THE SHARPEST KNIFE IN THE DRAWER

Here is a list of must-have knives for your kitchen. The knives are listed in order of importance:

• 8- or 10-inch chef knife: A workhorse suited for cutting, chopping, dicing and mincing. This all-purpose knife has a long, wide, curved blade that rocks smoothly on the cutting board
. If you could have only one knife, opt for this one. Cost: $35-$250.

• Serrated or bread knife: Used primarily for slicing breads or any soft food with a hard crust. The knife’s long serrated or scalloped edge slices through a crisp crust without compressing the soft bread dough. Cost: $30-$120.

• Paring knife: This small knife is used primarily for coring, scoring, peeling, trimming or shaping. Basically, this knife is for all the work not done on a cutting board. Cost: $5-$150.

• 10-inch slicer: The thin, flexible blade of a slicer is made for carving foods like roasts, fish or poultry in long, even strokes. Its narrow blade reduces sticking, leading to cleaner, even cuts. Cost: $60-$300.

• 6-inch boning knife: The blade is narrow and comes to a sharp, tough point, both of which make it easy to separate meat from bone. Cost: $20-$200