Stupid Home Cook Question....

What is a "line knife"?

To my eyes, they look like a Gyuto and a Suji had a kid.

Somebody educate me!

Good eye.

your question makes me laugh. why? not because it is a stupid question, but being a home cook myself i had the same question in my head recently (mainly because of HHH's line knife). don't know if it is an accurate answer, but read this:

"A line cook is a cook who supervises a specific area of the kitchen, rather than the kitchen as a whole. He or she reports to the head cook, who is in charge of overall quality control within the kitchen. The duties of this cook vary, depending on the type of restaurant he or she is employed at. Levels of training are also variable, since different jobs demand different things from their line cooks.

Chef de partie is an alternate name for a line cook, as is “station cook.” He or she oversees a small part of the greater whole. Some common stations manned by line cooks include grill, saute, fry, and cold foods. This cook may also specialize in pastry, butchering, or vegetables. Everything that comes out of that area of the kitchen is the responsibility of the line cook, and the job can come with extremely high pressure, especially in a busy kitchen.

In many kitchens, the line cook works alone in his or her section. In others, he or she oversees a small staff, which requires management and people skills. The cook must also coordinate with the rest of the kitchen, to ensure that food comes out simultaneously and in a timely fashion. During the height of service, this may mean that the person works on multiple orders at once, often fulfilling complex requests.

In addition to cooking, a line cook also stocks his or her station at the beginning and end of each shift. In some cases, he or she may also place product orders, especially if he or she develops recipes. Each cook is responsible for ensuring that his or her station is properly equipped with tools and food before the start of the shift. He or she must also produce food of a consistent high quality, and the cook will have to answer to the head chef if there are any problems with food preparation.

It is not uncommon for a line cook to receive a trial by fire when he or she starts working. In order for a restaurant to run smoothly, all of the staff must work together, from bus boys to the head chef. A line cook may be put on the line in the middle of service, to see how she or he performs when the level of activity in the kitchen is high. If a trial cook cannot pull his weight with the rest of the kitchen, the position is not offered on a permanent basis."

I guess persons can have different concepts. Mine is working front line where a lot of the food is prepared in a limited space, placed under hot lamps for pickup from the waiters. Ovens, burners, deep fryer, Wok. Usually a narrow cutting board for last minute slicing for plate ups. Because of limited space smaller blades work well.

The line knife is a very recent novelty that used to be typified by a long petty/short suji. A true line knife would be completely customized to your specific needs according to the station one is working. But I can see how these amalgamations could be useful on a lot of lines. My 'line knives' in the past have varied between a 150 petty, and a 270 Yani.

my 'line knife' is a 240 gyuto, i find knives with no knuckle clearance are pretty useless for multitasking.

I am a homecook but knuckle clearance is very important to me too!

I was thinking the same thing. I have small hands, so I don't have to pay close attention to knuckle clearance like some. Still, the "line knife" concept does perplex me a bit.

Leaves me wondering what it can do that a good "laser" can't.

Bigdaddyb said:

Leaves me wondering what it can do that a good "laser" can't.

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Em… my understanding is "laser" term describes geometry (basically just meaning the knife is thin). And "line knife" is about profile, not geometry.

Right. I was assuming that the line knife profile was looking got get the best from gyuto and suji. I may be missing the point. It would seem that the thinness would yield a single knife that work as a chef's and a slicer with the same proficiency as a "line knife".

Just a home cook "thinking out loud" and trying to learn a bit in the process.

panda said:

my 'line knife' is a 240 gyuto, i find knives with no knuckle clearance are pretty useless for multitasking.

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If you grip up on a petty like you would a gyuto, yeah, I can see your point.

Any complaints about knuckle clearance are easily fixed with technique. Looser grip, finger on the spine and the food closer towards you on the board.

I find I can use a 210mm petty for everything except slicing large heads of cabbage, watermelon etc. It's fun to use because it's light, nimble and extremely thin. Different technique and a fun change of pace from using a gyuto.

It also depends on the kitchen you're in.

agreed JDA, my line knife is a 210 petty, I love it, small enough for working in the hand, and long enough to slice. But I will also agree that it depends on the station and what tasks you are trying to do on the regular.

I think the greater purpose of a 210 petty is to have a slightly longer compact knife for making quick draw cuts. I do believe with increased blade height comes a happy medium between quick draw cutting and chopping speed. However with a thinner narrow blade you can make fast draw cuts unlike a taller blade.

So in theory you should seek out a compact gyuto with reduced blade height something in the under 50mm.

Well the term line knife could be used pretty broadly. Put simply it is a knife you use "on the line" or during service times( when your actually cooking for customers ).

A typical day is split up into prep time service, cleaning . During prep time you may need a multitude of knives for various tasks. However during service your section is set up in a way that space can be pretty tight so a smaller knife can be important for some.
A line knife has to cope with any tasks you encounter during service. Some examples of line knife duties are chiffonade herbs, carving meat, thin sliced garlic etc

For me personally I want thinness for carving but enough knuckle clearance to chiffonade. That's about all I use one for but every station is different!

What the above says to me as a home cook is that a line knife is used for varied tasks in a tight space. Which sound like a good thing to me.

Yes rami, a home cook must have one. Now buy.
But seriously, as a home cook, I'm finding my kato 220 suji very useful. Not needed, but hey, I think we are all past that....

jimbob said:

Yes rami, a home cook must have one. Now buy.
But seriously, as a home cook, I'm finding my kato 220 suji very useful. Not needed, but hey, I think we are all past that....

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Sorry Jimbob already got a harner line knife.