The Freezer Hack That Makes Grating Chocolate Mess-Free

Grated chocolate is such a versatile ingredient to add to everything from desserts to sauces and even to savory meals. You can use it to add a touch of elegance to cakes, indulgent ice cream sundaes, or as a garnish for the world's best hot chocolate.

Grating this sweet bar on top of dishes makes everything 10 times better, especially for those with an insatiable sweet tooth. Though easy to do, it can, however, be pretty messy. Depending on the consistency of the chocolate you use, you could end up with a gooey disaster to clean up. Luckily, a simple freezer hack can make the whole process mess-free and a snap to do.

Put the chocolate block and your grater in the freezer for roughly 10 minutes. This will harden the cacao, making it easier to work with. You'll also save time in the post-cooking cleanup, which no one enjoys.

A basic grater is an excellent tool to keep around the kitchen. Often used to grate cheese, spices, nuts, and vegetables or strip herbs in a flash, these items come in various styles. 

If a recipe calls for adding chocolate as a part of the dish or as a garnish, then a microplane or box grater is ideal for shredding the bar into fine pieces. If you have a big block to work with, cut it into a chunk that is comfortable enough to hold.

Once the food has hardened slightly, run it gently on the holes or blades over the dish. Use the small microplane for a dusting effect, or use the larger holes for bigger slivers. If you only have a knife, it should also go into the cooler before use. While not technically "grating," you can use the blade to chop the bar into tiny pieces. This will also give you more control over the size of the chocolate bits. 

Cleaning the gadget is a must but can also be a pain. An easy lemon trick to clear all the food out of the grater will make it much less frustrating.

The type of chocolate you use also matters. Harder varieties often give the best results, especially the dark kind with a high cacao percentage. Be aware that there is a difference between cocoa and cacao!

Though they start out the same — as pods grown on trees in areas like Ecuador, Mexico, Africa, and the Caribbean — how they are processed creates entirely different products. Though the purer form is usually higher in quality, it can be bitter. If you need to dust desserts, choose the sweeter commercial chocolates.

While absolutely delicious on its own, adding chocolate to recipes can elevate desserts into something impressive like a German chocolate pie or as a delicate finisher for everything from plain vanilla ice cream to puddings. Even savory dishes like chocolate chili can benefit from the touch of flavor, so don't be afraid to experiment using this natural ingredient in more recipes.