What’s the most dangerous thing one can have in a kitchen? A spouse that cannot cook? A deep fryer? Paula Deen?

Most experts agree that the worst thing you can do in a kitchen is use an unsharpened knife. Dull knives are more dangerous than sharp knives, unless of course you are carrying your infant daughter and she grabs a sharp knife off of your magnetic holder and inadvertently attempts to decapitate you (That only happened in our house once. Okay, twice.).

People much smarter than me have proven this theory and it makes sense. A dull knife does not slice through food as easily, which means that you put more pressure on the knife. More force on the knife means less control of the blade and a greater chance that your blade will slip or move in a direction that you did not intend. And, don’t forget about the food. You’re going to mangle that hunk of beef, fail to get the thin slice on that onion, or get a precise dice on those bell peppers. And, you can damage the knife.

I upgraded my sharpening game this year to a Chef’s Choice 3-stage handheld sharpener for my conventional and Asian knives. But, not everyone has (or needs or wants) a dozen Henckels Professional knives. What about mid-range consumer-grade cutlery? How do you keep these sharp without buying a sharpener that costs half or a third as much as the knife set?

Calphalon’s answer is Self-Sharpening Cutlery with SharpIN™ Technology: straight-edged knives sit in slots equipped with a ceramic sharpener. Slide the knife out of its slot and the angled ceramic sharpeners apply a precise edge to the steel.

Calphalon, which manufactures my favorite cookware (the Unison), uses this technology in its Classic and Contemporary lines of cutlery. Recently, the company sent Al Dente a 12-piece Classic set to take for a spin.

The 12-piece set includes the block itself, six steak knives, a 3 1/2-inch paring knife, 5-inch Santoku knife, 6-inch serrated utility knife, 8-inch chef’s knife, and kitchen shears. The working knives have a full tang with riveted enamel handles and a true bolster. They are d ishwasher-safe, not that you should or would run good carbon steel knives through a dishwasher, and (Jared’s Note: I was misinformed here. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever put good cutlery in a dishwasher. Ever.) also carry a lifetime warranty.

While this set lives at a price point of $150, these knives feel solid when you grip them. The chef’s knife moves through apples, carrots and other produce with ease (I didn’t want to use them too much for this review. I washed the knife thoroughly, and towel- and air-dried it before repacking it.). The knives had a good weight and balance when gripped.

This is a solid first set for a single person starting out or a couple that doesn’t cook a lot. It has the essentials: steak knives, a well-balanced chef’s knife, and a fine-edge Santoku. I think I would have liked this to have a bread knife, but otherwise this is great to give or receive at a wedding.

And, I’m giving you a shot to win this set. You have until midnight on June 1 to enter. The winner will be chose at random.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

