Liuxiang

The first official match of the Kitchen King Competition has begun.

There is no doubt that Yi Baitang successfully advanced, arrived at the venue at the appointed time, and began to wait for the first official competition.

The venue this time was the place where Yi Baitang participated in the qualifiers last time. The auditorium was empty, but the infield was filled with end-to-end stoves. The rostrum was also arranged at the original location, but The judges sitting on it changed.On the timing board hanging in mid-air, the requirements of this game were clearly displayed in big red characters, and it was written: Today's ingredients: vegetables, fruits.

Today's requirement: cook a fragrant vegetarian dish.

Today's time limit: four hours.

With a sound of "Dang--", the game officially started.

In the arena, the dense crowd reached out to the vegetable basket next to them at the same time!

In the summer afternoon, the air is dry and hot, and the sun is like fire.

On the big tree outside the window, there was a litter of cicadas, half of which were covered by the shade of the tree, screaming happily; half of which were exposed to the sun, screaming weakly.

Yi Baitang was a bit distracted.

He was still a little distressed.

Four hours was just the time when the meeting of the Little Sapling Company ended, plus the time spent on the road, by the time the other party arrived at his place, the day lily was cold.

I didn't think too much about it yesterday, so I agreed with one bite; now that I think about it carefully, I'm a bit stuck, it seems that this matter is not easy to deal with...

But as a man who is bound to conquer the world with his culinary skills, Yi Baitang has never conceded defeat in culinary skills. Even in the face of the big devil, he has been defeated repeatedly.

The most important thing is that he has already promised Shang Huaiyan, so he must not fail to lose face!

Thinking of this, Yi Baitang lifted his spirits, and finally struggled out of his daze!

He was just about to reach into the vegetable basket beside him like other chefs, but found that during the time of wandering, he had unknowingly touched cucumbers, tomatoes, and large pieces of lettuce leaves. On the cutting board, there are two or three fruits mixed with this group of vegetables, namely apples, bananas, and perfumed pineapples.

Suitable for salad dishes.

He looked at the food in front of him and thought.

The only problem is...

Yi Baitang's eyes turned to the four words "fragrance overflowing" on the big time plate.

Cold things are not easy to make fragrance.

But it's not impossible...it's just a little troublesome.

Yi Baitang made a decision.

He first put the various vegetable materials that will be used later into an ice bucket to freeze, then set fire to it, and began to boil the pickle juice. With red wine as the base, he added balsamic vinegar, white sugar, thyme, laurel leaves, and mint Wait for the spices to cook together. During the cooking process, as the temperature in the pot rises, wisps of fragrance have gradually risen from the pot.

But at this time, many chefs around Yi Baitang also entered the stage of cooking. Suddenly, various aromas lingered over the gymnasium. Although the venue was large enough, the exhaust system continuously pumped out exhaust gas , Fresh air was supplied, and the judges who were in the venue still felt the pain of almost suffocation.

This time the main judge is an old man with gray hair and long beard.

The old man has nothing but a very clever dog nose.

This nose can help him distinguish more than [-] kinds of raw ingredients with his eyes closed, and he is one of the national treasure-level gourmets.

At some point, he took out the handkerchief he carried with him from his pocket, wet it with mineral water, covered it in front of his nose, and said in a low voice, "The smell is too strong. Look, I'll go out and stand." After a while, when someone has prepared the dishes and ends early, you will call me back..."

The rest of the judges looked bitter.

The chefs present are not lacking in strength, each of them can take out the menu and smell it independently, at least they can be qualified for the job of a chef in a small roadside restaurant.But with so many pot heads set up together, all the smells are mixed and gathered together, turning into a large-scale biochemical weapon, all fucking oil fumes!

They watched helplessly as the main judge slipped away first, and then you glanced at me and said, "Actually, there is nothing to cheat in the chef exam. The judging later in this exam is the key. Otherwise, we will go out in turn? Just keep one at a time." Are people watching from inside?"

"Seconded."

"Seconded."

"Seconded."……

The main judge and the person who proposed were deducted, leaving seven judges, and the seven voices of approval sounded instantly, and in the blink of an eye, the proposal was unanimously approved.

