Using a microplane or other small grater to grate your whole nutmeg always left small pieces behind and ended up being more of hassle than it was worth. This little device changes all that! You can store your 5-6 pieces of whole nutmeg in the container, and refill the middle loading area when one gets low. The best part is that all of the nutmeg gets used (and grated) because of the spring-loaded crank, without you risking your fingertips! It's SO easy to use; the crank works very well and relatively smoothly. Makes for easy storage, too. And nothing beats freshly grated nutmeg! Makes the powder you get from a supermarket taste like old sawdust in comparison.