I cannot possibly say enough good things about the Shun Classic knives. They cut like a dream, have a fantastic handle grip, and are beautiful to look at. They aren't cheap, but you'll have them for at least a couple decades. They have an extensive line, but the only ones that are must haves are a Chef's knife, a paring knife, and a bread knife. I prefer an 8 inch Chef's over a 10 inch.

Unlike other knife manufacturers, Shun's bread knife has a scalloped edge rather than a serrated one. I think this helps the knife keep it's edge longer, and it also let's the bread knife double as a meat carver a little better. The meat slices will be less ragged.

The above knives are included in this set along with an excellent honing steel and Kershaw Taskmaster Kitchen Shears. This is what I actually purchased, though not through Amazon. I adore both the honing steel and the shears. You can live a very happy and productive knife life with this set alone.

I would never buy another boning knife. For the chicken and limited beef I do, this is perfect and plenty-flexible. Unfortunately, more expensive boning knives are often too stiff to be effective. (Stiffness is a better trait for professional butchery, though.)

If I need to slice a turkey or a roast, I just use an electric knife. It's much easier than using a traditional slicing knife. I've been known to use my salmon knife when slicing small hams, though, and my utility knife to slice chicken.