A good chef’s knife is a central player in your kitchen lineup. Most chefs will tell you that you should have a Western blade for methodical chopping and a Japanese-style knife for more delicate prep.

Walk into any kitchen store and you'll see walls lined with specialty knives. Boning knives, fillet knives, cleavers, Santoku blades, utility knives, and on it goes. It's tempting to think you need ...