The person who raised the attention was very happy: "The judging will start in half an hour at most. There are eight people in 10 minutes. We only need to be inside for 4 minutes. Who will be the first and who will be the last?"

But this time, the other seven people suddenly fell silent.

The judges who proposed were puzzled for a while. They were so slick just now, why did everyone become saw-jawed gourds in the blink of an eye?He urged: "Hurry up, who will be the first and who will be the last?"

The rest of the judges all winked at the judge who spoke, and the winks made their eyes almost cramp.

The person who spoke finally came to his senses. It would be impossible for him not to react, because the cough that belonged to the chief judge had already rang in his ears...

The main judge coughed, and the proposer shivered.

When the proposer looked back tremblingly, he saw the chief judge standing helplessly behind him with a handkerchief covering his nose, and beside him stood an energetic old man.

He took a closer look and blurted out: "Master Dong?!"

Old man Dong waved his hand at the speaker: "I happened to be strolling around this area today, so I came in to have a look, don't say anything." He glanced at the topic on the big sign, then turned to the main judge and said, "Who is this topic?" It’s a draft? It’s not bad, but the standard is a little higher.”

The main judge said in a muffled voice: "Who else could it be? It was proposed by the few leaders of the Chefs Association. It is difficult, but this year the Association's intention is to select successors across the country, so it has been strict from the beginning. A bit... But it’s not bad, anyway, you will win the top three in the final Chef King Competition, and you will find the top one in the playoffs, and the rest will be accompanied by runners.”

The old man was quite talkative, even if he covered his nose with a handkerchief, he kept talking: "By the way, don't mind me being like this, that's the downside of having a sensitive nose. If the smell is slightly irritating, you will feel dizzy and have a headache..."

Old man Dong didn't care, he smiled and waved his hands: "Okay, what are you being polite about?"

After all, he glanced at the competition scene and saw that more than 90.00% of the chefs chose to fry a plate of fresh vegetables or stew a pot of vegetables.

He squinted and sniffed.

The huge scents gathered together were kneaded and distinguished by invisible big hands, and turned into countless strands again, swaying in the air like thousands of tentacles.

Old man Dong smelled it slowly, and he could smell the tentacle of each fragrance.

Seven-layer fish belly.

Two floors and two kitchens.

One floor chef.

Hmm... No. 18 in the third row is a bit interesting. The heat is just right, and it completely brings out the sweetness of the vegetables; No. [-] in the fifth row is also not bad. Don't come up with a trick, and make a mixed miscellaneous smell that is compatible. Your vegetable fragrance is a little snake, and his vegetable fragrance is a small dragon.

But he also regrets:

It's a pity that these two people use open flames, alas...

He might as well, sighed out of his throat.

Old man Dong came, and the main judges did not go out.Hearing this sigh, he said with a smile, "Why, Master saw a good seedling?"

Old man Dong shook his head slightly: "The dishes are well done, but today we need a little luck."

The voice just fell, and a bell rang below.

There is already a chef who has finished making his own dish, be the first to ring the closing bell and be the first to finish the game!

Several judges looked at each other and looked at the main judge.

The main judge squinted slightly at the same time: "The competition... has officially begun!"

Generally, chefs cook almost the same dishes, especially green vegetables, which are too old once they are cooked.

With the first chef who ended, the second and third ones sprung up like mushrooms after a spring rain, ringing the bell to end the competition and apply for judging.

Before the blink of an eye, except for the main judge who was still watching from above and not moving easily, the remaining eight judges were all divided up by the contestants and mixed into the examination room, just like a small fish in the sea. easy to find.

When No. 20 or 10 people also rang the bell to end the competition, but could not be visited by the judges at the first time, but waited for [-] minutes before a judge appeared, they finally realized That huge trap in this seemingly simple game!

At this time, on the high platform, the main judge stood one step behind the old man Dong, looked at the countless burning flames below, and muttered to himself, explaining the key to this question: "90.00% of the contestants choose open fire to cook, But for any open fire dishes, the temperature determines the deliciousness of the dishes. Hundreds of candidates and up to nine judges all use open flames. Who can guarantee that the dishes will be eaten by the judges as soon as they are cooked? To be the first to complete the event, or to be judged by luck?"

