Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 176 Shouldn't they check and balance each other? So fast! Did you use a seasoning packet?! (Bonus chapter for 3K chapters)

"Inside the competition venue"

Xia Ming tossed the hem of the skirt in his hand into the soup pot in front of him.
I also stirred the large and small winter melon pieces that were already in the soup base.

Then, he looked up at Han Tianyan, who was walking off the stage looking lost and dejected, and revealed a sly smile.

"This guy doesn't realize it yet, because he's making 'French cuisine'."

"Therefore, the 'free meal' rule has a fundamental problem!"

Xia Ming knew that the judges' choice of a "mixed-eating" judging method was also a last resort.

Otherwise, it would be even more unfair to eat someone's entire banquet first and then eat everyone else's.

Because "French banquet cuisine" is a presentation method that uses precise and complex cooking techniques and a reasonable process to push the taste of the main course to its extreme through accumulation.

Unlike most Chinese restaurants that compete alone.

Each of their dishes has its own purpose, and they all work together to serve the dishes that follow.

Therefore, it takes diners more time to eat, as mentioned before.

Because of this model, "French banquet cuisine" can actually be considered a grand dish from another perspective.

"In Chinese cuisine, the layers of flavor have a great impact on diners."

"Imagine a dish that initially tastes slightly sour, then refreshing, followed by the core main flavor, and finally leaves a lingering aftertaste."

"Most Chinese people would find that this dish has very distinct layers of texture."

Conversely, if multiple layers of flavor ultimately serve the same dish, wouldn't that become what's known as "banquet-style French cuisine"?

It simply means that because the cuisine is broken down, each individual dish can be presented in a more detailed and nuanced way, showcasing certain characteristics.

But overall, appetizers, soups, main courses, and desserts all need to follow the general logic while adding their own little touches.

In this situation, the fatal problem brought about by "eating together" is "cooking intention conflict".

Strictly speaking, this should be considered a "mutual influence".

Imagine someone makes an appetizer that is on the sour side to whet the appetite, and their opponent also makes a sour one, with the same effect.

During the judges' tasting, at least one of the following two situations will occur.

1. The two are not contradictory. The dish presented first paves the way for the dishes that follow, essentially making itself a part of someone else's presentation.

2. The two dishes conflict; the dish presented first dominates the flavor, while the latter is affected.

It's obvious that Han Tianyan's cooking was influenced by Xia Ming's cooking, which is why it looks like this.

Normally, such a thing wouldn't be allowed to happen in a competition.

"Normally, judges need to rinse their mouths between dishes because they need to remove as much of the previous dish's flavor as possible before they can taste the next one."

"But this doesn't work in French cuisine."

"Because the logic of French cuisine is to use the preceding dishes as a prelude to the following dishes. If the judges clear the taste from their mouths, how can they appreciate the taste of the following dishes?"

Xia Ming looked up and smiled as he glanced at the judges' panel.

Unlike all previous competitions, the judges did not offer Xia Ming bottled water after his dishes were tasted.

In other words, the flavor of Xia Ming's dish lingered in the judges' mouths until Han Tianyan's dish was served.

"Han Tianyan makes foie gras, which is the fatty liver of a goose."

"No matter what cooking method is used, it cannot change the fact that more than 40% of its contents are pure fat."

"These fats provide a smooth, creamy texture like ice cream, but they can also make it feel greasy."

"So he used apples and figs to solve this problem."

"But in order to ensure the judges' taste preferences and prevent anyone from tasting too much sugar, Han Tianyan used sweeter apples and reduced the amount of sugar when making the apple caramel."

"Compared to green apples, it lacks a bit of natural tartness."

Xia Ming knew that Han Tianyan's calculations were actually quite accurate; the apple's lack of that slight sourness wouldn't affect his foie gras dish.

But this is on the premise that he did it faster than Xia Ming.

Regardless of how much Xia Ming's appetizer resembled authentic French cuisine, he skillfully used the three acidic ingredients in terms of flavor and presentation, stimulating the judges' taste buds.

"The sourness, although it felt like it just came on faster and was stronger, didn't seem to last long."

"But what they don't understand is that the problem isn't the sourness itself, but rather that the normal perception in their mouths is overwhelmed by another taste the moment they eat the food."

“Dried tangerine peel has a bitter taste, but this flavor is very mild with a distinct woody character. When they first tasted it, they must have thought that the initial bitterness came from the dried tangerine peel strips.”

"Actually, besides some dried tangerine peel strips being crushed and secretly placed on top, a large portion comes from the juice extracted from crushed jasmine petals."

"The floral aroma of this juice outweighs its bitterness, making it highly deceptive in taste; it's completely undetectable when applied to gelatin jelly."

"Furthermore, the flower petals are sprinkled on the appetizer, so it's reasonable for them to add fragrance."

