Most start with the essential trinity— chef’s knife, paring knife, and serrated knife— but some expand onward and upward to include handy tools like poultry shears and attractive knife blocks. Read on for our expert-sourced guide to the best knife sets for every kitchen.

Stainless steel. Ceramic. High carbon steel. Each material delivers a wickedly sharp edge when brand new. But a knife isn’t judged by its sharpness, rather by how long it keeps that sharp edge with regular use. High carbon steel is considered the best of the three when it comes to keeping an edge. Stainless steel blades are several degrees less durable but rust resistant. Ceramic knives are extremely sharp and completely immune to rusting, but also more brittle.

Do yourself a favor: Promise that you’ll never put any knives into the dishwasher or toss them loosely in a drawer where the edge can chip or break. Store them safely in a knife block, or better yet, attached onto a magnetic wooden strip.

Unless you like tomatoes smushed instead of sliced, learn how to use a sharpening steel or whetstone to keep your knives honed. The satisfying shhk-shhk sound while sharpening steel will make you feel like a total pro.

If you’re scared to DIY or need to bring a seriously dulled blade back from the brink, help is easy to enlist. Head to a local knife shop, sharpener, or use a mail-in sharpening service. It should cost anywhere between $10-$45 depending upon knife size, style, and the degree of effort required to revitalize the edge.

Victorinox’s 10-piece stainless steel offering is the Toyota Camry of knife sets: not too fancy, well-made, and well-suited for everyday use. The wallet-friendly set includes paring, chef’s, utility, boning, and bread knives. There’s also a honing steel to keep knives straight and sharp, kitchen shears for snipping duties, and a hardwood block for safe storage.

Sometimes more is just more. If you’re looking for a set with even more chops than our best pick above, the 17-piece Cangshan Cutlery Saveur Selects (designed by yours truly) has an armory of options worthy of a Game of Thrones episode. And thank goodness this collection comes with its own 16-slot walnut knife block (with a magnetic spot to hold the chefs knife in front), because that’s a lot of knives to keep stored. Each full-tang knife – a knife made with one continuous piece of metal that extends from the tip of the blade and all the way to the butt of the handle – is crafted from extremely hard Swedish Sandvik 14C28N steel, which the manufacturer says will hold an edge longer than traditional German steel. It’s also corrosion-resistant and easy to re-sharpen. With care, this set should last a lifetime. And with this many knives at your disposal, let’s be honest, you’ll likely never need to buy another knife ever again.

These were the first legit knives we purchased decades ago, and we still own the same set today. Global knives are easily identifiable, thanks to a unique stainless-steel construction spanning from the tip of the blade all the way to their dimpled handles as a single continuous shape. The iconic design has remained unchanged since its introduction in 1985. We’ve always loved Global knives for their dependably sharp edge, comfortable textured grip, and great balance. This 3-piece set is priced as an excellent starter kit that includes the essentials – 6'' Chef's Knife, 6'' Serrated Utility Knife, and 3'' Paring Knife – each at lengths friendly for use and storage within small kitchens.

You really get what you pay for when it comes to knives. At a certain grade, Buy a quality forged knife made with high carbon steel or stainless steel, and it’s not unreasonable to expect to be slicing and dicing for decades or even a lifetime with diligent care. A cheap kitchen knife doesn’t just lose its edge quickly;it can also flex or even snap because of the lesser quality materials.

Just like keeping your skin healthy, knives deserve a multi-step care regimen to keep them looking and working their finest. You should always clean your knives immediately after every use with warm soapy water with a soft cloth or sponge. It’s especially important to wash and dry knives after cutting acidic ingredients like onions, tomatoes, and citrus; the acid from those foods can corrode steel over time (making ceramic blades a good option for those ingredients). Ward off corrosion from moisture with a protective layer by applying a bit of neutral oil after drying.