What knives do I actually need in my kitchen?

Three knives cover 90% of kitchen tasks: an 8" chef's knife (your workhorse for chopping, dicing, and mincing), a serrated bread knife (also great for tomatoes and cake layers), and a 3.5" paring knife (for peeling and detail work). Everything else santoku, utility, carving is useful but optional. Start with these three in good quality rather than buying a large set of mediocre knives.