a really sharp chef's knife

Chris Gardner

“Combined with a nice paring knife, and you're done. You can spend $500 on a killer Japanese knife or go with the professional kitchen staple for 70 bucks. You decide, but dammit, you use the thing every day. Get something that works.”

Will S

“i've had this knife for ~8 years and it does a fantastic job. it's my only knife, i don't have a set or various other knives to do random other jobs (altho it could be helpful, it's not necessary). this does everything i need and is not super expensive like some fancier knives. thousands of positive comments on amazon and tons of recommendations on reddit for a solid, inexpensive (~40 bucks) knife”

Anna

“The Swiss Army knife brand. I’ve had fancier knives and these hold their own with way easier care! The Fibrox collection has a wide variety of blade sizes and shapes with a sort of plasticky handle that is super durable.”