We’ve said so many times that a quality chef’s knife is among the most useful implements to have in your kitchen arsenal, and we’ll keep saying it until the cows come home. It’s a true workhorse that comes in handy for nearly every meal.

The 8″ Global G-2 was the knife favored by Anthony Bourdain himself, as he wrote about way back in his breakthrough 2000 book, Kitchen Confidential:

Most of the professionals I know have for years been retiring their Wusthofs and replacing them with the lightweight, easy-to-sharpen and relatively inexpensive vanadium steel Global knives, a very good Japanese product which has-in addition to its many other fine qualities-the added attraction of looking really cool.

You don’t get a much better endorsement than that. We’d have to agree with him too — this knife is super sharp and lightweight, and perfectly balanced in exactly the way you’d want in a chef’s knife. The molded and dimpled stainless steel handle also feels great in the hand and won’t slip away from you in the middle of a task.

As it happens, the G-2 knife is currently going for $87 (down from the original $130) as of August 3rd, 2020. If you don’t need a new knife for yourself, consider gifting it to a fellow cooking enthusiast ;)