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If you can afford $50.00, I would not hesitate to recommend the Togiharu gyuto; I bought it from Amazon after reading this article:
http://www.culinate.com/columns/bacon/chefs_knives

It's the only knife I use regularly anymore. It's light enough for me, feels good in my hand, and it's supersharp. It is a Japanese knife, which means you don't want to use a steel to hone it, and I haven't figured out what I'm going to do when it needs sharpened--probably mail it somewhere to be done...

Another option is IKEA whose knives (I think the slightly higher-end ones) are actually quite decent. I've got their bread knife and it works quite well. I think it was something like $20.

I'm a big fan of this cheap Oxo paring knife:
http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Good-Grips-Paring-Knife/dp/B00004OCJS/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1240501414&sr=8-9

I have two of them, and they're very nearly the only knives I use, especially for vegetables, herbs, etc.

I also have a small serrated Wursthof knife that my mother gave me. I dread to think what it must have cost. But it really is a damn good knife... It's the only thing I'll use to slice tomatoes.

I have the Victorinox with the rosewood handle that I bought locally for under $40 and I love it.

I can recommend the Ikea "365 " budget line of knives. Several years ago I bought a wall hung bentwood knife block, (since discontinued) because it was perfect for my tiny kitchen. For about $25 I got the knife block, a paring knife, chefs knife, serrated bread knife and a sharpening steel. While I already had several favorite knives, those knives are also in steady use in our kitchen, hold an edge well, and work far better than their not very fancy looks would suggest. I can maintain their edge with the steel, and they are easily sharpened with a small sharpening stone.

chefs knife:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20099873

Whoops, hit post rather than preview... I meant to add that the paring knife is currently $2.99 and the 8" chefs knife is $6.99

I also have that same Victorinox knife ... in fact, have the whole set. I did a lot of research and found that for the $$, these knives can't be beat. I've had them 5 years and love them!!

Restaurant supply companies are great sources for inexpensive, basic kitchen stuff, including knives. You can get a very decent 8-inch chef's knife for about $10, just like the ones used in restaurants all over town.

Didn't Mark Bittman publish a good column on kitchen essentials awhile back? I think he gave the same advice.

You can often find Wustof knives at TJ Maxx or Tuesday Morning for amazing deals. I have a 6" chef's knife that I think was around $25, and I use it for everything.

Will also recommend the Victorinox. These are commonly issued at culinary schools.

My boyfriend and I were in the same boat a couple of months ago. We bought these knives at JcPenny. It's a $20 set for one big knife and one small one.

http://www5.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?DeptID=57089&CatID=61718&GrpTyp=PRD&ItemID=161d221&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CMID=57089%7c57348&Fltr=&Srt=&QL=F&IND=1&cmVirtualCat=&CmCatId=57089|57348|61718

They have been one of the best things we've bought for the kitchen. Good Luck!

I'm really into knives - I think there are 20 on my magnetic strip and more in drawers. I'd been wanting to try a santoku knife but was afraid to invest very much in one in case I didn't like it. On a whim, I ordered the Martha Stewart Triple-Riveted Cutting Set one day from Macys.com - at 50% off. It includes a 7-inch santoku knife, a 3.5 inch paring knife (also with those santuko 'indentations' on the blade), and a really nice 14 in x 10 inch oval hardwood cutting board. I think the whole set was $15.

I've used the 7-inch knife several times a day for the past year, and I love it so much I bought another set when they went on sale again (I think this happens regularly). The paring knife is great, too. Both have a nice (and unexpected) heft to them and are a pleasure to use.

The carbon steel paring knives at Williams-Sonoma are truly awesome.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku5177480/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1|16|||0|||||||paring%20knife&cm_src=SCH

BTW, you can get the knives individually, for about $10 each, at the store, as opposed to together for $30 online.

Mark Bittman did at article a couple of years ago about stocking an entire kitchen on $300.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/dining/09mini.html

Interestingly: "I started with an eight-inch, plastic-handle stainless alloy chef’s knife for $10. This is probably the most essential tool in the kitchen. People not only obsess about knives (and write entire articles about them), but you can easily spend over $100 on just one. Yet go into any restaurant kitchen and you will see most of the cooks using this same plastic-handle Dexter-Russell tool. (Go to the wrong store and you’ll spend $20 or even $30 on the same knife.)"

