60s: I have a store

Chapter 534: The Fragrant Lard
Soon, Dapeng's exclamations and the increasingly strong aroma of potato chips in the air quickly attracted all the children in the courtyard like an invisible big hand.

The first to come were a few naughty little boys. Like a group of cheerful little sparrows, they chirped and gathered outside the window of Zhou Yimin's house, their little heads crowded here and there, their eyes staring at the golden French fries on the table that were emitting an attractive luster.

"Wow, it smells so good, what delicious food is this?" A little boy couldn't help swallowing and asked loudly.

Soon after, some little girls came running over hand in hand with brisk steps, their eyes sparkling with curiosity and expectation. They stood aside and talked in low voices.

In addition to the children, some people who love to join in the fun in the courtyard were also attracted.

Some of them had just come back from outside and passed by Zhou Yimin's house. They stopped when they smelled the fragrance. Some of them heard the noise at home and out of curiosity, hurried out to find out what was going on.

Among them, there are some people who more or less have the idea of ​​getting a small bargain in their minds, thinking that if they can get a taste of this novel delicacy, they will make a profit.

For a moment, a lot of people gathered outside the windows and gate of Zhou Yimin's house. They were talking to each other and blocked the entrance to the yard.

However, everyone was still abiding by the rules, and no one entered without Zhou Yimin's permission.

Dapeng was also startled when he saw so many people suddenly appear. His eyes widened and an expression of surprise appeared on his face.

Zhou Yimin came back to his senses and looked at the lively scene. Although he was a little surprised, he was generous by nature and was not stingy at all.

He immediately picked up the plate of fried potato chips, walked to the door, and said to everyone with a smile: "Come on, everyone, have a taste."

As he spoke, he began to pass out the French fries one by one to the people gathered outside. The children excitedly stretched out their hands, took the French fries, and couldn't wait to put them in their mouths, with satisfied smiles on their faces.

"It's so delicious, these are the best potatoes I've ever eaten!" a little girl said incoherently while chewing French fries.

However, there were so many people that there were not enough freshly fried French fries to share.

After a while, there were only a few fries left on the plate.

Zhou Yimin looked at everyone who seemed to be unsatisfied, smiled helplessly, and said, "Wait a minute, I'll go fry some more and make sure everyone can have a taste!"

When others heard what Zhou Yimin said, some of them saw that there was no advantage to be gained and were about to leave, but now they stopped.

They stared at the French fries that Zhou Yimin had just distributed to everyone. The golden and crispy appearance was so tempting that no one wanted to miss the opportunity to taste it.

While everyone was waiting, a gray-haired old man in the courtyard stood up. He looked at Zhou Yimin and asked curiously, "Yimin, what is this empty pot? Can it only be used to make potato chips?"

As soon as the old man finished speaking, Dapeng rushed to correct him: "Uncle, it's an air fryer."

The old man suddenly realized what was going on and quickly said, "That's right, an air fryer!"

Zhou Yimin smiled and replied: "Uncle, of course not, this air fryer is amazing, it can even cook meat!"

When everyone heard this, they immediately started talking. A young man said, "I knew that the things foreigners like must not be so simple."

Everyone was talking about it, showing their curiosity about this magical air fryer.

While answering everyone's questions, Zhou Yimin walked into the kitchen and started preparing a new round of potato chips.

The normal process is to peel and wash the selected potatoes and cut them into thin strips.

Then soak the potato strips in cold water for 20 minutes to remove excess starch.

Take out the potato strips and drain the water. You can brush a layer of oil on the potato strips, sprinkle a little salt and mix well.

Preheat the air fryer to 180 degrees for 5 minutes.

Put the processed potato strips into the preheated air fryer, set the temperature to 180 degrees and the time to 15 to 20 minutes.

During this period, you need to turn the fries several times to ensure even heating. After 15 minutes, you can adjust the temperature to 200 degrees and continue baking for 3 to 5 minutes, until the surface of the fries is golden and crispy.

