I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Calphalon. I received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for my participation. #KnifeSkills
Momma Told Me: Only as sharp as your blade.
I wish I could tell you Momma imparted upon me some age old, family kept, knife skills and cutlery skills. For the most part, my cooking education did little but foster a complete fear of knives. You see, if there was one thing Momma taught me about knives int he kitchen, it was that you never picked up a dull knife to work with. Her blades were precision cutting tools that performed at the peak of their intention no matter how many years, or uses, they each got. I know this from a number of trips to the local JoAnn's where Momma would take her knives to be professionally sharpened, twice a year. It was also evident in the number of bandages Momma went around brandishing on her fingertips.
Cutlery is arguably one of a modern chef's most important tools, and easily one of the most primitive. Other than making the blades from various forms of metal, there is little that changes in the technology of knives from one generation to the next. Every good chef has the same set of blades in their arsenal, a Chef's knife, a boning knife, a bread knife, a parer, etc. But the longevity and efficiency of these tools is not solely reliant on the materials they are made of, as the way in which they are handled and cared for. And that's where the genius in Calphalon's new Self-Sharpening Cutlery sets with SharpIN technology comes in.
Made with high-carbon, no stain, German steel, for long-life durability these unique Calphalon Self-Sharpening Cutlery sets feature comfortably balanced contoured handles for ergonomic chopping, dicing, paring, and slicing no matter what lies before your cutting board. And the flat blade knives in these sets are guaranteed to slice just as smooth, and efficient each the very first cut, thanks to the unique sharpening grids housed inside the cutting block. These unique built in ceramic sharpeners sharpen your blades with each and every use for a magical feel and cut that offers satisfying precision. This is a cutlery set Momma needs under her tree this holiday season!
Of course, you may recall, we own several pieces of Calphalon cookware and bake-ware, many pieces of which have become integral to our daily kitchen adventures. The brand is known not only for quality design and material innovation, but also for their mission to educate consumers from home cooks to 5 star chef's. Their #knifeskills video series, now featured on the Calphalon SharpIN product hub, and brand's YouTube channel offer easy to follow visual guides for cutting everything from Acorn Squash to Zucchini.
I consider my knife skills above intermediate, and even I was able to learn a thing or two from watching the series; including the right way to prepare garlic for my home style pizza sauce recipe. For instance, did you know you could use a small parer knife to gently press the flat edge into a broken clove of garlic to help break the thick 'paper' like lining off, for faster access to the bulbs within? The 1 and a half minute video above even has some tips as to different ways to cut and prepare raw garlic for various dishes and presentations. I highly recommend checking the series out!
Personally, I'm not a 'one knife' kind of gal- You wouldn't cook an entire 3 course meal in 1 pot, so you should never try to accomplish all your cutlery tasks with a single knife. Though, if you have to have only one knife to work with, the Calphalon Santoku Knife is a 7 inch blade that performs well for cutting, slicing, an chopping a variety of common ingredients. It works great for the majority of the toppings on out Homemade Rustic Pizza. It offered unbelievable effortless precision for wafer thin mushrooms, and uniform bell pepper slices.
You see, our family loves pizza- and by love, I mean, we'd eat it every day if we could justify the carbs and work in a vegetarian recipe or two. And, as great as it is to have a lazy night and curl up with cheese stuffed crusts and honey bbq basted wings from the major big brand delivery service around the corner; well, we all agree nothing beats 'from scratch.' In fact, in our family we call it 'ugly pizza,' because, let's be honest, the real art of homemade dough tossing should be left to the professionals. I'm happy if I can stretch my dough from one corner to the next without a giant bubble or tear. I won't lie- the crust is half the battle.
Recently, however, I perfected the best 'from scratch' dough recipe and made a pizza worthy of a $30 menu price, at half the cost, and in just 75 minutes. Yeah, yeah, 75 minutes sounds long, but 45 of that was the dough's rise time, and while we waited for our dough to rise we had a bit of a knife skills competitions between Jay and I. Sure, the pizza was the winner, but I feel I had an edge seeing as I was hoarding my brand new Calphalon knives.
But, as any chef knows, there is something extra satisfying, that just adds that little bit of undefinable flavor to anything that is homemade from scratch. I don't know, it could have been a little bit of a buzz from 'taste testing' a glass of the wine that went into the rich burgundy pizza sauce, or the little bit of excitement I got from drawing a fresh blade across those SharpIN bays, but this easily was the best pizza I've ever had. I dare say some of our guests actually asked where we ordered the pizza in from- and that has to be counted as a win, right?
There's no arguing, whether you're a budding home chef extraordinaire, or a busy mom trying to put something on the table before bedtime, knife skills are an important tool of the trade. Sharp, precision crafted cutlery is a kitchen must that makes cooking not only easier, but more fun. I can't wait to make more rustic home comfort dishes as we head into the cooler months of Fall and Winter- hearty home-style stew here I come! Now tell me, what are some of your trickiest cutting challenges when working in the kitchen?
What Daughter Says: Combine #knifeskills smarts with precision self sharpening cutlery for complete kitchen domination.
Enter to win your own Calphalon Self-Sharpening Cutlery Set (a $219 SRV) below, Contest entrants are only eligible to win once per sweepstake, per household as part of a campaign sponsored by Influence Central:
Rustic Homemade Pizza
***Click here for printable homemade pizza recipe
1/4 C+ 1 TBS Olive Oil
2 Cloves Minced Garlic
1/3 C Red Wine
1 1/2 C Crushed Tomatoes
1 Small Can Tomato Paste
1 TBS Honey
1 TBS Oregano, Basil, and Thyme
1/4 OZ Fast Rising Active Dry Yeast
1 TSP Sugar
1 1/4 C Warm Water
Thinly Sliced Toppings of Choice
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water; let stand for 5 minutes. Add oil and salt. Stir in flour, a cup at a time, until soft dough forms.
2. Turn onto floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, about 2-3 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately 45 minutes, until doubled. Meanwhile, prepare pizza sauce.
3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium high heat and saute the garlic for 1 MIN. Ad wine and let simmer for 2 MINs, or until wine had reduced by half. Add remaining ingredients and heat through, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Allow to cool to room temperature before topping pizza.
4. Punch risen dough down and divide in half. Press each half into a greased 12 inch baking pan. Top with generous layer of prepared pizza sauce to 1" within edge. Add a thin layer of cheese, followed by thin sliced meats, sliced vegetables, crumbled meats, then a final layer of cheese. Be sure to spread cheese out over the edge where sauce meets the crust to avoid burning during baking.
5. Bake pizzas in a preheated 400F oven for 25-30 minutes, or until outer edge of crust begins to brown.
