Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 32 I said I have a reason for not letting you drink now, I'll save you a bowl later.

"It smells so good! Is this the kind of aroma that offal soup should have?"

"I don't know, but I can't achieve this effect with scraps."

"Something must have been added to this, how can it smell so good?"

"Don't talk nonsense. The seasonings are all provided by our sugar daddy. Are you questioning whether the sugar daddy put something in them?"

In this match, besides the graduate student in the banquet and the bald cook, the contestants upstairs were the closest to Xia Ming.

The aroma of Xia Ming's "Five-Ingredient Mixed Soup" made them all felt like their stomachs were being craved.

The contestant, Luo Luo, was so flustered that she almost jumped off the building.

As a chef born in Yunnan, she has a deeper understanding of freshness and aroma than other chefs, but at this moment, she cannot understand why the mixed offal soup can taste like this.

"Is it some kind of secret recipe I don't know about? Strange, the flavors are all blended together, I can't smell it at all."

She felt enveloped by the aroma and felt an urge to go over and drink a whole pot of it.

The other contestants weren't much better off. After all, several hours had passed since they arrived to film, and their breakfast had mostly been digested. At this moment, the smell was indeed hard to resist.

While the contestants were surprised by the soup itself, the chefs quickly noticed the problem.

Zeng Huaijun frowned slightly as he smelled the soup.

"The fat from the offal and the rich aroma from the stewed meat have reached their peak. I suspect that just this one pot of soup could qualify me for the 'Level 2 Chinese Chef' certification exam."

"Also, have you noticed anything unusual about Yang Yanbin's condition?"

Shuai Xiaojian licked the corner of his mouth slightly.

"The Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef completely trapped him with the aroma. Now, he probably can't even smell the aroma of his own seasonings anymore."

At this moment, Lai Chi-On was squinting and basking in the moment.

"Wow, this soup is just as good as rice. It's hard to believe that this is a dish that appeared in a variety show competition."

As he spoke, he took a swig of wine.

"Hiccup~ First, there was that indirect, almost 'hitting a cow' technique, and then this pot of offal soup. Old Master, do you think the Sichuan-Chongqing 'Ice and Fire Chef' is some kind of secret weapon specially trained by those old fogies?"

Shuai Xiaojian raised an eyebrow slightly.

He knew that what Li Zhian was talking about was actually the "New Chef Competition," a formal competition that could only be participated in by chefs below the "Hua Level 3" level, with the main purpose of training fresh blood for the Chinese culinary world.

Although the competition level is not high, the difficulty level is by no means low.

After all, the Chinese grading exams, in addition to testing the dishes themselves, also require chefs to demonstrate their character, skills, and adaptability.

The reason why many "Level 2 Chinese" chefs cannot be promoted is not because their food is not delicious, but mostly because they are too young and lack skills and adaptability.

To encourage newcomers, the rewards for the [New Chef Competition] are generally very good. The first place winner in the competition two years ago received a week of individual guidance from a Level 1 Special Chef (Level 7 Chinese Chef). The prize in the previous competition was two pages of seasoning tips from an Honorary Special Chef (Level 8 Chinese Chef).

Honestly, if it weren't for the ranking system, many chefs at the "Level 4" level would choose to participate in the competition.

The New Chef Competition is held once a year, which is more frequent than other competitions, and the champion's prize is extremely good, so naturally some people will be tempted by it.

A genius cultivated from childhood cannot be created simply by wishing for it, but things like preventing someone from taking a graded exam can be manipulated.

That's why the "New Chef Competition" gets more and more intense each year, and in a sense, it has indeed achieved its original purpose.

However, Shuai Xiaojian did not believe that Xia Ming had such a backup plan.

"If there really is a genius, those old guys would rather hide him away and bring him out after he has fully developed. You know, there are 360 ​​professions, and it is difficult to reach the top in any of them."

"Even a genius is only considered a genius if they realize their potential. We've seen plenty of examples of prodigies who failed to live up to their potential."

