Dare to cook

Chapter 239 Three kinds of steak

Yao Yu and the others did not wait too long.

About 10 minutes later, a group of people walked into the cooking classroom.

There were eight or nine people in this group.But only five people sat down in the judging position.

Among these five people, Yao Yu only knew two of them——Guan Shanyuan and Shu Wangjing, who was third on the Qilin list.

Among the remaining three people, one was a thin middle-aged woman in a suit.

She combed her hair in a meticulous bun and wore thin white-rimmed glasses. From the inside out, she exuded a serious and rigid meaning, just like... the dean of the school.

The fourth judge was a big white man with a shiny bald head and glasses. He looked very sunny and showed big white teeth when he grinned. He should be under forty.

The last judge, who is also the youngest, seems to be in his early thirties.

She is a European and American woman with a hot figure, blue eyes, three-dimensional facial features, and blond hair hanging down her shoulders.At first glance, it looks a lot like the villain Cypher in Furious 8.

It is not new for the national kitchen team to hire foreign teachers.

Up to now, more than 70.00% of the major culinary competitions in the world are held in Europe and America all the year round.

If the national chef team wants to win in those competitions, it must understand the eating habits of Europe and the United States, and then make dishes that meet the tastes of Western judges.

For this reason, the Culinary Association has hired some powerful foreign famous chefs to give lessons to the National Culinary Team since eight years ago.

If Yao Yu's guess is correct, the white bald and blonde girl in front of him should be the foreign coach of their second green kitchen team.

Guan Shanyuan is obviously not a boss who likes to talk.

After he sat down, he cut to the chase:
"Thank you for coming here. Today, our Culinary Association will select seven regular members and two alternate members to form this year's Green Culinary National Team."

"That is to say, among your 21 excellent chefs, more than half will be eliminated!"

"Next, announce the exam questions for this competition."

After Guan Shanyuan finished speaking, Yuan Peng stepped forward and inserted a USB flash drive into the projector prepared on site.

The projector projected the specific rules of this competition.

The rules are simple.

Two hours, three courses, three designated steaks
The order of cooking these three steaks is filet steak, sirloin steak, and T-bone steak.

Be it filet steak or sirloin steak, just like fried rice and buns in Chinese food, it is a general term for a class of dishes, not the name of a specific dish.

When Yao Yu saw the test questions, he immediately understood the intentions of the examiners.

Steak has an irreplaceable position in the Western food system.

Different types of steaks have very different ingredients, methods, and matching dipping sauces, side dishes, and drinks.

A chef who can't even cook steaks is not qualified to be on the international stage.

Guan Shanyuan's exam questions may seem simple, but they are actually a test to select the group of people who know the most about Western food.

After Yuan Peng announced the competition questions, a staff member pushed in two large carts of ingredients.

Yao Yu glanced casually with 【Clearness of the Autumn Hair】, and found that there were as many as forty or fifty kinds of beef contained in those food trolleys.

And the vast majority of beef looks the same.

Only those who are proficient in Western food and cooking all kinds of steaks can distinguish the differences of those beefs from the subtleties.

After the ingredients were pushed out, Guan Shanyuan said:

"You can use the ingredients here as you like."

"However, I want to remind you that although you have two hours, in fact, you have to prepare a dish every four or ten minutes and serve it to the jury. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Wu Zhongliu and others replied.

At this time, Yuan Peng came to Yao Yu and Lu Chenyu in a low-key manner and said: "You don't need to participate in the competition, you should follow me upstairs to watch the battle."

Inside the cooking classroom, there are two floors on both sides of the wall.

Yao Yu and Lu Chenyu went up to the second floor to watch the battle, and the 19 people who stayed below also began to choose kitchen utensils and ingredients.

As a pure spectator, Yuan Peng's expression was very relaxed.

He asked: "Do you think this kind of topic is difficult for them?"

Yao Yu smiled and said:

"The strong are even stronger. For them, the difficulty is not the problem, but how to beat other competitors."

……

Different countries have different grading standards for beef.

For example, in Australia, Australia is now accustomed to dividing beef into twelve grades.From M1 to M12, the M12 grade of beef is of the highest quality.

In Reben, people used to classify beef into fifteen grades.

分别是A1-A5、B1-B5、C1-C5。

Among them, the quality of A5 Wagyu is the best, and that of C1 is the worst.

