Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 28 Eating fried pork cutlet alone is so boring; it's only enjoyable when you have food and drink!
"Fried pork cutlet? No, you've thought about it for so long and that's the conclusion you've come to!"

The bald cook was almost laughing in anger. He thought that Xia Ming would definitely do something earth-shattering after making such a threatening statement, but he didn't expect this.

The graduate students at the banquet also thought this choice was a bit too safe.

"Ice and Fire Chef, I understand you want to consider multiple factors, but it's unlikely that fried pork cutlets will get many points from the judges."

Xia Ming shook his head.

“You can’t think like that, graduate student. Step out of the perspective of a competitor. Imagine that today a company team building event is coming to your restaurant and you have to prepare a dish for 100 people in 2.5 hours.”

"If the only requirement is to cater to everyone's tastes as much as possible and avoid any uncertainties, what would you choose?"

The graduate student at the banquet remained silent for a moment after hearing this.

“I would choose braised beef with fried rice and a bowl of soup.”

Xia Ming smiled.

"That settles it~ Sometimes, the problem isn't that complicated; we just make it complicated."

The graduate student was still somewhat hesitant about the banquet.

"The situation is different now with 100 judges. They will consider the ingredients, plating, theme, and even taste from a professional perspective. I admit that fried pork cutlet is very palatable, but that also proves that it is difficult for it to stand out."

Xia Ming nodded. Compared to the somewhat reckless nature of the bald cook, the graduate student at the banquet was clearly more meticulous in his thinking.

“I know what you’re thinking. You’re saying that this competition is more about assessing creativity and the chef’s ability to react on the spot. Okay, you guys come here for a moment.”

As he spoke, Xia Ming quietly walked to a corner where the contestants couldn't see him. The bald cook and the graduate student at the banquet exchanged glances and then followed him.

In front of the camera, Xia Ming mysteriously leaned close to the two of them and whispered something in their ears. After hearing Xia Ming's words, the two of them were stunned.

"The Ice and Fire Chef, are you telling the truth?"

Xia Ming smiled.

"Of course, you don't think I didn't stand on the other side of the sea because I was scared, do you?"

The graduate student at the banquet also showed a thoughtful expression at this moment, and after a while, she nodded.

“Okay, if that’s the case, then your method is indeed more suitable. However, there are thick-cut, thin-cut, and extra-thick-cut pork chops. Which one would you like to make?”

The bald cook suddenly clapped his hands.

"Of course, it should be thinly sliced. Marinating the meat on-site is also easier, and then each judge gets one-third, which is more than enough time."

Xia Ming looked at the bald cook whose eyes were sparkling, smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

Congratulations! You didn't win a single one.

"?"

The bald cook stared at Xia Ming with wide, puzzled eyes.

"Not a single one was selected?"

Xia Ming nodded.

"That's right. We not only don't do thin slices, we also do extra-thick slices. We don't give the judges 1/3 or 1/2; we give each judge a real, large piece."

The graduate student at the banquet almost vomited blood after hearing Xia Ming's words.

"No, Ice and Fire Chef, I admit you have your areas of expertise, but do you know what 100 extra-thick-cut pork chops mean? Two and a half hours, you're playing with fire!"

The bald cook nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, let's not even talk about how to marinate extra-thick slices of pork. Even if I and a graduate student fried it together, we wouldn't have enough time!"

Xia Ming shook his head.

“I’ve calculated it, it’s enough. By the way, cook, you don’t need to fry pork chops, you have other tasks.”

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the graduate student next to him.

“Each pork chop needs to be fried twice to ensure it’s at the perfect temperature when it’s served. 100 yuan, two hours. Can you do it?” The graduate student’s pupils contracted slightly.

She has been cooking banquet dishes for more than a day or two, and she knows that the difficulty in this process does not lie in the fried pork chop itself.

If the double-frying process is chosen, it means that 100 pork chops will be reheated at the end. According to the kitchen fryer provided by the program team, a maximum of 10 chops can be put in at a time.

In other words, by the time the last batch of pork chops was fried again, the first batch had already gone cold.

Of course, there is a solution to this problem. However...
"Ice and Fire Chef, did you actually include me in your team the moment you saw the rules?"

Xia Ming smiled as he looked into the eyes of the graduate students at the banquet.

"It's not that late~"

The graduate student at the banquet raised an eyebrow slightly.

"So, how did you figure that out?"

Xia Ming shrugged.

"When you were frying the eel, I could tell that you not only have an extremely keen sense of oil temperature, but you also have quite a few techniques at your disposal~"

The graduate student at the banquet stared at Xia Ming for several seconds.

She finally realized that all of Xia Ming's choices in the previous competition were deliberate. His seemingly attention-grabbing and unusual actions were actually all specially tailored to his needs.

He saw further and understood more clearly than any of the other contestants present.
"Is this really something an unrated BBQ restaurant owner could do? Who exactly are you?"

Xia Ming smiled after hearing the graduate student's question at the banquet.

"Now is not the time to dwell on this. We are pressed for time and need to get the ingredients first."

"By the way, cook, your job is to make the sauces. We need three different sauces to go with this fried pork chop."

The bald cook gave a thumbs up.

"No problem, I'm best at making sauces."

"You haven't finished speaking. These three sauces need to cater to three different groups: those who like sweet, those who like salty, and those who like spicy. They also need to be memorable. Besides, fried pork cutlets are already quite greasy, so your sauces can't contain too much oil."

"You have about two hours to prepare these three sauces. You need to bring out their flavors to the fullest within this timeframe, without overpowering the taste of the fried pork cutlet."

As the bald cook listened, he withdrew his thumb.

"No, this is difficult for you."

"It's okay, I believe in you. You can start thinking now. By the way, bring each sauce you make to me to taste, and the same goes for the fried pork cutlet."

After speaking, Xia Ming looked at the little time left on the big screen and nodded to the two of them.

"If you understand, let's begin!"

With that, he turned and strode toward the container holding the meat.

"Wait, there's a problem. The thick-cut pork chops need to be pre-processed, do you have time?"

Before the graduate student at the banquet could finish speaking, he saw Xia Ming in front of him wave his hand without turning his head.

"Don't worry, leave all the preparations to me. Oh, and could you please get me some onions, black pepper, angelica root, ginger, and cinnamon?"

Xia Ming rattled off more than a dozen kinds of materials in one breath, causing the graduate students at the banquet to frown as they listened.

"Wait, this shouldn't be an ingredient for fried pork cutlets!"

"Of course not. You choose the ingredients for the fried pork cutlet, but the cook chooses the ingredients for plating."

"So what is this thing of yours?"

Hearing the graduate student's question, Xia Ming, who had run a short distance, stopped and then smiled as he turned to look behind him.

"Eating fried pork cutlet on its own is so boring; it's only enjoyable when you have something to eat and drink with it!"

(End of this chapter)