The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 283 Will I cut it?

Qin Huai didn't expect that it would take him a week to cut this radish.

How has his week been?

I was swimming in a sea of ​​shredded radish, sliced ​​radish, and diced radish. Every day, I cut radish as soon as I opened my eyes, and before going to bed, I was still thinking about cutting radish. Because of my good physical foundation, I didn't feel very tired, and I didn't have extreme situations like swollen arms from cutting.

Just cut, pure cut, keep cutting.

Cao Guixiang had no requirements for the shredded radish, slices and dices cut by Qinhuai. Even though the shredded radish varied in length, thickness, and thickness, the slices were thick and thin, and the thinnest was not light-transmissive, and the dices were irregular and did not look beautifully aligned at first glance, Cao Guixiang did not care.

She doesn't point out these problems at all.

She has been focusing on very detailed problems with the movements, such as the posture of exerting force, the gesture of holding the knife, and the problems that Qin Huai would repeatedly encounter after cutting the mound for a long time.

Whenever there was a problem, he would just break it with his hands. After a few days of doing this, Qin Huai had developed a habit of stopping where he was and not daring to move as soon as Cao Guixiang made a move.

The effect is also very significant.

Qin Huai's habit of holding a kitchen knife and his posture in cutting vegetables, which he had developed since he was in the welfare home, were all improved through Cao Guixiang's repeated hands-on experience.

Sometimes, when Qin Huai encountered a problem, he could react on his own without waiting for Cao Guixiang to take action.

The 300 kilograms of white radish harvested every day were not cut into any slices, shreds or cubes worthy of praise, but Qinhuai cut them almost basket by basket.

Zhang Chu specially prepared several large barrels to store white radishes. Every day when the barrels were filled, Qin Huai's radish cutting work came to an end.

Qin Huai had indeed never gotten up early.

Too tired to get up.

The tiredness of cutting dough and the tiredness of kneading dough are not the same kind of tiredness. To be precise, the feeling between the two is different.

During the Chinese New Year period, when Qin Huai was communicating with Huang Ji, no matter how intense the work was, he was still Master Qin.

Everything he makes is good. The helpers at Zhiweiju want to learn, and the guests want to eat. It is all expected.

But all the radishes he cut at Cao Guixiang's house were pig feed.

No one paid attention to the cutting process, and no one checked carefully after the cutting was completed. They just poured the dough into a large barrel and loaded it onto a truck to be taken away at night. The feeling of being an apprentice is completely different from that of being a master. Every time Master Qin kneads a piece of dough, he feels a sense of accomplishment that can be seen with the naked eye. Every time Apprentice Qin cuts a radish, he looks up and sees the invisible future.

The proficiency of knife skills also increased very slowly, more slowly than ever before. On the day when Qin Huai’s stuffing skills were upgraded to the master level, his knife skills proficiency was (671/1000). After a whole week of intensively cutting radishes at Cao Guixiang’s house, his knife skills proficiency only increased to (799/1000).

It can be seen that cutting pig food does not increase proficiency.

Qin Huai was also very clear that his knife skills had not improved much. The reason why he rarely checked the game panel was because he was aware of his level in most cases. Except for the period of time when he practiced four-happiness dumplings frantically to improve his proficiency in stuffing, he was a little dizzy and didn't react when he reached the master level. He just felt something was wrong so he clicked to take a look. At other times, he could roughly estimate the level of his various skills.

Qin Huai could also sense Cao Guixiang's intention.

I know that Cao Guixiang is correcting her bad habits.

But it took a whole week just to correct the bad habits. How long will it take to start practicing cutting cubes?

The answer to this question came on March 3, the eighth day that Qin Huai stayed at Cao Guixiang's house and formally practiced cutting.

As a famous chef who was taught by a very traditional master, Cao Guixiang always uses a very traditional model when teaching her disciples, even when they are not her own apprentices.

To put it simply, it takes care of food, accommodation, meals and everything else.

After all, Cao Guixiang had even prepared a towel, toothbrush and mouthwash cup.

Cao Guixiang and Zhang Chu both agreed that providing meals was very important, as meals were the primary motivation for apprentices to work. When Cao Guixiang was struggling to practice basic skills, she only relied on three meals a day.

It was the same when Zhang Chu was a carpenter. Carpentry is hard work, heavy physical work, and you have to eat enough and have nutrition. In Zhang Chu's words, after a day of carpentry work, when you find a piece of meat in your bowl during dinner, you feel that it is worth it.

With this concept in mind, the food in Qinhuai has been very good these days.

Of course, it's not the kind of braised shark's fin and abalone with oyster sauce that he eats every day. In Zhang Zhiyun's words, he can only eat these delicious dishes less than twice a year, and sometimes he may not even be able to eat braised shark's fin during the Chinese New Year.

