Speaking of essential baking tools, another useful thing to have around at the end of the baking process is a good bread knife. After all, even a quality chef's knife isn't quite the right tool for this job — you need something serrated to cut through that beautiful bread crust without smushing the loaf down.

The “Millennia” bread knife by Mercer Culinary is an excellent choice for bakers old and new. Don't let the fact that it has “wavy” serration fool you; this is one SHARP knife, and it should be handled carefully.

You can let a homemade loaf of bread sit out for a couple days before slicing into it and this thing will still handle the cutting job with aplomb. Thick slices, thin ones...it doesn't matter. The wide blade and 10-inch length are also helpful for tackling larger loaves without issue.

As of this writing (December 23rd, 2020) the knife happens to still be the top choice of America's Test Kitchen, which should be plenty enough endorsement for anyone.

It's kind of hard to believe this knife is only $23 on Amazon. Don't forget to get a sheath for it!