Microplane
Encyclopedia
Microplane is a registered trademark of Grace Manufacturing Inc., a company that makes photo etched steel tools (surform
tools) for grating, grinding and sanding.
Microplane graters are used for the grating of various food items, such as nutmeg
and cheese
, and also as zesters for citrus fruit.
However, after several years of litigation process, the suit ultimately led to a mutual settlement (May/June 2005 with details being filed as confidential), which allows Grace to continue with their patented process and Browne with their process (which is patent pending). Both versions are being widely distributed around the world today.
Surform
A surform tool features perforated sheet metal and resembles a food grater. A surform tool consists of a steel strip with holes punched out and the rim of each hole sharpened to form a cutting edge. The strip is mounted in a carriage or handle...
tools) for grating, grinding and sanding.
Kitchen graters
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
and cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
, and also as zesters for citrus fruit.
Wood rasps
Microplane originally made wood rasps and shaving disks and they continue to do so today.Legal actions
In 2002, Grace Manufacturing Inc filed a lawsuit against Browne and Co. Ltd. among others, alleging that the Cuisipro "Accutec" line of etched graters infringed on Microplane patents, and that Browne and Co. practices with regard to the Accutec brand represented unfair competition. Grace further made public statements at that time, intended to create distance between their graters and the Accutec line of products, particularly from the historical context associated with Microplane (for example, stating that only Microplane products had a history in woodworking use(such as crafting skills to make historical replicas of atlatl), and that Accutec was not to be considered a next-generation design).However, after several years of litigation process, the suit ultimately led to a mutual settlement (May/June 2005 with details being filed as confidential), which allows Grace to continue with their patented process and Browne with their process (which is patent pending). Both versions are being widely distributed around the world today.