knives

Bare minimum, with which you can do just about everything:

a 10" French knife (or 8" if you are very small)
a paring knife
a flexible boning knife
a steel (to keep them sharp)

I won't dare say that any brand is "the best" -- it all depends on what is most comfortable to you. I like Messermeister St. Moritz, but I also have some Global, Wusthof, Henckels, Furi. When I first saw KitchenAid, I liked them, but haven't really tried them. It's a very personal decision -- what fits your hand, what gives you the least fatigue, rocks the best for chopping, etc. I daresay everyone you ask will have a different preference. The nice thing is, there is no one right answer. You might even just try a cheapie, as long as it will hold an edge, because you can always get better knives when you have money.

As for luggage, as long as you protect the edges, you could even just wrap them in a towel! "The best" is what does what you need done, for the least money.

BTW, hasn't your school told you what you must have??

I agree with Suzanne. What matters most is that the knives feel good on your hand. It should feel like you are making no effort to hold the knife. I also like here suggestion that most expensive isn't always best. I am only a weekend warrior, but when I first decided to buy good knives I wanted a decent selection rather than one good one. I found a brand called Forschner. It's made by Victorinox, the Swiss Army knife people. They are stamped rather than forged, but they are and stay very sharp. I've had them for 2 years and still love them. For the price of a 10" Wusthof chefs knife I got: 10" chefs, 6" chef, 6" boning, 6" fillet, 10 " bread and a steel. I am now buying single pieces of Wustof to "enhance" my cuttlery.

You need to really know how to look after your knives if you're going to get expensive ones. Retail price on a 10" Wusthof Trident is around $110. That's no small chunk of change. I started with Wusthof Classics for my "nice" ones and Forschners as my "beater" knives. Now I wish I had some Messermeisters (the ones without that chunky heel) because they're easier to put on a stone.

It's important that they feel right in your hands. I found that the Wusthof Classics have a little less torque than the ones with the moulded plastic handles. I like the look of the classics a lot better though.

If you're going to cooking school, there are probably going to be people there with all kinds of knives. You can try them out in a real situation there. My suggestion is to go with a traditional 10" Forschner stamped as your workhorse celery chopping meat hacking knife and gradually build from there.

Kuan

Wusthof Trident knives are guaranteed for life. Tough luck if you bust your global. You need a good strong knife with a strong bolster for cracking chicken bones.

Kuan

I would recommend contacting any school that you are thinking of attending before you purchase knives for school. Both CIA and J&W provide knife kits to their students last I heard.

J&W will provide you with knives, F. Dick brand, and they will not let you use yours in labs, so, plan your purchases with that in mind. I used to bring nice old palette knives into cake decorating because I like old tools, and I got a comment from the instructor. I made sure he saw me using school-issue stuff during the practical exam.

Knives

Michael - Depending on which school you chose, knives may be included in your tuition. My son is going to WCI in Portland and he got a full set of quality knive including a cordura case. They were paid for from his tuition. The school actually suggests that you don't bring your own knives. If you can, wait a while to see what you might need later.

Knives n such

Well, everyone here seems to give some pretty good advice, and I know very little, but the best knives (from what I've heard and seen) are the new messermeister elite. They are sharpened to 15% instead of 20 (thats the same edge as global) they have a lifetime warranty, and as kuan said...they dont have a chunky annoying bolster getting in the way of your sharpening, and chopping. PLus they are not too expensive (at least not at www.knifemerchant.com ) also, about 9 months ago I thought I should invest in a steel to keep my el cheapo deluxo knife sharp. I bought a diamond impregnated steel from henckels, a great tool, but you must be careful. I am glad I only have a 25$ knife, because the diamond actually cuts the blade to make a new edge with every stroke, and I scratched my blade to kingdome come. They are a great product, but take your time...its not the same as an ordinary steel(they just re-align the edge). Frederic dick makes the worlds best steels, and messermiester makes the worlds best (as far as all I have seen) knife cases, they have backpack polyhide, or cordura cases. and they aslso make a great product called edge guard. it is a plastic (nylon) sheath for your knife, I have one and it is great, they come in all sizes for all sorts of applications, but The best advice I have seen for you is to just hold your knife before you buy, and wait to see if you will recieve some at school, it'd be a drag if you couldn't use your awesome new chef's knife because of school policy, the best of luck!!

Don't worry -- just enjoy the ones you've got, and take good care of them. Then when you're working (externship or after finishing your course) you'll be able to use them. As long as you treat them well, they'll be there for you!

Best of luck with your schooling.