In Reben, C1 beef is basically not on the table, but can only be used for canning.

But no matter which system is used to divide beef, there is one thing in common.

That is:
The higher the grade of beef, the clearer the snowflake texture of the cross-section, the higher the quality, and the more tender the meat.

As a chef, especially as a western chef, you must understand the grades of beef in various countries and the characteristics of beef of different grades.

Only in this way can they choose the right ingredients when cooking steaks to make the best steaks.

In the cooking classroom, the [-] chefs who were tested quickly selected the beef and were ready to start cooking.

Yao Yu standing on the second floor looked down.

After noticing the beef in Lin Haiquan's hand, he frowned slightly.

"What's wrong?" Lu Chenyu noticed the change in Yao Yu's expression.

Yao Yu said:

"Did Lin Haiquan commit a crime by planning to use M12 to make filet mignon?"

"M12 and A5 Wagyu are both the best beef. Shouldn't the best be used for steak?" Yuan Peng asked puzzled.

Yao Yu shook his head and said:

"Of course not."

"Although M12 and A5 Wagyu are the best beef, they are only suitable for thin slices and grilling because they are too high in fat."

"If this kind of beef is used to make steak, the first bite will certainly make people feel delicious, but the second and third bites will be particularly greasy, and even the diners will lose their appetite completely."

Yuan Peng is not a chef, so he knows little about these things.

He immediately asked with interest:

"So, what kind of beef should be used to make filet mignon?"

Yao Yu glanced at the chefs below and said
"When you make a filet mignon, you usually choose sirloin."

"To get the best taste of this steak, you have to cook it with M8-M10 grade beef from Australian Wagyu, or A3 Wagyu from Japan."

"If you can't buy wagyu beef in Europe and America, you can also use American standard Select (top-grade) beef for cooking."

"The fat content of this kind of beef is between 25% and 35%. If you choose this kind of beef and fry the steak to medium-ripe according to the normal process, the taste will definitely not be bad."

After Yao Yu finished speaking, Yuan Peng was convinced:

"It turns out that the choice of ingredients is so particular. Isn't it dangerous for Lin Haiquan to choose the wrong beef?"

Yao Yu nodded and said:

"Unless the mistakes made by other people are stupider than Lin Haiquan, otherwise...he will basically not be able to enter the national team this time."

……

There are many ways to make filet mignon.

Simple and simple to say, complex and complicated to think about.

Generally speaking, when making filet mignon, there are only three options for the heat: three-ripe, five-ripe, and seven-ripe.

In fact, in Europe and the United States, few people would order seven-ripe filet mignon.

Because the filet steak is fresh and tender, and the taste of seven mature is already very old.

Only in the Huaxia region, Chinese people who are accustomed to eating fully cooked food cannot accept it. Those cooks who come to China to open western restaurants put out a seven-ripe filet steak on the basis of five-ripe.

Most of the dishes prepared by the national kitchen team in the competition must conform to the eating habits of Europe and the United States.

As long as the chefs present are not smart, they will definitely not make seven-ripe filet.

The sound of "zilazila" frying steak kept ringing.

As time went by, Wu Zhongliu and the others began to fry the steak one after another, and the cooking classroom was filled with an attractive burnt aroma.

While these chefs were concentrating on the cooking, Yao Yu who was watching the battle on the second floor also activated the [Cave Like Candlelight], carefully observing everyone's techniques.

After observing and comparing, Yao Yu found that Ji Xun made the best steak among them.

Ji Xun is the only chef on the jade food list who runs a western restaurant all the year round.

He has a deep understanding of Western food.There are only three steak dishes in the area, which is not difficult for him at all.

Compared with Ji Xun, others have more or less flaws and deficiencies in the process of cooking steak.

"Sure enough, there is a specialization in art. If it comes to cooking western food, people like Wu Zhongliu and Ling Zhaochi are no match for Ji Xun." Yao Yu suddenly sighed softly.

Lu Chenyu also nodded:

"Ji Xun's western culinary skills are really good. If he can participate in the Alphabet Championship and the World Youth Championship, his performance will definitely be very good."

While the two were talking, Ji Xun had already cooked five very standard and perfect filet mignon.

But at this time, he couldn't rush to put the steak on the judging table.

