KitchenCraft KCNUTMEG Spice / Nutmeg Grater with Container, Stainless Steel, Silver

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Lured by the quest for riches, in 1511, the Portuguese were the first Europeans arriving directly at the Banda Islands over the high seas. For a century, Portugal enjoyed the exclusive trade in nutmeg to Western Europe until expelled by Dutch forces. Using coercion, Dutch traders of the seventeenth century created a monopoly with cloves, nutmeg, and mace from the Moluccan Islands and marketed their precious spices at monstrous profits to an eager public in Europe, the Orient and North America. A cut-throat competition for both the lucrative spice trade, and for possession of the spice plant itself, led to terrifying acts of piracy, murder and maritime smuggling. First the French, and then the English, successfully transplanted sapling nutmeg trees, initiating nutmeg plantations throughout the Indian Ocean and Caribbean. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Dutch spice monopoly faltered. Pierre Franey, writing for the New York Times, said he cleaned his only rarely: “I clean my nutmeg grater only very rarely for fear of inducing rust. When a grater is washed it should of course be dried diligently.” [5] Franey, Pierre. Kitchen Equipment: Nutmeg Grinders. Uses A nutmeg grater can be used to grate nutmeg for use as an ingredient in a mixture for a food item, such as a baked good, or a quiche.

Many people never clean their nutmeg grater, at all. They say they only ever use it for that one thing, and that they aren’t concerned if a microscopic portion of nutmeg from the last use gets included with the nutmeg freshly ground this time. What does a nutmeg grinder offer that a store-bought bottle of ground nutmeg doesn’t? A ton of flavour. Freshly ground nutmeg maintains the natural oils that give the spice its distinctive flavour, so less of it is required. The more time that passes after grinding the nutmeg, the more flavour is lost. A grater or grinder is the best way to get that fresh nutmeg flavour when you want it. Manual vs. electricGrinders: You operate a grinder by twisting either a handle or the two parts of the grinder itself. Some grinders collect the nutmeg in a compartment, while others dispense the nutmeg from the bottom of the grinder, like a pepper grinder. If you want an easy way to sprinkle a little nutmeg on a drink or dessert, look for the latter type. Nutmeg is up there with cinnamon and star anise as one of the most difficult seasonings to process, but it doesn't have to be. Because a nutmeg seed is relatively easy to grasp, you can get away with using the Microplane 46016 if you just need small amounts, or the especially versatile Microplane Classic Zester for larger batches. In fact, we'd recommend that classic Microplane be a part of every kitchen, both at home and at work, because it's a remarkably useful tool in a lot of settings. Karen Marley, author of SpiceSherpa.com, does not clean hers. She writes, “Nutmeg is also one of those ‘clean’ spices so you aren’t obligated to [do] extra cleaning when you use your grater. Trust me on this one…” [4] Marley, Karen. Nutmeg graters. Accessed October 2019 at http://www.spicesherpa.com/nutmeg-graters Manual: These classic grinders and graters require a bit of elbow grease to use. Whether you operate it with a crank, as with a grinder, or by rubbing a whole nutmeg against a grater, this is an easy way to get the same fresh flavour offered by using an electric grinder. Now that you have some ground nutmeg, what can you do with it? Nutmeg is a versatile spice that adds warmth to sweet or savoury dishes and drinks. Here are some common uses for nutmeg:

Some people prefer using a grinder because it does away with the risk of grating bits of your skin in with the nutmeg. Cleaning a nutmeg grater

As mentioned above, nutmeg is native to a number of Indian Ocean islands known, fittingly enough as, the Spice Islands. It was one of many prized and rare spices that were wildly popular in the west during the Middle Ages and Renaissance -- cinnamon, pepper, and cloves were also highly sought after -- both for its culinary uses and for its perceived medicinal characteristics. (It was thought for many centuries that nutmeg and certain other spices could help to prevent infection with the bubonic plague.)

In the case of a manual grinder or grater, a comfortable handle is crucial. Many handles are dubbed “ergonomic” by the manufacturers, which just means the handle is contoured to comfortably fit your hand. Maintaining your grip on a handheld grater or grinder is important for keeping you safe and allowing you to work efficiently. Storage If you wish to produce a good deal of greater nutmeg and you also value the aesthetics associated with gourmet food preparation, consider a rotary-style nutmeg mill. These tools place a nutmeg seed (or several) in a closed chamber topped by a hand-turned crank usually connected to a group of claws that hold the seed in place and apply downward pressure. When operated, the rotating twists the seed against a series of rasps or teeth, shaving bits of nutmeg with ease. In the 17th and 18th century, gentlemen would carry their own small, personal silver nutmeg grater with them. This allowed them to freshly grate their own nutmeg into fashionable drinks such as punches, nogs, and hot mulled wine. Nutmeg, like most spices, is never a central ingredient in any recipe; in fact, it is rarely even meant to define the flavor profile of a given meal or beverage, but rather to add a bit of complexity to the food or drink. Nutmeg is experienced by most palates as sweet and nutty, with enough camphor-like spice to be harsh in large quantities but easily mellowed by foods such as dairy or rice products and balanced by the bright and crisp flavors of citrus fruits. By the mid-nineteenth century, the price for nutmeg became moderately priced. The study of mid-Victorian and American Civil war cookbooks shows that one out of five recipes contained nutmeg as a flavoring. Use of the spice was prevalent in everything from pumpkin pie and rice pudding to venison broth and ketchup. Even a concoction to treat baldness with nutmeg is known. From the 1850s to the 1920s an astonishing array of technologically improved nutmeg graters were patented from across America. Each product attested to be superior to the last, all designed to complete a simple chore without abrading the user's fingers. While a handful of mechanical nutmeg graters were success stories, most were short lived failures.Graters: These are far simpler in design than grinders and resemble small cheese graters. You simply rub the nutmeg (or other spice) over a piece of perforated metal. As far as safety goes, a grater is more dangerous to use because it’s possible to cut your fingers on the grate as you work. If you’re worried about this, look for a grater with an attachment that holds the nutmeg – so you don’t have to hold it directly. Some mandolines include graters that work well with nutmeg. Common grater styles for nutmeg (and other spices) include the following: Small, cylindrical nutmeg graters. The solid silver cylinder was the case. Metropolitan Museum of Art / wikimedia / 2017 / Public Domain