A hand-held electric cheese grinder includes a body having a cheese grinder cylinder rotatably mounted within a chamber of the body and driven by a motor through a transmission mechanism the motor and transmission mechanism are operatively mounted inside the grinding cylinder so that a relative spatial room is provided above the grinder cylinder in the chamber to contain a cheese block to be ground. The cheese block is pressed down against the grinder cylinder by a plunger extending from a cover mounted to the top of the body. A base is preferably provided to support the body when not in operation. The base includes a changer for recharging batteries in the body and a cooling device to maintain a relatively low temperature in the chamber of the body.