known as shreds; on the other hand, grating refers to reducing food into very small fragments.
- Shredded foods look like small stripes, whereas grated food resembles tiny particles.
- Shredded food has a smooth and even texture; on the other hand, grated food is rougher and uneven.
- Shredding and grating can be done using a box grater; grating can also be done using Microplane or a food processor.
- Shredded food takes longer, whereas shredded food takes less time to cook.
- Shredded food is mostly used for topping pasta or pizza, whereas grated food is used for topping and stuffing.
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