"Compared to dried tangerine peel, 'jasmine flower concentrate' is more bitter at first taste, but its advantage is that the bitterness dissipates quickly."

"Like many teas, they taste bitter at first, but the sweetness quickly follows."

Thinking of this, Xia Ming took the strainer and quickly scooped out the hem of the skirt.

"It is precisely because of this characteristic that the judges already have a bitter taste in their mouths before they even taste the gelatin jelly."

"This layer of tangerine peel, combined with the tangerine peel crumbs on top of the gelatin jelly, forms a very fast barrier against bitterness, slightly neutralizing the sour taste that they would normally perceive." In other words, the gelatin jelly that the judges ate was actually more sour than they perceived.

After the bitterness comes the saltiness and umami of the dried scallops. It is specially cooled down to ensure that these two flavors are more prominent.

"With bitterness masked in front and umami in the back, the sourness was instantly implanted into the judges' mouths."

"Given the characteristics of frozen food itself, it will remain in the judges' mouths for much longer than expected."

Thinking of this, Xia Ming stretched his neck slightly.

"At this point, eating another appetizer sprinkled with jasmine petals can further reduce the flavor."

"But while it was downgraded by one point, it was compensated by three points with the kumquat jam. They must have thought the jam was a bit too sweet."

"Actually, it's not that the kumquat jam is sweet, but rather that the judges' mouths are sour at that moment."

Normally, this taste would be removed by rinsing the mouth, but the dual reasons of "banquet French cuisine" and "mixed meals" couldn't be resisted.

The judges could only wipe their mouths and wait for the next dish.

Xia Ming estimated that the flavor would linger in the judges' mouths for at least 10 minutes. He had calculated Han Tianyan's time before serving the dish, and it was likely to be within that range.

Thus, Han Tianyan's perfectly good foie gras dish developed a flaw that could be exploited under the rules he himself had chosen.

The sour taste in the judge's mouth masked the remaining part of the apple, making the sweetness even more pronounced.

"Caramel apples require a lot of sugar to be added, and the acidity enhances it, which naturally leads to a cloying taste."

"So when his dishes are served, they are always judged to be too greasy and too sweet."

Thinking of this, Xia Ming raised an eyebrow.

"Although I gained an advantage by using the sour taste, given Han Tianyan's intelligence, he should be able to react quickly."

"However, at that time, the problem he faced changed from one to two."

In Xia Ming's view, all of the above was just the beginning of the event.

The real "bottleneck" brought about by the rules lies in the very origin of "banquet cuisine," which is the superposition of elements.

Xia Ming served up an appetizer, and Han Tianyan also served up an appetizer.

This means that the judges, without being able to rinse their mouths, will have the taste of two appetizers in their mouths.

"These two flavors intertwined and influenced each other, and ultimately both lingered in the judges' mouths."

According to Xia Ming's idea, if this continues, the taste in the judges' mouths will become increasingly uncontrollable as the competition progresses.

Unless someone is willing to sacrifice some of their own interests to make a dish that can help the judges cleanse their palates.

Otherwise, the person who serves the food last will be at a disadvantage.

Xia Ming was naturally aware of this.

However, he had a different opinion on this.

"This vulnerability itself is actually quite easy to crack. If the timing is right, I should be able to avoid any losses."

Xia Ming was summarizing as he operated the equipment.

Back at the stove, Han Tianyan finally noticed the impact of the "free-eating" rule.

Following this line of thought, he quickly realized the biggest problem with his choice of "banquet French cuisine".

At the same time, I understood why my appetizer had been spat out.

Han Tianyan frowned.

"This is troublesome."

Han Tianyan also realized that the more dishes the judges evaluated, the more mixed the flavors in his mouth became, making it very difficult to catch up when he was already behind.

"Unless I can cleanse all the judges' mouths of the taste with a soup."

For Han Tianyan, this task was challenging, but not impossible.

The difficult problem is Xia Ming, who is watching from the sidelines and will definitely take advantage of the moment he cleans the taste from the judge's mouth to make a move.

"At that time, the soup I make will erase the taste in the judges' mouths, which would be a benefit to Xia Ming. This situation is definitely not acceptable."

Han Tianyan now felt that he and Xia Ming could stall each other, and while the "appetizer soup" was served, he could proceed with the other cooking steps first.

Just as he decided to implement this plan.

Xia Ming suddenly pressed the button in front of him.

The host walked over and was surprised to find a large bowl of extremely clear broth next to Xia Ming.

The host glanced at the time on the big screen and felt a little confused.
However, since Xia Ming had already finished cooking, there was no reason not to serve it.

On the other hand, Han Tianyan was about to go crazy when he saw Xia Ming carrying a pot and walking towards the judges' table with the host again.

"No, shouldn't it be a protracted war of attrition?"

"You finished cooking the soup less than 10 minutes after the main course was served?"

"What, you're using 'semi-solid chicken broth seasoning' too???"

(End of this chapter)