[elwoodblues]

Cutco knives are fantastic (though pricey.) I have a full-set of their knives, but in the alternative you would be very well served if you don't want to pay for a full set to just buy a few of them and work your way up over the years to a full set (cutco.com). I was actually just looking this morning on ebay and you can find some of their knives there as well. One thing that is great about cutco is they are lifetime guaranteed. If they break FOR ANY REASON they will replace the knife at no cost. Also, they sharpen the knives for a very reasonable price --- some of their knives look like serrated knives (though they aren't) that need to be factory sharpened every few years. My mother has a set of the same knives and broke the tip of one of the knives cutting through some frozen chicken. After 20 years, no questions asked they replaced it. I can't recommend them highly enough.

If you are going to buy just a few, the trimmer and chef's knife are essentials.

For cookware I have the Revere PRO line. They're pretty nice, though I wouldn't say I can fully recommend them (like I do with the Cutco knives.)