"Not to mention the 'mixing offal soup' technique that has never been seen before. This is something that is only used in the semi-finals or later in the 'New Chef Competition.' How could it be used so easily in a variety show?"

Lai Chi-On nodded after hearing this.

Just as Shuai Xiaojian said, the chefs don't really show their true skills when recording variety shows.

The skill and experience gap is too large. If the contestants really pull out their best skills, there's basically no point in playing, and the variety show won't be entertaining either.

It's just a show in front of the camera, so using 5-6% of their strength is enough. If they win, these chefs won't make much money. If they lose, they lose. New talents emerge in every generation, so consider it encouragement for the newcomers.

The most essential elements of the recipes they develop are definitely reserved for important competitions or their own restaurants. This explains why some chefs who were eliminated didn't seem to care much during their final recorded interviews. "So, according to you, Master Chef, this Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef is truly a genius who has carved his own niche?"

Shuai Xiaojian hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

"It's hard to say, the approach is too strange, we can't figure it out yet."

Just then, Zeng Huaijun noticed that Yang Yanbin, who had been standing still, made a move.

He quickly poured out the original sauce, then grabbed the ingredients from the side and swiftly put them into the pot. However, this time the sauce was different from the previous one.

As the flames rose, Yang Yanbin put the lid on and then stood guard beside it with his eyes closed.

Xia Ming, who was tasting the second sauce, frowned slightly when he saw Yang Yanbin's expression.

The bald cook next to him wiped his drool and then spoke.

"Is he trying to distinguish the aroma of his sauce from the aroma of your soup?"

Xia Ming shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. It's not that simple after all."

"?"

Just as the bald cook was wondering what was going on, Yang Yanbin across from him suddenly opened his eyes, abruptly lifted the pot lid, and a surge of steam rushed towards him. He twitched his nose slightly, then revealed a joyful expression.

"Xiaodong, this one's done!"

Hearing this, Chen Xiaodong also came over and tried a little.

"Huh, the flavor has changed, but there are more layers now, and the aroma is amazing."

"I know you can't smell the fragrance. I just checked it for you, and the fragrance is correct!"

Chen Xiaodong raised an eyebrow and then looked at the pot next to him.

"You didn't taste it before cooking it all at once?"

Seeing Yang Yanbin nod, Chen Xiaodong smiled.

"Sure, if your nose is blocked, you can simulate it in your mind, and then cook it all at once. Use the aroma of the cooked dish to temporarily suppress the aroma of the other dish, and finally achieve the desired effect."

"You bastard, you were hiding before!"

Yang Yanbin shrugged.

"You can't say that. We failed a few times before, so we've gained some experience."

"As for your hidden one, I don't believe you don't have it. Alright, problem solved. I'll make the rest of the sauce. You hurry up and prepare the plating."

Seeing Yang Yanbin's performance on the other side, Xia Ming rubbed his nose.

Using the flavors you've tasted to simulate combinations in your mind, then eliminating weaknesses and improving the flavor, sounds easy, but it's not simple at all.

More importantly, he still managed to cook it all in one pot without adding any ingredients, even after changing the ingredients.

If there was no element of luck involved, then Xia Ming could only say that this guy had been "going easy" on them before.

"In that case, we can move on to the next step with this soup. By the way, cook, your spicy sauce is pretty good. Keep it up, there's one last one!"

Hearing this, the bald cook smiled.

"Okay, I'll start right away. Oh, right, Captain, I ate breakfast early and I'm still hungry at lunchtime, how about..."

Xia Ming followed the bald cook's gaze to the pot, then simply waved his hand.

"If you're hungry, eat some fruit, or ask a graduate student for some pork chops. You can't drink this soup."

"It smells so good, I'll just have a sip."

Looking at the bald cook in front of him, Xia Ming refused again.

"I have my reasons for telling you not to drink. If you want to win, follow my instructions."

"If you really want to drink it, you have to wait until you've finished mixing all the sauce before you drink it. That way, I'll save a bowl for you."

(End of this chapter)