After thinking about this, the chefs present are not all fools.

The time given this time is a full four hours. No matter how complicated the dishes are, if the time is tight, it is enough to make at least two trips.

A large part of the chefs saw that the dishes could not be reviewed by the judges during the best time, so they poured out the dishes just now and started to prepare again without mercy!

But the human mind is still similar.

There was a chef who chose to re-do dishes because he was too late to be judged, and countless chefs who were too late to be judged decided to re-do dishes like him.

There are still only a few main judges, and there are still so many chefs waiting to judge.

In the end, there are still a few who are judged in time, and the majority who missed the best time.

The faces of the chefs have turned ugly, and they began to feel that this season of the Chef King Competition seems not so fair and just...

Until a sweet fragrance rose from nowhere, like a huge umbrella, it quickly covered the sky above everyone, enveloping everyone's sense of smell!

At this time, most of the stove fire had stopped, and the oily fumes that shrouded the gymnasium were almost drawn away by the powerful exhaust fan.But maybe it was because the firepower was too strong and the oily smoke was too big just now. Even if the fire is stopped and the smoke is smoked now, most people still feel a stubborn choking oily smoke that refuses to dissipate!

It is at this time that the sweet fragrance diffuses.

Like the grass that has just sprouted its head on the ground, like the fruit with a little core ripe on the tree.

In an instant, everyone seemed to be in the wilderness. The choking oil fume was blown violently by the wind in the wilderness. Even if it didn't disappear immediately, it was cut to pieces by the fresh smell, which could no longer disturb everyone's sense of smell.

At this moment, not only the judges were attracted, but even the participating chefs could not help but follow the direction of the smell, turn their eyes, and look for the source.

In the entire gymnasium, most people performed the same movement together, and when viewed from top to bottom, it seemed as if a black wave suddenly surged.

The main judge said "Hey": "What's the matter?"

No one answered his question.

But he soon saw Master Dong standing beside him sniffling, sniffing something.

He couldn't help removing the wet handkerchief covering his nose, and immediately smelled the smell that was spreading in the air, and blurted out: "Cucumber, tomato, white radish, lettuce, lettuce! And perfumed pineapples and grapes?"

"That's impossible! The scented pineapple itself has a strong smell, but how can the smell of ordinary green vegetables be so strong? This is not in line with science—"

"What appears before your eyes is science."

Next to him, old man Dong reprimanded him lightly as if he were treating an uneasy junior.

He didn't pay too much attention to the main judges.Instead, he carefully sniffed the spreading smell, and secretly analyzed in his heart: It's Maillard...

However, the Maillard reaction uses high temperature to make fat molecules react with sugar molecules and amino acid molecules to generate an attractive aroma. It is generally used for high-temperature cooking of meat dishes, just like the Maillard reaction of barbecued meat is often stronger than that of stewed meat. , and roasted vegetables produced the same reaction.

But roasted vegetables didn't smell the same as they do now.

After the vegetables have passed the fire, as long as they have aroma, they will more or less taste like oil.

And this taste...

It's cold.

Old man Dong suddenly expanded his chest and took a deep breath!

A large amount of gas was inhaled by him into the lung cavity, and in a circle, all the original materials were analyzed: wine.

black pepper.

sugar.

spices.

The mint smell is very pungent.

cheese.

The fat molecules come out of the cheese.

More sugar molecules come from fruit.

It is the combination of the two, and then pouring it on the lettuce, the ultimate smell is stimulated.

The first layer is the taste of fruit.

The second layer is the taste of vegetables.

The taste of the fruit is too hot, so it is easy to volatilize. The scorching liquid is scalded on different vegetables. The vegetables with strong flavor are interspersed with the light flavor, forming a feeling like a forest.

The most wonderful thing is that there is not only the smell of grass in the forest, but also the smell of fruit.

A smile appeared on the corner of the old man's lips.

Little bunny, it really changes every day.

His goal of coming here has been achieved, he no longer stays, turns and leaves with his hands behind his back.

