Rasp

The coarse or rough file to which Webster 1913 refers has a use in your kitchen and not just in your woodworking shed. I bought mine at Canadian tool mecca, Lee Valley Tools, where the microplane rasp is cleverly marketed for culinary uses, and I love it. It is a long flat piece of metal covered in tiny sharp teeth.

Why would you use a rasp instead of a box grater, which is what I used to use? Because, dear reader, the rasp has a number of specific tasks at which it excels.

• It pulverizes garlic to a pungent paste which combines with other ingredients perfectly, with no lumps.
• It is unparalleled at mincing fresh ginger, always a difficult substance to deal with. No more strings stuck on the grater and pools of escaping fluid underneath. The rasp pulverizes ginger, too, just like garlic.
• It grates parmigiano, or any other hard cheese, into a fine fluffy pile, ready to sprinkle.
• It grates fresh nutmeg with ease and style.
• It shaves chocolate for sprinkling on your cappuccino in a flash.
• It does an amazing job of grating fresh citrus peel: lemon, lime, orange, all shorn of their aromatic skins in effortless seconds.

Perhaps best of all, once these important culinary jobs are completed, the rasp cleans up easily, with just a wipe from a soapy sponge. Think of that! No poking out the holes of a garlic press. No scraping ginger strings off the box grater. No mess, no fuss, no trouble at all. Get one: you'll love it.

Rasp (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rasped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Rasping.] [OF. rasper, F. raper, to scrape, grate, rasp, fr. OHG. rasp&omac;n to scrape together, to collect, probably akin to E. rap. Cf. Rap to snatch.]

1.

To rub or file with a rasp; to rub or grate with a rough file; as, to rasp wood to make it smooth; to rasp bones to powder.

2.

Hence, figuratively: To grate harshly upon; to offend by coarse or rough treatment or language; as, some sounds rasp the ear; his insults rasped my temper.

© Webster 1913.

Rasp, n. [OE. raspe, OF. raspe, F. rape. See Rasp, v.]

1.

A coarse file, on which the cutting prominences are distinct points raised by the oblique stroke of a sharp punch, instead of lines raised by a chisel, as on the true file.

2.

The raspberry.

Bacon.

Rasp palm Bot., a Brazilian palm tree (Iriartea exorhiza) which has strong aerial roots like a screw pine. The roots have a hard, rough surface, and are used by the natives for graters and rasps, whence the common name.

© Webster 1913.