Because, he had to choose a table wine for the steak.

A complete steak should be composed of steak, side dishes and dipping sauce.

However, in the Michelin culinary system, in order to test the chef, the judges will also ask the chef to recommend the corresponding table wine after the steak is ready.

If the table wine recommended by the chef does not match the steak, points will also be deducted.

Today, Guan Shanyuan put out a test to test these people, and he also planned to judge them according to Michelin's standards.

Therefore, Ji Xun and the others not only had to know how to cook steak, but also had to know how to choose table wine.

On the right side of the cooking classroom, there are two wine cabinets filled with various foreign wines.

When Ji Xun was marinating the steak, he had already selected his favorite table wine from the wine cabinet, and then poured it into the decanter while chilling it while sobering up.

As we all know, when people eat steak, they always have a glass of red wine.

However, what kind of steak should be paired with which kind of red wine is not something ordinary people can know.

Yao Yu is also not very clear about the doorway here.

Although he has research on red wine, it is only at the level of "amateur [-]-dan", which is far behind professional winemakers and wine tasters.

Seeing that Ji Xun had already paired the red wine and brought the steak to the jury, Yao Yu said to Lu Chenyu, "You have studied in France for so many years, do you know which red wine is best for filet mignon?"

Lu Chenyu raised his chin slightly and said:

"It's the one Ji Xun chose."

"A 'Cabernet Sauvignon' dry red wine from the Bordeaux region."

"The alcohol content of this red wine is 12.5%. It is basically brewed by traditional techniques. It is a fruit wine with a strong fragrance and high alcohol content, but it is not sandy. It is most suitable for drinking with cheese, barbecue and steak."

As soon as Lu Chenyu finished speaking, Ji Xun's steak and red wine also arrived at the table of the five judges.

At this time, Yao Yu discovered an interesting phenomenon.

After Ji Xun's steak came to the table, Guan Shanyuan, Shu Wangjing, and the middle-aged woman with a rigid expression immediately picked up the knife and fork to cut the steak.

However, the elegant European and American bald man, and the blond woman who looks very similar to Cypher, held up the wine glass and shook it slightly, as if they were looking at the fineness of the red wine, and they seemed to be checking, wanting to confirm the season. Is the glass of red wine that Xun brought up suitable for a meal?

The bald-headed man and the blond woman looked at the red wine with soft eyes, as if... they were looking at their lover.

After a brief appraisal, the two nodded slightly, drank a sip of red wine, and then picked up the knife and fork slowly and began to cut the steak.

From this detail, Yao Yu also saw some differences in eastern and western food culture.

Even though they were all judges and they were all going to comment on western food, the three of Guan Shanyuan focused on the steak, while the two foreign judges paid attention to the quality of the wine.

Ji Xun's western cooking skills are far superior to his Chinese food, and the steaks he cooks, naturally, several judges can't fault them.

After tasting for a while, Guan Shanyuan nodded to Ji Xun: "Very good, you can make the next dish."

After Ji Xun passed the customs, Wu Zhongliu, Ling Zhaochi and others also brought dishes to the judging seats one after another.

Among them, there was no major problem with the steak they cooked, but none of them satisfied the two foreign judges in the choice of table wine.

It wasn't until a chef with a colorful turban on his head brought up his dishes that the two foreign judges suddenly showed surprise.

The blond woman looked up with interest, looked at him and said in Italian, "Can you explain why you use this kind of red wine to match steak?"

The chef with a turban on his head also said in Italian:

"Classic Chianti wine, originally from the hills between Florence and Siena."

"Wines made from Sangiovese grapes in this region have high acidity, moderate tannins, and balanced flavors. After two years of storage, they have red cherry, earth and tea flavors."

"Therefore, I think this kind of red wine is especially suitable to be paired with grilled steak and other dishes."

The blond woman suddenly showed a more satisfied smile.

This time, she asked in awkward Chinese: "You know a lot about Chianti wine. Have you lived in Italy before?"

The turban chef nodded and said:

"I have spent half a year at the Skana winery in Florence. I have also studied and lived in Milan for three years, and I just returned to China not long ago."

On the side, Guan Shanyuan heard him claiming to have just returned from Italy, and asked aloud, "Young man, what's your name?"

The chef in the turban replied: "My name is Qin Ming..."

(End of this chapter)