The Best Starter Knife Set: Henckels 5-Star

I've written enough about Martha Stewart's 20 Essential Kitchen Tools to start appearing in Google searches related to the list. And that resulted in a knife question from  a reader this week.  My recommendation: Henckels Five Star.  Although some knife snobs scoff at the polypropylene handles, their contour feels perfectly balanced and comfortable in my hands,  and their rivet-less design means they can go in the dishwasher on those occasions when I'm racing to get dinner on the table and the kitchen cleaned up. Buy the set from Amazon.com for $169.99. And whatever knives you use, learn to use a sharpening steel to keep them sharp.