Yuan Zhou agreed readily. The solemn expression on Hang Tian's face disappeared and a smile appeared on his face.
"I knew Head Chef Yuan is a straightforward person," Hang Tian said as he took off a cowhide bag.
Hang Tian's movements were very gentle. When he placed the bag on the stone table, this seemingly heavy bag did not even make a sound.
The cowhide bag was brownish-black in color. The surface of the bag looked soft and smooth. Obviously, it was often touched by people.
The shoulder strap was also somewhat worn. Presumably, it was often carried around by people.
"Here, this is what I use to eat," Hang Tian said after touching the cowhide bag without opening it.
"Please wait a moment. I'll go get the knife," Yuan Zhou nodded solemnly.
"Okay, go ahead," Hang Tian nodded.
Several minutes later, Yuan Zhou returned with two knives. One of them was an extremely sharp Miracle Kitchen Knife, a product of the system. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was a sharp weapon that could cut through a strand of hair.
The other knife was a kitchen knife that Yuan Zhou used almost as many times as the Miracle Kitchen Knife. This knife was provided by the system at the very beginning and was the one that Yuan Zhou used when he first learned how to sharpen knives.
The handles of both knives were made of wood. The grain on the surface was clear and glossy. It was a knife that was often used.
Along with Yuan Zhou, two chopping boards and a bamboo basket were brought over.
Peng! The chopping boards were placed on the stone table by Yuan Zhou. One of them was pushed to Hang Tian's right hand side. The other was placed in the middle of the table. Inside the basket were some fresh vegetables, fruits, a piece of tofu, and two bowls filled with water.
Yuan Zhou placed the basket very gently and skillfully. The water in the basket did not even ripple, let alone spill out.
From this, one could see how steady Yuan Zhou's hands were.
"Head Chef Yuan's hands are very steady," Hang Tian noticed with a glance.
"That's right," Yuan Zhou said.
"Yes. Steady hands are indeed what a chef should do." Hang Tian nodded his head approvingly.
"This is my knife. This one is called Miracle Kitchen Knife. It's sharp but doesn't have any smell. This one doesn't have a name, but it's the knife I've been using since I opened the restaurant." Yuan Zhou pointed at the two kitchen knives and introduced them one by one.
Yuan Zhou didn't say that they were his companions or anything, but from his solemn expression, one could tell how much they meant to him.
"Then let me talk about my knife." Hang Tian opened the leather bag and revealed the knife inside.
The leather bag was stacked in many layers, and when the layers were opened, a kitchen knife could be seen. The knife looked ordinary, but from the wear on the handle, it could be seen that this knife had been used for many years.
The edge of the knife was wider than an ordinary knife, but the back of the knife was a third narrower than an ordinary kitchen knife. It must be the result of constant polishing.
On the side of the kitchen knife, there were some pockets of different sizes that were suitable for inserting the knife, but now they were empty.
"This knife has been with me since the first Huaiyang Cuisine Culture Festival was held ten years ago. It has been ten years," Hang Tian said.
"You have taken good care of it," Yuan Zhou said.
"Indeed. There's nothing special about this knife. If I didn't take good care of it, I wouldn't have kept it until now," Hang Tian nodded his head.
"Then I'll use this knife today," Yuan Zhou pointed at the nameless knife and said.
"No need. Let me have a look at this knife. It's a good knife," Hang Tian quickly shook his head and refused.
As a chef, a chef with great knife skills, he could naturally recognize the Miracle Kitchen Knife. Be it the quality of the polishing, the material of the blade, or the material of the wooden handle, they were all top-notch. Naturally, the ingredients cut with such a knife would also be top-notch.
Coupled with the knife skills displayed by Yuan Zhou in the video, Hang Tian really wanted to have a look at it.
"Okay. I'll use this knife last," Yuan Zhou nodded his head.
"That's good," Hang Tian said.
"Although the current state banquets mainly focus on our Huaiyang Cuisine, it's only because of the exquisiteness and delicacy of our Huaiyang Cuisine. The ingredients are simple and easy to obtain. However, our Huaiyang Cuisine is also faced with the problem of time-consuming and demanding knife skills. The taste tends to be bland or sweet. It's not as good as your Sichuan Cuisine, which is easy to get started and popular with the public," Hang Tian picked up the kitchen knife and said while wiping it.
"Every cuisine has its own advantages, but the knife skills are the foundation," Yuan Zhou said indifferently.
"Yes. But how many people can settle down and do odd jobs for three years before learning to cook?" Hang Tian said.
"There will always be." Yuan Zhou thought of the customer who went to learn magic.
Ever since Yuan Zhou introduced him to the restaurant, that customer came to the restaurant less often. But every time he came, Yuan Zhou could see the changes in him.
Whether it was the increasingly peaceful and indifferent temperament or the bare-handed magic tricks that popped out from time to time, they all showed his efforts and seriousness.
"Alright. Let's not talk about that. Let's exchange our knife skills," Hang Tian pointed at the vegetables and fruits in the bamboo basket and said.
"Ok." Yuan Zhou nodded his head.
"Head Chef Yuan, you are so considerate. This is the Baoying Lotus Root, right? The quality is very good, almost the same as the lotus root used in the state banquet. It's a good ingredient," Hang Tian saw the white lotus root at first glance and couldn't help exclaiming in surprise when he looked at it carefully.
In Hang Tian's heart, he was both surprised that Yuan Zhou could take out such top-notch ingredients and also sighed with emotion at Yuan Zhou's attentiveness.
The vegetables in the bamboo basket were all from the region of Yangzhou. The Baoying Lotus Root, the local Ostrich mushroom, and the two familiar tofu were all ingredients that Hang Tian was familiar with.
"Um. It's indeed from the pond where the lotus root was used in the state banquet," Yuan Zhou didn't avoid the topic and said frankly.
"Head Chef Yuan, you are really skillful," Hang Tian praised.
"No. It's just that the supplier is good," Yuan Zhou shook his head and said.
"It's not something that ordinary people can buy," said Hang Tian. At the same time, he looked forward to Yuan Zhou's culinary skills even more.
"Why don't we start with this lotus root? This is a crispy lotus root. It's best to eat it raw and cold. Although it's not its best season, the texture is almost the same. You can give it a try," Yuan Zhou said as he pointed at the lotus root.
"Ok." Hang Tian nodded his head.
"You choose first," Yuan Zhou gestured with his hand.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony," Hang Tian directly chose a beautiful and crispy lotus root with seven holes.
"Please," said Yuan Zhou.
When he held it in his hand, he found that the lotus root had a fine white color and a strong fragrance. Obviously, it was the Beauty Red of the Baoying Lotus Root. The lotus root was sweet and crisp, tasting like a pear.
It was fine to eat the lotus root raw, but slicing it would be troublesome. It was too crispy and there were holes in the middle. When slicing it, it would easily break from the holes.
It would be fine if it was thick, but if it was thin, it would be a real test of one's knife skills.
"Let's not compare speed this time. I'm too old to be compared to Head Chef Yuan. Why don't we try to see how thin the lotus root can be cut?" Hang Tian suggested.
"Ok," agreed Yuan Zhou.
"Let's start," said Hang Tian.
This time, Yuan Zhou just nodded his head without saying anything. He put on his mask and started cutting.
…
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