You don’t need a whole block full of knives to cook. But it is worth the money to buy the best knives you can afford. A good knife with a high-carbon, steel-alloy blade will hold an edge better and give you years of service.

Skip knife sets, which are usually cluttered with specialty knives you don’t need, and buy open-stock knives so you can choose each one carefully.

The ones you need

¢ Chef’s knife: Also called a French knife. The workhorse of the kitchen, with a wide, tapered blade and a sturdy handle. Ranges from 8- to 10-inch blade. Get the size that feels most comfortable in your hand. Expect to pay $75 to $150.

¢ Paring knife: Small knife with a 2- to 4-inch blade and a pointed tip. For peeling, coring, trimming and other small jobs. Expect to pay $15 to $45.

¢ Serrated knife or bread knife: A long knife with an 8- to 10-inch blade and a wavy edge; sometimes has a rounded tip. For cutting through crusty bread without crushing it, or for any job that involves sawing. Expect to pay $25 to $75.

Nice to have

¢ Boning knife: Long and thin, with a rigid blade. For cutting up raw meat and cutting chicken away from the bone. If it has a flexible blade, it’s a fillet knife, for filleting fish. Expect to pay $50 to $75.

¢ Cleaver: Heavy, with a very wide, flat blade. For cutting through bone. Expect to pay $75 to $150.

¢ Steel: If you don’t have a sharpener or take your knives to a sharpening service, a sharpening steel helps maintain the edge. It doesn’t sharpen, but it does straighten the edge of the knife. Expect to pay $30 to $40.