As a chef who has been retired for many years, Cao Guixiang is not only good at making top-notch banquet dishes, but also excellent at making home-cooked meals.

Qin Huai even felt that Cao Guixiang was actually better at home cooking. From the fried eggs for breakfast to the braised pork, chestnut roast chicken and steamed turbot for lunch and dinner, they were all delicious.

These dishes were basically cooked under Qin Huai's eyes. Every day when it was time to cook, Qin Huai continued to cut radishes while Cao Guixiang started to cook. From washing vegetables to cutting and putting them into the pot, Cao Guixiang did everything by herself. While she was busy, Cao Guixiang could also take time to watch Qin Huai's cutting movements to see if there were any problems. It can be said that she was very comfortable with it.

The dishes we eat every day can be summed up in one word: delicious.

The aroma is a combination of the taste of home and the taste of a high-end restaurant.

There are no luxurious ingredients, no fancy broths, just simple vegetables poured into the pan and stir-fried. Even if you are just stir-frying some ordinary greens, they will be the most delicious greens.

Every time it was time for dinner, Zhang Chiyuan's family and Zhang Siyu's family would take turns to eat. It was as if the brother and sister had made an agreement: you come, 135, I come, 246, and we would get together on Sundays.

Whenever Zhang Zhiyun and Chang Qingqing did well in an exam, the first thing they would say when they rushed into Cao Guixiang's house was: Grandma, I got xx points!
The score was so high that Qin Huai wanted to cry when he heard it. He wanted to record the voice and play it for Luo Luo to listen to, and ask Luo Luo when she could get such a high score.

Dinner started at 3:6 p.m. on March 6.

The ones who came to dine today were Zhang Chiyuan's family. The dishes were very rich, including stir-fried beef with celery, stir-fried spinach, chicken, steamed grouper, and yam and pork ribs soup.

Zhang Zhiyun sat next to Qin Huai and enthusiastically promoted Yun Chicken to him, telling him that this was a delicacy invented by his grandmother specifically for him. The names of the dishes were all named after him, and there was only one restaurant that made it, and you couldn't get it anywhere else.

Qin Huai had been cutting radishes all day and was so hungry that he wanted to eat something. He said nothing, but just nodded and ate like crazy.

Cao Guixiang smiled and moved the Yun Chicken towards Qin Huai and Zhang Zhiyun as the dish was too far away from them.

"Xiao Qin, how is business at your community canteen in Shan City recently?" Cao Guixiang suddenly asked.

Qin Huai just took a bite of rice, and there was sweet and sour Yun chicken in the rice. The name of this dish sounds weird, but it tastes like a super combination of sweet and sour pork tenderloin and sweet and sour pork. The meat is covered with sweet and sour sauce, and the sauce tastes very good. It will feel a bit greasy if you eat too much, but children will definitely love it.

Qin Huai chewed hard, swallowed the rice, and said clearly: "It has been good. Our cafeteria has a professional breakfast chef and two professional dim sum chefs, and there are also two red case chefs. We are fully staffed."

"My mother sent me a message yesterday, telling me not to rush back and to learn the craft from you. The business in the cafeteria is also very good, so I don't need to worry."

Qin Huai smiled sincerely.

He didn't lie. Zhao Rong did send him a message yesterday asking him to study hard. But Zhao Rong only sent one message, while Ouyang sent 999+ messages in the past few days.

Chen Huihong sent 99+ and asked him if he had any plans to return to Shan City in the near future. If not, she might plan to buy a house in Guangdong Province.

Uncle Wang sent 8 messages in an indirect way.

Uncle Qian’s 17 points.

Grandma Ding likes to ask about others’ well-being, so she sent more messages, 76. Xu Tuqiang sent 69 messages.

Even Qu Jing posted 6 messages - she finished the exchange and returned to Shan City.

Luo Jun was very calm and didn't send any message, but he posted a circle of friends.

I posted on my Moments to complain that Zhang Shumei’s tangerine peel, white fungus and lotus seed soup was not tasty one day.

As for Qin Luo... her child had started school, so she didn't dare to send too many messages to Qin Huai, for fear that he would find out that she might be secretly playing with her smart watch.

She didn't dare to call Qin Huai to ask about her brother's recent life, because Qin Huai had no time to call.

Qin Huai felt that some of Ouyang's 999+ should be from Qin Luofa. Ouyang sent a lot of messages on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. There were too many messages and they were all nonsense. Qin Huai was too lazy to distinguish them and just glanced at them.

Qin Huai felt that he should still learn the craft for some time. He hadn't even gotten started with cutting yet, but it took him a week to correct all his shortcomings.

However, Zhang Chu's cutting board was made for him, and three sets of molds were also made. As a professional carpenter, Zhang Chu's skills were quite good. Sometimes he would show Qin Huai the wooden furniture at home.

