I cooked with a $25 knife block set from a big-box store for three years. The blades dulled after six months and would not hold an edge no matter how often I sharpened them. Chopping an onion meant crushing it first, then sawing through. I thought I was bad at knife skills. Turns out I had bad knives.

I asked a friend who runs a catering kitchen what he would recommend for under a hundred dollars. His answer surprised me: do not buy a set. Buy three individual knives. Here is why and which ones.

Why knife sets are usually a bad deal

A twelve-piece knife block set for eighty dollars looks like a great value. But half those knives you will never use — a boning knife, a cheese knife, a sharpening steel that does more damage than good. Meanwhile, the three knives you actually use every day are the cheapest ones in the set with the worst steel.

Buying individual knives means every dollar goes toward quality where it matters. Three good knives beat twelve mediocre ones every time.

The three knives you actually need

8-inch chef’s knife: This does ninety percent of your cutting. Vegetables, meat, herbs — everything. Victorinox Fibrox Pro is the industry standard for budget chef’s knives at about forty-five dollars. It is the knife used in culinary schools and restaurant kitchens. The handle is textured plastic — not pretty, but secure when wet. The blade holds an edge well and is easy to sharpen.

3.5-inch paring knife: For small, precise work — hulling strawberries, peeling fruit, deveining shrimp. Victorinox also makes a great one for about ten dollars. Kiwi brand (from Thailand) makes an even cheaper one for about six dollars that is surprisingly good for the price.

Serrated bread knife: For bread, tomatoes, and anything with a tough skin and soft interior. Mercer Culinary makes a solid one for about twenty dollars. The offset handle keeps your knuckles off the cutting board. A serrated knife cannot be sharpened at home easily, but it also does not need sharpening for years because the serrations protect the cutting edge.

Total cost and care

Victorinox chef’s knife: $45. Victorinox paring: $10. Mercer bread knife: $20. Total: $75 for a lifetime setup. Add a honing steel for $15 and learn to use it — honing realigns the edge between sharpenings. Get the knives professionally sharpened once a year for about five dollars each. Hand wash and dry immediately. Never put them in the dishwasher — the heat and detergent destroy the edge and the handle.