No matter how many people had questions, it could not affect the two dedicated chefs. On Yuan Zhou's side, he took care of all the chopping, washing, carving, and cooking processes. On Head Chef Qin Hua's side, he washed and chopped the vegetables before handing them over to Head Chef Qin Hua to cook.
"Young people are so energetic," Qin Hua sighed when he noticed that Yuan Zhou was doing the work of an entire team of chefs.
After saying that, Qin Hua realized that even if he was 20 years younger, he would not be able to take care of the overall situation in such a competition.
"Now that I have gotten the silver spoon this year, it is almost impossible for me to become the banker," Qin Hua sighed before lowering his head and focusing on the ingredients.
While he was busy, Head Chef Qin Hua had already started preparing the oil pan. He planned to heat the oil at a low temperature first. Yuan Zhou's speed was not slow either. Instead, if one looked carefully, he would actually be faster. That was because all the crab roe had been picked out.
Once again, Yuan Zhou's extraordinary knife skills were displayed. After a few flashes of silver light, the intact crab roe was dug out. It was so intact that it seemed to be grown on the plate, without any trace of crab meat. It was completely separated from the crab roe.
There were only two head chefs at the scene. They were either looking at Head Chef Qin Hua or Yuan Zhou. More people focused their attention on Yuan Zhou and found something different about him.
"Just stare at Head Chef Yuan. My eyes are blurred. Head Chef Yuan's speed …" A middle-aged chef rubbed his eyes.
One second, he saw Yuan Zhou washing the ingredients on the left side of the stove, and the next, he saw Yuan Zhou fiddling with the wok on the right side of the stove.
"It's because Head Chef Yuan's speed is too fast. Otherwise, why do you think Head Chef Yuan never needs a helper? With this speed, what's the point of having a helper?" The skinny chef swallowed his saliva and held back his exclamation, pretending to be calm.
The gaze of the chefs was just a piece of cake for Yuan Zhou. When he was in the restaurant, the gaze of Wu Hai alone was comparable to an X-ray. Compared with that, the gaze of Wu Hai was just like a drizzle.
When the cooking began, everyone's attention was focused on Yuan Zhou. Head Chef Qin Hua had yet to get to the main topic, as he was still processing the crab roe.
Before the cooking began, oil had to be poured into the pan to "refine" it. Therefore, the heat was the key.
After washing the pot until it was shiny, he placed it on the fire. When he saw that the heat was at the level he needed, he put in a little oil. His wrists moved nimbly, making the heat evenly distributed. When the oil covered the entire pot, he began to shake the ladle, making the whole pot smooth no matter where it was.
It was just an ordinary "Refining the Ladle" and "Shaking the Ladle", but Yuan Zhou did it in a very good way. His wrists were flexible and he played new tricks with the pot in his hands. Coupled with the blazing fire, it felt like he was performing acrobatics on the fire.
It wasn't that Yuan Zhou wanted to show off his culinary skills on purpose. There was no need to do that. It was just that when one's culinary skills reached such a high level, even the ordinary movements couldn't be learned by others.
The winter melons that had been prepared were stacked into the shape of a tree by Yuan Zhou. The thick and strong trunk, the branching branches, and the jade white color made it look like a tree carved out of jade. It was placed on the plate vividly.
The essence of this dish was that no matter how it was placed on the plate, it would still be the same shape after being placed in the wok. During the process, it had to be dipped in the sauce evenly. After that, it had to be placed on the plate in its original shape to be considered a success.
Many people did not have the skill to cook this dish. Usually, they would place it in a long shape. This was the least likely way to make mistakes. But for Yuan Zhou, it was all the same.
He only placed a tree because the color of the five leaves looked like jade. Everything else was not within his consideration.
Now that the winter melon was cooked, the next step was the most important part of the dish.
Yuan Zhou held the handle of the spoon with his left hand and easily lifted the pan above his head. When his body was at a 45-degree angle, he shook his wrist, causing the entire dish to turn over. Then, he retracted his wrist and caught the dish.
He retracted his wrist to prevent the dish from changing shape when it fell too fast. The entire set of movements was completed in an instant. It was like a fish leaping over the dragon gate or picking up the moon from the sky. It was graceful and relaxed, as if he was just frying a dish with a spatula.
Yuan Zhou did it naturally and easily. But the people watching below, including the judges, did not have it so easy.
“？？”
They were all focused on Yuan Zhou's movements. They were dumbfounded, "He must have practiced this skill for 30 to 40 years. Even if he started training in his mother's womb, he would not be able to do it in time!"
The entire set of movements was as smooth as flowing water. It was simply like a painting. It was truly amazing.
"As expected of Head Chef Yuan. His skill is undoubtedly the best in China," Bai Subo sighed.
The representatives of the top chefs all suspected that they were dreaming. While they were still standing there in a daze, the rostrum burst into an uproar.
"This … isn't it lost? How did Head Chef Yuan manage to figure it out?" Head Chef Wang felt that his eyes were not enough to witness it.
Among the five judges, Zhou Shijie was the best at tossing the ladle. Looking at Yuan Zhou's movements, he felt that he had never known where Yuan Zhou's bottom line was.
"This movement is like fishing the moon from the bottom of the sea. It doesn't seem to be the same as what was recorded in the ancient books. But it seems more practical," Zhou Shijie cried out in surprise.
"Old Zhou, can you do this movement?" Head Chef Yue stared at Yuan Zhou without blinking, afraid that he would miss the movement.
Zhou Shijie replied, "Don't say that if we're friends."
"The chefs of Shandong Cuisine are really lucky this time. Fortunately, I had someone record it." As the chairman, Head Chef Wang had a sense of responsibility.
"He's indeed amazing."
The other chefs all felt that Yuan Zhou was truly amazing.
The wonderful stirring of the ladle had come to an end, which also indicated that the dish was ready.
"The judges are ready," said Yuan Zhou.
Only then did many people, including Xiao Li, come back to their senses. Then, Xiao Li professionally called the waitress to serve the dish.
This time, the dish was not served on small plates. Instead, it was placed on a snow-white plate.
"It's so beautiful," said the waitress when she saw the plate.
On the snow-white plate, if it weren't for the obvious bulge, no one would be able to tell that there was something there. From this, one could see how good Yuan Zhou was at thickening the dish.
Before the dish was served, the five judges already had their chopsticks in their hands. What a joke. If they didn't prepare well, they would definitely eat less. They couldn't tolerate that.
While Yuan Zhou was done, Head Chef Qin Hua also entered the crucial part of the large ladle tossing.
Just like Bai Subo the day before, Qin Hua was also out of luck. Frankly speaking, Qin Hua's skill of turning the ladle was uncannily skillful. Every movement of his was full of rhythm and looked very good.
But compared to the series of pure and natural performances of Yuan Zhou just now, it paled in comparison to that of Yuan Zhou's.
…
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