I admit, I got a little spoiled this summer when it came to wake up times. Now that the girls are older, they don't require me to get up as early as they do, so I took full advantage and slept in almost every day. As fabulous as it was, I do find that I am struggling to get out of bed at 6am now. I will give myself a little credit for predicting this would happen though, and for taking measures to plan breakfasts ahead to take a little edge off the roughness of getting back into a morning routine. I've started making breakfasts ahead of time that can be served the next day, as long as they are stored in the fridge or an air tight container.
Food prep is usually what takes me the longest when it comes to working in the kitchen, so having the best tools available is essential in helping to ease some of my workload. Anyone who has even spent a smidgen of time in the kitchen knows that one of the most important tools is a good set of knives. I have been really unhappy with my stainless steel knives for a while, and decided to give ceramic blade knives a try. The Elegana 10-piece Premium Ceramic Knife Set seemed like an excellent set to start off with.
The 10-piece set comes with a 3" Paring ceramic knife, 4" Fruit ceramic knife, 5" Santoku ceramic knife, 6" Chef ceramic knife, multi-purpose ceramic peeler and a microfiber cleaning cloth. The knives all have their own protective blade covers, so you can safely store them when not in use. Everything is packaged up in a lovely gift box, which I thought was a nice touch.
Ceramic blade knives are growing in popularity because of how sharp they are. They don't dull as easily as steel, nor do they rust and they resist staining. They are very light weight, which makes slicing, dicing and chopping a breeze, without putting strain on the wrists. The handles are comfortable to hold and I love the bright colors on each. This set is BPA free.
Keep in mind, ceramic knives are a wonderful addition to the kitchen, but are meant for slicing and dicing, and should only be used on certain types of food, like fruits, veggies and boneless meats. Do NOT use ceramic blades to cut through bones or to crush spices as this can chip the blades. When used to properly, this set will last you a really long time.
I decided to whip up some apple turnovers for the girls to eat for breakfast this week, and put my
Elegana 10-piece Premium Ceramic Knife Set to the test. The peeler did great at removing the skin from my apples, the fruit knife made slicing through the apples a cinch, and the Santuoku diced through with ease.
I got a nice, clean cut on my pastry dough. The knife slid right through without snagging or tearing the dough.
Easy Apple Turnovers
Ingredients:
2 medium baking apples (I use granny smith) peeled, cored and diced
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup raisins
2 tbsp sugar
1tbsp lemon juice
1 egg, separated
1 package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees
Toss diced apples with flour.
Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add apples, raisins sugar and lemon juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Once completely cool, stir in egg yolk.
Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to measure an 11 inch square. Using your Elegana ceramic knife, cut pastry into 4 equal squares.
Spoon 1/4 cup of apple mixture into the center of each square. Brush edges with egg white. Fold the pastry into a triangle, pinching edges to seal.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until pasty is a golden brown.
Transfer turnovers to a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Serve immediately, or store in an air tight container for up to 2 days.
Turnovers can be reheated at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
Overall, I am highly impressed with my new Elegana Ceramic Knives. If you would like a set of your own, they are currently available to purchase for under $35 at Amazon.
What's on your back-to-school breakfast menu?
My mum loves her ceramic knives and gave me one a few years back... it's been so useful! I'm even worst than you in the morning but thankfully Lil Pumpkin's preschool provides brekky so I don't need to prepare :P
ReplyDeleteAi @ Sakura Haruka
I was wondering if they were heavy, but now I see you say they're light... that is lovely.
ReplyDeleteNom on the puff pastry recipe! I shall send you one similar on Facebook, because it looks lovely adn you might like it if you haven't seen it before. It is with apple roses in puff pastry
I love things like this for breakfast. I think I am going to give these a try.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you can chop up much with that knife.Nice clean cut is always good, less mess.
ReplyDeleteThe knife set is pretty too - like the colors.
ReplyDeleteYour recipes always look so good, Theresa. Lemon juice is a good touch, too.
That's a perfect recipe for this time of year. I love the colors of those knives.
ReplyDeleteI've seen the pretty knives and wanted some for myself! And yep, my kids got spoiled with summer wake up time too. ;)
ReplyDeleteThese look like great kitchen tools and that apple turnover looks yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteI love ceramic knives. When you use them properly, they cut through everything like butter!
ReplyDeleteThis would be a fun recipe to try out. Those knives would make so many recipes simpler.
ReplyDeleteNice, I sure wish I had these a day ago. Just canned our Apple Pie Filling.
ReplyDeleteI love eating apple turnovers. Thanks for the recipe now I can make apple turnovers.
ReplyDeleteThose knives look fantastic! I could use a really good set.
ReplyDeleteWow those are beautiful knives! And I LOVE apple turnovers!
ReplyDeleteI love apple turnovers! They remind me of my childhood though they were not homemade. These knives are great!
ReplyDeleteThose sure are some pretty knives! We love apple turnover and are going to have to make this ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI love apple stuff and this is the perfect time of year for it! Love those knives too!
ReplyDeleteI love the colors of those knives! So important to have a really quality set for a family!
ReplyDeleteGood knives make such a difference. And who says they have to be boring! Those are so much fun!
ReplyDeleteWe like to make smoothies for breakfast. Eggs and toast is a popular breakfast in our house to. These look like a great knife set.
ReplyDeleteWow those turned out just perfect. I love anything apple, and so do my kids so I will have to try to make these. I doubt they'll be as lovely looking though! - jeanine
ReplyDeleteI want to try these knives. I have them on my Birthday Wish List!
ReplyDeleteFunny, I just had a salesman come to the house and sell me some very very expensive knives. These look even better.
ReplyDeleteThose knives look gorgeous. Good knives always make for easier cooking!
ReplyDeleteI need a new set of knives, Thank you for Sharing.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I have never tried an apple turnover before! I have tried ceramic knives and while I was excited about them at first, I did experience chipping and I did use them as per instructions (note NOT the ones you are referencing!) so I am mixed about trying them again. I think I may invest in a quality sharpener and stick with traditional knives. I would love to know how these wear for you, so if you ever post an update after a year, please tag me!
ReplyDeleteTracy @ Ascending Butterfly
Absolutely! I am going to mark a reminder in my date book to get back with you on how they perform going into the future :)
DeleteI love apple turnovers! I've been looking for a good set of knives, ours are in desperate need of replacement.
ReplyDeletewhat a handy set..love all those colors and everything will be handy in my kitchen :)
ReplyDeleteI love apple anything! lol These look delicious. Those are some gorgeous looking knives!
ReplyDeleteThat's a fancy, colorful set of knives!
ReplyDeleteI like that they come with colors. I have gotten cut before reaching into my knife drawer.
ReplyDeleteCeramic knives are so nice. Believe it or not I got one at our Canadian dollar store chain for 3 bucks It's just a pairing knife but it is awesome. I am keeping my eyes open for a bigger one to come in, fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteKaren, I am seriously jealous of your dollar store. We get a bunch of crummy stuff at ours. I'd do a cartwheel in the store if I found some ceramic knives there!
DeleteI love this knife set! It looks like something I need. My set is getting old and dull.
ReplyDelete