Thin Is In

Shred, grate: To shred is to cut or tear food into thin pieces. This is often done using the larger holes of a grater. For example, most people will shred mozzarella cheese into long thin strips to use for pizza. To grate is to rub over the small-holed, rough surface of a grater (the kind that often will scrape your knuckles) to create very small pieces, strips or crumbs.