My dad volunteers at a resale shop and sees a lot of really nice knives come through. People are cleaning out Great Aunt Betty's kitchen and don't know what they're looking at.

If you're willing to do a little digging and then a bit of cleaning and a lot of sharpening, you can probably find yourself a great knife for less than $5.

i suppose it all depends on what youd like to pay for a knife... i started out with a four piece set of henckel twin cuisins for 160, give or take. the set was made up of a 4" paring, 6" utility, 8" chefs knife, and a 9" honing steel. since then ive added a few more knives, but im def glad i started out with a nice set rather than something that might have needed replacing later down the road.

Another vote for the Victorinox Forschner. I bought the Santoku version on Amazon, and it is honestly the only knife I use now. It's lightweight, easy to clean, and sharp as heck.

Victorinox. I am still using the one that was issued to me at culinary school back in '95.

The French Peasant's knife from Lee Valley, hands down. It is not Stainless Steel, but that is a good thing, because it is carbon steel (like samurai swords)! Which is harder and sharper! This will keep an edge for a year or two even with heavy use.

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=1&p=52770&cat=2,40733,40738

Forschner Victorinox knives are a good bet. They're inexpensive and retain their sharpness pretty well. As others have noted, many restaurants and culinary schools use them.

You can be confident that you're getting a good tool without spending a fortune. Leave exquisite Japanese knives with wooden handles until you have everything else you could possibly need in your kitchen.

I've used a Chicago Cutlery chef's knife (similar to, but maybe not exactly this one: http://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Cutlery-Centurion-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B000277Y96 ) for about 7 years now, with daily use. I keep it honed, and it has only had to be sharpened profesionally once. I love, love, love that knife. Inexpensive, well-balanced, and sturdy.

As for the Mark Bittman knife recommendation (the white-plastic-handled thing), I've used those plenty of times. The only reason line cooks use them is because that's all the restaurant is willing to pay for (there's a reason chefs bring their own knives to work). They're cheap and NSF certified, nothing more. If you only chop an onion once in a blue moon, it might work for you; me, I use my knife too much for that.

When knife shopping, just make sure you choose one that has a full tang (the metal part inside the handle; full tang = better balance and higher quality) and is forged, not stamped (better balance and keeps an edge much longer). Other than that, it's really personal preference.

http://www.abreadaday.com

I am pretty impressed with IKEAs higher end knives. I think a chef knife will put you out around $15, and as far as my needs go, it is as good a knife as the fancier ones I've had. I do cook, and I chop a lot of vegetables, but nothing too fancy.

Also, Wusthoff sells a really simple sharpener that I use frequently to keep them sharp. I am fan. It is easy to use, and I think maintenance is the key to having good sharp knives.

i LOVE my Henckels Santoku knife, Macys always has terrific sales on the sets but you can definitely buy them individually too. That knife is the only one I reach for!!

it's $50, forgot the link!
http://www.amazon.com/Henckels-International-Classic-7-Inch-Santoku/dp/B00068J2A0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1240592164&sr=1-7

I learned about this knife via Cool Tools and found it superlative:

Tosagata Hocho 6 in Santoku Hocho

The Japanese name for this style of knife refers to the three parts of the blade used for cutting: the tip, the edge and the heel of the knife. The Santoko Hocho is the most versatile of blade styles and can handle a variety of cutting tasks.

$39.95

Thank you for all the great advice! It so happened that after I asked this question I couldn't wait long enough to get the answer (though I will be using this information for future purchases). I ended up buying a Henckels International Fine Edge Pro 7" Hollow Ground Santoku Knife for $13.99 at BB&B. Sounds like I made a good decision. We'll see how long it lasts, but so far, so good. It works perfectly and is pretty much the only knife we use. Now we just need a second one, maybe a 5", and a lovely bread knife and we'll be set for a long time.

P.S. The Mark Bittman article was great. Looks like I figured things out pretty well. The only thing I'd add to his list is a durable hand juicer or reamer... I think it's pretty darn essential.

xo

Jesse Lu

I have the Victorinox Forschner set of 3 paring knives. You can get them on Amazon too, or at a good kitchen store. The whole set cost $11 and they are great knives, beating out my much more expensive Wustoff paring knife many times over. They have a lovely fine edge that I have yet to blunt yet they are so affordable I would not worry about replacing it. The serrated knife is great for making paper thin tomato slices and the beak shaped knife is my go-to fruit cutting knife.