For a long time here at BA, we’ve resisted writing a story about the best knife set. It’s because in truth, we think the average home cook can get by just fine with three knives: a chef’s knife, a bread knife, and a paring knife. Those 18-piece block sets with a specific knife for seemingly every individual kitchen task a person could dream of? More often than not, they’re not worth your money—or the counter space they take up. And while some cooks might eventually want to add a versatile santoku knife, an agile boning knife, or a hefty cleaver to their collections, we generally recommend doing so on an ad hoc basis.

That said, there’s no denying the convenience that knife sets provide. For home cooks looking to grow or fill out their knife collection, it’s nice to be able to do so in one fell swoop. If that’s you, the good news is that the best kitchen knife set you can buy keeps it simple. Look for a set that contains those three essential knives—chef’s, bread, and paring—and you’ll be well set up to accomplish just about any kitchen task you set your mind to, without having a dozen extraneous slicers on your hands collecting dust.

Read on to learn more about the knife sets we recommend, including an option for those who want a slightly more extensive set option that comes with a knife block and includes a set of steak knives.