I’ve seen these ceramic graters being sold at every market and festival in Germany for the past year, and yesterday I finally got one.

It mushified a clove of garlic nicely, though getting it out again took some finessing. Rodd worked it out – you have to hold the grater on an angle and use the bristles of the brush to push down the plane of it.

I used it in my homemade ranch salad dressing alongside the Snook’s spicy baked chicken strips. (He used toban djan instead of the curry.) It was delicious!

I never ate Brussels Sprouts growing up; they were just never a thing that my Mom cooked. It may well be that the first time I ever had them was ten years ago at Porteño in Sydney. (They were were charred and tossed with bacon and they were the most delicious thing I’d ever had.) But apparently Brussels sprouts really were a lot more bitter 20+ years ago, before scientists figured out how to get high yields from less bitter heritage varieties. Huh. So if you think you don’t like them, you should give them another try.

A couple recipes I particularly like:

• Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• One-Pan Chicken, Sausage, and Brussels Sprouts
• Brussels Sprouts Hash With Fried Sage and Soft Cooked Eggs
• Brussels Sprout and Bacon Frittata