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| | Grated cheese is such a useful ingredient in the kitchen, it's a staple that is very important for countless dishes. However, don't be tempted to buy packs of pre-graded cheese at the supermarket. Often, this cheese is mixed  with cornstarch and other preservatives to keep the cheese strands separated. And why would you buy a pack like that when it's so easy to do yourself!
The volume measure of grated cheese will depend on several factors such as the type of cheese, the grater, the temperature of the cheese... When reading a recipe, it's usually not that important to get the exact amount perfect, however if you're concerned, then a kitchen scale is the best way to go.
There are two basic ways to grade cheese: one is with a box grater which is the old fashioned, tried and true method. This is fine if you only need to grate a little bit. If you're grating a firm cheese such as cheddar or Monterey Jack, then use the large ¼ inch teardrop shaped holes, however if you want to grate a harder cheese such as Parmesan finely, then you need to use the small 1/8 inch teardrop shaped holes of a box. Also be aware, that if you use a rasplike grater such as a Microplane, then you will most likely get larger volumes since they shave the cheese so fine.
If on the other hand, you have lots of cheese to grate, then you're better off with a food processor with a shredding disk. These machines make it so fast and easy to grate large amounts of cheese. So if you bought a large chunk, then one option would be to grate it all up, separate the shredded cheese in several resealable plastic bags, date them and freeze them. That way you would always have some grated cheese waiting for you in the freezer.
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