Obviously there is not so much time now, so I can only throw the cut potatoes directly into the air fryer.

It may not be perfect, but it is a rare delicacy in this period.

Most of Zhou Yimin's attention is still on the air fryer. After all, this is the Pokémon he wants to show everyone.

Nearly twenty minutes passed by unknowingly in everyone's anticipation.

Suddenly, the air fryer made a "beep" sound again.

The sudden noise startled everyone around.

The children shuddered with fear, and some timid little girls even screamed.

Seeing this, Dapeng immediately stepped forward to explain: "Don't worry, this is just a reminder that the potato strips are ready."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Dapeng's explanation.

Dapeng himself completely forgot that it was this voice that just frightened him.

Zhou Yimin opened the lid of the air fryer, and hot steam filled with a rich potato aroma hit him in the face.

He took out the potato chips that had just come out of the pan. The golden French fries were shining with an attractive luster in the sun, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Everyone in the courtyard couldn't help but exclaim in admiration when looking at these French fries.

They really didn't expect that an ordinary potato could become so delicious in this magical air fryer, without adding a drop of oil.

You know, in this period of material scarcity, oil is very precious. Many people are reluctant to put more oil when cooking, and they carefully control the amount of oil every time they cook.

But this air fryer has broken everyone's cognition and given everyone new expectations for food.

Then distribute these potatoes to those who did not get any potato chips.

The people in the courtyard didn't hesitate to take the food and ate it immediately, looking a little impatient.

They didn't expect that an ordinary potato could become such a delicacy. No wonder foreigners like this air fryer.

If it were them, they would also like it, but they could tell at a glance that it was not something that ordinary people could use.

After Zhou Yimin distributed the second pot of potato chips, he went back into the house.

When everyone saw this, they all wanted to leave. After all, they had already eaten the delicious food. There was no point in staying.

Zhou Yimin suddenly remembered that the lard at home was used up, so he thought of frying some lard. Although he could distribute the lard residue to everyone in the courtyard, he could not eat so much by himself.

Then he turned around and took out a large piece of pork fat from the kitchen. This piece of pork fat was white and fat, shining in the sun, making everyone drool.

At this time, it is a rare thing to have such a large piece of fatty pork fat, and it is not easy to buy it.

Zhou Yimin held up the pig fat and said to everyone, "Everyone, don't leave. There will be some pig fat residue to eat later."

When everyone heard this, their eyes sparkled with excitement, and it was even more impossible for them to leave.

Moreover, they were all very curious and wanted to see how this magical air fryer made the lard residue.

Soon, Zhou Yimin started to take action.

He first placed the lard on a clean chopping board, which glowed faintly under the sunlight.

Zhou Yimin picked up the kitchen knife he usually used to cut vegetables. The blade flashed coldly in the sunlight.

His eyes were focused and determined. He held the knife handle firmly with both hands and began to cut the pork fat into small pieces of two to three centimeters.

With every cut, he controlled the force, striving to make each piece of pork fat uniform in size.

With the rhythmic sound of "dong dong dong" of cutting vegetables, square pieces of pork fat gradually accumulated on the chopping board.

The children around stared at Zhou Yimin's movements without blinking, and some even couldn't help but move closer to see more clearly.

A little boy couldn't help but ask: "Uncle Zhou, why do you cut it into such small pieces?"

Zhou Yimin explained with a smile: "Cut it into small pieces so that the pork fat can be heated more evenly, the fried fat residue will be fragrant and crispy, and the oil will be released faster and more."

At this time, a middle-aged woman couldn't help but say: "Yimin, you are so meticulous in your preparations. You look so professional."
An old man nearby also agreed: "Yes, it is cut so neatly that you can tell at a glance that it is very well made."

Everyone was talking at once, praising Zhou Yimin's craftsmanship and preparation.

After cutting, Zhou Yimin gently picked up the small pieces of pork fat and carefully placed them into the frying basket of the air fryer.

