8 Inch Professional High Carbon Stainless Steel Kitchen Chef Knife With Wooden Handle 

A good chef knife is indispensable and able to work through all parts of meal prep: dice an onion, smash garlic cloves, break down a chicken, chop a winter squash. You can also use a chef knife to carve or slice cooked proteins like chicken, pork chops, and steak if you don't have a carving knife.