There are several threads on kitchen knives going on right now. I'd recommenbd checking those out. I have found that a full set of kitchen knives really isn't needed. I would go for quality over quantity, as not every kitchen knife set is really practical. I use two knives....well, three...in my kitchen. The primary knife is a Spyderco Santoku (get it from
www.bullmancutlery.com) which is perfect for veggies and meat and all types of chopping, slicing, dicing, etc, including very, very fine dicing. It is AWESOME and retails for around $30, I believe. I would never start a kitchen without one. In addition to that, I use a bread knife. Anything serrated will do, and probably won't ever need sharpening due to the fact that bread doesn't have a very high Rockwell Hardness, unless you live in Italy, in which case the bread is so damn good you tear into it before a knife is even thought about!
Finally, a good paring knife is in order for doing small jobs. If you eat lots of meat and like to cut the bones yourself and dis-joint stuff, then you will need a fairly heavy-duty chef's knife that is thicker stock and has a duller, stronger edge. The Santoku isn't made for bones. Spyderco makes the paring knives, too, although I haven't used them. If you have a mate that helps in the kitchen duties, then I would probably aim for one chef's knife for hardcore work, two Santokus (these are so awesome I can't put it into words hardly!) and three or four paring knives of various types (drop points and Wharncliffes are the most common). A steel is also a good idea to reduce the amount of sharpening needed, and a good sharpening stone is helpful (I use a Norton fine stone for a poliched edge). Good luck and let us know what you settle on.
PS- I can make Kydex sheaths for any of your kitchen knives, if you so require! ;-)
------------------
My Custom Kydex Sheath page
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/knifehome.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