His movements were gentle, fearing that any of it would spill. After adding the lard, he picked up a clean measuring cup and measured out 50ml of cold water.

As he slowly poured water into the frying basket, he said to everyone, "Adding this cold water is to prevent the oil temperature from being too high in the early stage. Otherwise, the lard will turn yellow easily and may splash out. If it splashes on everyone, it will be dangerous."

After hearing this, everyone nodded, their faces full of enlightenment. One lady said with emotion: "Yimin, you are really careful. If you hadn't told us, we really wouldn't know there are so many details here."

A young man in the crowd couldn't help but ask: "Brother Yimin, won't adding this cold water affect the taste of the fried lard?"

Zhou Yimin patiently explained: "No, the cold water will quickly turn into steam and evaporate during the heating process. It mainly serves as a buffer for the oil temperature, allowing the lard to heat slowly. This way, the fried lard will be purer and the oil residue will be crispier."

After hearing this, the young man nodded thoughtfully, and the people around him also showed admiration.

At this time, the air fryer was already surrounded by a crowd of people.

The children gathered at the front, their little faces full of anticipation; the adults stood at the back, also craning their necks, staring at the air fryer without blinking, for fear of missing any details.

Their eyes were full of curiosity and anticipation, and they wanted to see what kind of magic this magical air fryer could perform.

As the air fryer started to work, making a "buzzing" sound, everyone's heart began to hang in the air.

As time passed, the aroma of lard gradually emanated from the air fryer.

The fragrance became stronger and stronger, filling the entire yard.

Everyone couldn't help swallowing and their stomachs began to growl.

The children couldn't hold back their excitement and kept asking: "Is it ready? When can we eat the lard residue?"

Zhou Yimin smiled and consoled them: "It will be soon, everyone just be patient and wait."

A little girl held her mother's hand and said coquettishly, "Mom, I can't wait any longer. This smell is so tempting."

The mother gently stroked the little girl's head and said, "Don't worry, Uncle Zhou said it will be ready soon. Wait a little longer and you will have delicious lard residue."

An old man sniffed and said, "This smell is so fragrant. I haven't smelled such pure lard fragrance in many years."

An old man next to him also said: "Yes, just by smelling the smell, you know the fried oil residue must be delicious."

Everyone was immersed in the rich aroma and was looking forward to the lard residue that was about to come out of the pot.

Finally, the air fryer's warning sound rang again.

Everyone looked at the air fryer, their eyes full of anticipation. Zhou Yimin opened the air fryer, and a burst of hot air with a rich aroma of lard hit him.

He carefully poured out the lard, which was clear and transparent without a trace of impurities, and sparkled with an attractive luster in the sun.

Everyone in the courtyard was shocked when they saw such clear lard.

They originally thought that frying lard in an air fryer might turn it black or have a lot of impurities, but the scene before them was completely beyond their expectations.

"This is amazing! The lard fried in this air fryer is better than the one we usually make!" an old lady said in surprise.

A young mother quickly said: "Yes, when I refine lard, there are always some impurities, and it takes a long time to filter it. This air fryer is so convenient."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and were even more amazed at the magical effects of the air fryer.

After pouring the lard, Zhou Yimin took out the fried oil residue.

The oil residue is golden yellow, with an attractive layer of oily sheen on the surface and exudes a rich aroma.

Zhou Yimin first distributed the oil residue to the children. The children took the oil residue and put it into their mouths impatiently, smiling happily while eating.

Seeing the children eating so happily, the adults wanted to eat too, but were too embarrassed to snatch the food from the children.

They stood aside, watching the satisfied looks of the children, and smiles of relief appeared on their faces.

At this time, a child chewed the oil residue and said incoherently: "Uncle Zhou, this oil residue is so delicious, it is more fragrant than the one my mother made."

The child's mother heard this and pretended to be angry and said, "You little brat, you only know how to eat. Uncle Zhou is using a magical air fryer."

Everyone enjoyed the meal very much, and after finishing it quickly, everyone went back home.

(End of this chapter)