An update to my recommendation here: While I still love this knife set, I’ve watched it routinely fall out of stock. It’s also considerably pricier than when this piece was first published. While I use these knives almost every day and enthusiastically recommend them to anyone who can find them, I’m just not sure they represent a huge value the way they used to. For other three-piece bundle options, check out our roundup of the best knife sets . When I was 16, I worked as a prep cook at a local banquet hall. On rare occasions, the chef would take out his personal knife roll and let us slice crudités with something other than the dingy, plastic-handled, dull kitchen knives that we were normally stuck with. I can still remember the distinct heft of the 8-inch chef’s knife as I slid it out of the cover, with the chef remarking, “Wüsthof makes the best knives.” Good enough for me.…