Copyright and trademark law are complicated. They’re also fairly recent inventions. In fact, we had knives long before we had the idea to police the uniqueness of brand names. In Theirs, France, there were two families who made those knives. Both of these families were called Sabatier.

If I was to describe the perfect knife, I would mention a few specific qualities. It would probably be made from VG-10 or high-carbon steel, it would have a classic wooden handle, and it would have a mild Damascus pattern that made it unique, special and not too gaudy. These three features would all make the knife very expensive: not only would the steel itself be expensive, but the intricate Damascus patterns would add to both the material and labor costs. On top of that, the carefully crafted wooden handle would be quite pricey on its own.

You’re probably tired of hearing about the “world” of difference that a nice chef’s knife makes. People on the internet will try to sell you the idea that cooking isn’t the same without a $300 Damascus Shun. If you don’t have an expensive knife that cuts through overripe tomatoes like soft butter, they’ll say, you’re not getting the most out of your kitchen.

A sharp knife is the cook’s best friend. There’s a world of difference between a dull, old knife that’s been sitting in a drawer and a sharp high-carbon blade that’s been properly cared for. While you can get by pretty okay in a home kitchen with a dull knife, you would NEVER choose to do so if you knew what you were missing.

Knives can be pretty expensive. Depending on how much you cook, it can be pretty tough to justify spending hundreds of dollars on a fancy knife set. If you want to cook, however, you’ll need at least a few decent knives that you can use in food prep. So what should you do?

Nothing will improve your kitchen more than a high-quality chef’s knife. While other tools might help with specialized tasks, a chef’s knife will see use in virtually every dish you make. You’ll chop vegetables, slice meats, shred herbs, and more. When your knives are sharp and comfortable to use, you’ll speed through food prep and get a lot more enjoyment out of the time you spend in the kitchen.

I’m a big advocate of owning at least one traditional chef’s knife. For many of my friends, this starts out being a perfectly okay thing that they really enjoy. The problem arises when it’s time for them to sharpen their knife. For some reason, the same people that get their tires rotated religiously have a hard time taking their expensive knife to the mall for a cheap sharpening service once a year. This totally kills the advantage of owning an expensive chef’s knife. The purpose of a nice knife is that it’s easy to sharpen and that it stays sharp for longer. If you never sharpen it, however, it’s like a race car without fuel: useless.

Expensive chef’s knives are fantastic kitchen tools. Your fancy Wusthof or Shun will make quick work of almost all food prep, from chopping vegetables to filleting meat to precisely slicing herbs. When it comes to cutting bones, however, you want to keep your expensive knives in your knife block.