Bench Coconut Grater
The bench coconut grater has been used for centuries, once ubiquitous in tropical areas where coconut is abundant. A brilliant cross between a stool and kitchen implement, users sit on the bench and then scrape a split coconut along the blade on the extended arm. Shavings from the white, fleshy part of the coconut can then be used in desserts or other recipes. This particular coconut grater bench comes from the Philippines. The coconut grater is used to shave the delicate coconut meat, and along with the ice shaver, is a necessity for making halo halo, a Filipino shaved ice dessert covered in mounds of sweet treats. Although electric shaving is more frequently used for grating coconut these days, some still turn to their coconut grater benches.
During this quarantine, many are moving to more "labor of love” methods in the kitchen. What are some labor-intensive processes you have tried out or revisited?