View source for Oroshigane

{{short description|Japanese kitchen utensil}}
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[[File:Oroshigane.Sharkskin.jpg|thumb|right|{{transliteration|ja|Oroshiki}} grater made with shark skin]] 
{{nihongo3|"grating metal"|おろし金/下ろし金|'''Oroshigane'''}}, also known as {{nihongo3||下ろし器|'''oroshiki'''}}, are [[grater]]s used in [[Cuisine of Japan|Japanese cooking]].<ref>Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art. Shizuo Tsuji, 508 pages. Kodansha USA; (2012). {{ISBN|978-1568363882}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Itoh |first1=Makiko |title=Getting in the groove with 'suribachi' and 'surikogi,' the Japanese mortar and pestle |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/06/24/food/getting-groove-suribachi-surikogi-japanese-mortar-pestle/ |work=[[The Japan Times]] |date=24 June 2017}}</ref>

{{transliteration|ja|Oroshigane}} differ significantly from [[Western world|Western]]-style graters, as they produce a much finer grating. Traditionally, these graters were tin-coated [[copper]] plates with many small spikes gouged out of the metal, but no actual perforations through the metal. These graters are still considered the best and are used by professional [[chef]]s. For preparing [[wasabi]] and {{transliteration|ja|[[yamaimo]]}}, graters with the surface made from [[shark skin]] were exclusively used. These have an even finer grating surface than a metal one; much closer to a sanding paper. However, nowadays non-professional [[cook (profession)|cooks]] usually use much less expensive graters made from other metals, [[plastic]], or [[ceramic]]s. A modern variation of these graters also has perforations and may come with a matching box so that the grated material drops through the grater into the box.

[[File:WasabiOnOroshigane.jpg|thumb|Wasabi on a metal {{transliteration|ja|oroshigane}}]]
[[File:Onioroshi.JPG|thumb|Bamboo onioroshi]]

There are two versions of the grater in common use with different coarseness. The coarse grater is used to grate {{transliteration|ja|[[daikon]]}} and similar foodstuffs, whereas the fine graters are used for grating wasabi or [[ginger]]. The fine graters are also sometimes sold as a wooden board covered with shark skin, which has many tiny teeth ([[dermal denticle]]s) and give it a feel similar to [[sandpaper]].

==See also==
* [[List of Japanese cooking utensils]]
* [[Grater]]
* [[Mandoline]]
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Kezuriki]]}}, a type of grater used to produce {{transliteration|ja|[[katsuobushi]]}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Kitchen Tools}}
[[Category:Japanese food preparation utensils]]