 | Victorinox 8-Inch Chef's Knife, Black Fibrox Handle
Buy new: $29.99 / Used from: $24.44 Consistently rated the best by multiple groups, and quite cheap to boot. Consider the 10" as well, especially if you have bigger hands; it will be a little unwieldy at first, but in the end you'll be able to do more with it.
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 | Victorinox 10-1/4-Inch Wavy Bread Knife, Black Fibrox Handle
Buy new: $27.20 Don't buy a tiny bread knife.
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 | R.H. Forschner Victorinox 8-Piece Knife Block Set
Buy new: $144.77 Or you can just get this, and get a block, too. The bread knife is slightly shorter and I can't vouch for the kitchen shears, but it's a really good deal.
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 | Lodge Logic 12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet
Buy new: $18.97 I vaccilated between the 10.25" skillet and this 12" skillet, but I recently made fajitas that wouldn't have been possible in the 10.25" skillet, so I'm upgrading this. If you need to hold a flank steak or a couple large T-bones/Ribeyes comfortably, you'll need the 12".
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 | All-Clad Master Chef 2 12-Inch Fry Pan
Buy new: $86.25 Very few pans are really needed; the 12-inch non-nonstick skillet is one of them. It's a lifetime investment, but worth it.
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 | Cuisinart Chef's Classic Nonstick Hard-Anodized 12-Inch Skillet with Helper Handle
Buy new: $31.00 You'll need one large nonstick skillet, if only for stir-fry. But don't buy All-Clad for this; when the teflon wears out (and it will), it shouldn't break the bank to replace it.
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 | Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless-Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set
Buy new: $114.95 If you need more pans (chances are that you will), these are great pans for a reasonable price. If you want to splurge and get some All-Clad or Le Creuset, feel free. You'll rarely use the 8" or 10" skillets in this set, they're just too small for most tasks.
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 | Chicago Metallic Professional 3-Piece Nonstick Jelly-Roll Pan Set
Buy new: $34.99 / Used from: $19.99 These are unbelievably heavy-duty and work quite well. They stain easily from oil, but it doesn't seem to modify the flavor of the foods cooked on them. Surprisingly, all three sizes get used fairly often in our little family.
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 | Pyrex Bakeware 9-by-13-Inch Rectangular Baking Dish, Clear with Blue Lid
Get the plastic lid, it means less use of plastic wrap.
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 | Oxo Good Grips 12-Inch Stainless-Steel Locking Tongs
Buy new: $10.25 / Used from: $5.59 They're an extension of your hands. There's nothing these babies can't touch, except Teflon. Use the nylon headed ones for that.
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 | Oxo Good Grips 12-Inch Locking Tongs with Nylon Heads
Buy new: $12.09 These are kitchen essentials, if you ever cook on Teflon.
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 | Pinzon 8-piece Stainless-steel Tool Set with Canister Holder
A good basic set of tools. No real need to buy it all together, of course, but at least make sure you have everything here.
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 | Microplane Grater/Zester
Buy new: $11.95 / Used from: $10.99 Nothing grates cheese better. Just remember to increase the measurement by 50% if it's by volume; microplanes make fluffier shavings.
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 | Oxo Good Grips i-Series Swivel Peeler
Buy new: $13.99 The best peeler, as rated by Cooks Illustrated magazine and experienced by me.
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 | Zyliss Ice Cream Scoop
Buy new: $8.99 The best I've used. And yes, I'm an expert.
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 | KitchenAid KFPW760WH 700-Watt 12-Cup Food Processor, White
Buy new: $179.19 The best food processor available for non-restaurants.
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 | KitchenAid KSB560WH 5-Speed Blender with Polycarbonate Jar, White
Buy new: $93.59 This blender rocks for mixed drinks; if you don't make those, get the immersion blender instead.
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 | KitchenAid KHB300WH Hand Blender, White
Buy new: $81.04 More flexible than a standard blender, if you're not making smoothies or mixed drinks. Milkshakes are great because you can make them in the cup and not dirty a huge blender jar :) And, of course, you can use it for soups to thicken them a bit.
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 | KitchenAid KHM9PWH 9-Speed Professional Hand Mixer, White
Buy new: $59.07 I own the 5-speed, Cook's Illustrated approves the 7-speed, but this has even two more speeds! I pretty much own these for cookie dough ;)
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