The chief judge saw it at a glance, and quickly said: "Mr. Dong, are you leaving now? Don't look at it anymore?"

Old man Dong said with a smile: "Let's go, let's go, I can't bear it anymore."

The main judge wondered: "What can't help it?"

While speaking, he felt that the current smell was very pleasant, and couldn't help but took a deep breath.

Old man Dong had already reached the entrance and exit, and his smiling voice came from afar: "I can't help but leave early and hit a little guy whose neck is too long."

The main judge sniffed the smell of the mountains and forests again.

He couldn't help it now, and followed everyone to look in the direction where the smell came from.

Old man Dong has already left, and he has the sharpest nose in the room. He is condescending, looking left and right, he has found the source of the smell that breaks through the huge net of oil fumes, and then he takes a closer look at the chef. He is young and beautiful, standing there Really different.

He suddenly understood what the master said just now.

Stand out from the crowd, isn't it because the neck is too long...

In Shang's company, the shareholders' meeting that lasted for a whole day finally came to an end.

As one of the speakers of this meeting, Shang Huaiyan threw away the remote control of the projector in his hand the moment he announced the end of the meeting, took his things and walked out quickly.

This made him habitually come forward after the meeting, ready to gossip with Shang Huaiyan, and then gather for a meal with a group of people to analyze and analyze the latest market opportunities, but he was mercilessly brushed away. The bosses who passed by were dumbfounded.

"This is... what's wrong?" Boss A asked Boss B.

"I don't know, maybe there is some urgent project to do?" Boss B and Shang Huaiyan have cooperated twice in private, so they know better.

"Recently, the boss is optimistic about Shengyue Real Estate." Boss C interjected.

"Real estate? Mr. Dai, don't lie, he has never meddled in real estate affairs." Boss AB didn't quite believe it, and said to Boss C.

"Hehe." Boss C is Dai Liren.He smiled slightly, with an inscrutable expression on his face, and drifted away.

"Hey, this guy looks very confident."

"Is Shang Huaiyan really interested in Shengyue Real Estate? Should we follow up?"

Boss AB, you glanced at me and said something to me, and they discussed it one after another.

Manager Shang had been standing by the side for quite a while, from when Shang Huaiyan left to when several bosses chatted privately to when Dai Liren left complacently, he finally couldn't help but said silently: "Maybe it's not because there is any project, but to rush Go home and eat."

The two bosses looked at Manager Shang together.

They laughed at the same time and patted Manager Shang on the shoulder: "Young man, don't let jealousy blind you—"

Business Manager: The loneliness of a wise man!

Speeding along the scenery.

When Shang Huaiyan rushed from the company to the place of Yi Baitang's competition at the fastest speed, half an hour had passed since the end time stipulated for the exam.

His car braked quickly, parked in the parking lot, and hurried to the main entrance of the gymnasium.

The world has become dark, the bright sunlight has receded, the sky has turned gray-blue, and the moon has come out, hanging in the western sky with a crooked hook.

The street lamps lit up one after another, hitting Shang Huaiyan obliquely on the road ahead, twisting and turning as if he could jump up from the ground at any time, turning into black and gray vines, stumbling people's footsteps.

When getting out of the car, Shang Huaiyan had already seen that the lights of the big gymnasium in front of him were dim, and every window was pitch black, and there was no one around.

The game inside should be over by now.

Shang Huaiyan guessed.

But he didn't see Yi Baitang's figure outside, guessing that the other party was probably still waiting inside, so he walked forward quickly, and with both hands, he pushed the entrance of the gymnasium in front of him suddenly——

The lights are like water.

Above the arena, the place belonging to the audience was dim; but under the infield, the headlights were all turned on, and the yellow and white lights intersected, dazzling and dazzling, illuminating everything clearly.

The silence in the densely populated space was suddenly broken, everyone obeyed the same order, turned their heads together, and Shang Huaiyan found Yi Baitang at a glance where countless eyes focused.

In the crowd, Yi Baitang raised his chin slightly, the light illuminated his eyes, and his eyes gathered a little spark.He gestured with his eyes and said silently: I did what I promised you.