It's all mortise and tenon structure, without a single nail. There are even carvings on the rocking chair that Zhang Zhiyun and Chang Qingqing sat on when they were children.

In terms of craftsmanship, this couple is a strong combination.

"Then you can look at the return ticket." Cao Guixiang said.

Qin Huai was stunned.

Is it because my progress is too slow that Master Cao doesn't want to teach me anymore?

Seeing Qin Huai was stunned, Cao Guixiang knew that he had misunderstood, and explained: "You have almost learned the first part. I remember you said that you have another catering performance in mid-March."

"You can't let learning a skill interfere with your work. You've been cutting vegetables for more than a week and haven't practiced cooking. Don't let your skills become rusty and make your employer unhappy."

"But Master Cao, have I learned the skills now?" Qin Huai asked uncertainly.

He felt like he had learned nothing and had forgotten everything.

After studying for a week, I learned how to hold the knife and apply force correctly. I was always writing in the correction book and didn't refresh the questions at all.

"Of course." Cao Guixiang nodded. "Your progress is faster than I thought. I originally thought it would take you at least 10 days to correct all those bad habits, but you should have noticed this afternoon. I only corrected you twice. You actually made 5 mistakes, but you didn't even need me to help you with 3 of them. You reacted on your own."

"If you want to consolidate your practice, you can buy a flight ticket for the day after tomorrow and practice one more day tomorrow."

"You just need to cut radishes for now, and continue cutting radishes after you return to Shan City. You don't have to cut 300 kilograms a day like you do now. After all, your main job is actually a plain-food chef. 100 or 150 kilograms will do. Just make sure you have enough training."

"Then...how do I cut it?" Qin Huai ate his meal in a daze and asked a very stupid question.

Cao Guixiang almost laughed out loud: "Just cut it like this now, Xiao Qin, you cut it very well. You can cut radish slices, radish shreds and radish cubes. You also learned how to use a rolling knife, didn't you?"

Qin Huai:?
"Can I... cut it?"

A lot of pig food that had been cut out these days flashed through Qin Huai’s mind.

Those things are also called cutting?
Can you also cut radish slices of varying thicknesses?

That thing that is poured directly into the bucket without even looking at it, is also called cutting?
Are the requirements for cutting skills so low in Hong An?
"Of course. If you don't know how to cut, what have you cut out these days?" Cao Guixiang saw that Zhang Zhiyun had taken advantage of Qin Huai's confusion to quietly eat up a plate of Yun chicken until only a little was left. She pushed the stir-fried beef with celery towards them and reached out her chopsticks to pick up a piece of spinach for Zhang Zhiyun.

"Yunyun, don't just eat meat, eat some vegetables."

Zhang Zhiyun: QAQ
Qin Huai glanced at the plate and quietly and quickly put the last piece of Yun chicken into the bowl.

"Eat first, I'll talk to you after dinner." Cao Guixiang adhered to the most important principle of eating and let Qin Huai eat first.

If you don’t eat the vegetables now, Zhang Zhiyun will eat them all.

As a middle school boy, Zhang Zhiyun is at the age where he likes to eat. He can eat like a whirlwind and is a rival of Qin Luo.

After dinner, while others were washing dishes, Cao Guixiang stood by the window and explained to Qin Huai: "Xiao Qin, do you think you haven't cut the radishes well these days?"

Qin Huai nodded honestly.

"Well, it's not very good." Cao Guixiang also agreed honestly, "But it's not all your fault. You are only at this level now. You can't cut better radishes. Otherwise, you don't have to cut radishes."

"So what progress do you think you have made these days?"

Qin Huai thought for a moment and said, "I have changed a lot of habits."

"For the first two days I felt like I couldn't hold a knife or cut vegetables, but now I can do it again, and I can do it correctly."

"That's right." Cao Guixiang nodded, "That's enough."

"I just want to help you get rid of your bad habits. Knife skills are very important basic skills. When I was learning from my master, the master would not let an apprentice touch the pot without practicing knife skills for three to five years. Even the most talented chef has to be patient and practice cutting for a few years."

"You can't rush knife skills. Of course, I believe you will learn faster than many chefs because you have the basics. You can apply what you have learned to other areas."

“But no matter how good your basic skills are, you still have to start practicing by cutting radishes.”

"I have helped you get rid of all your bad habits. You now know the right path to take. You are already on the right track. All you have to do is practice a lot day after day, just like when you first started learning dim sum."

"I don't have anything to teach you right now. Fancy techniques and meat processing are not something you can learn at this stage."

"All you have to do now is cut the radish. When you feel you have made great progress or you think the radish you cut is very beautiful, we can start the second phase of on-site teaching."

The meaning of Cao Guixiang's words was very clear: the first phase of Qinhuai's study had ended.

The crash course is over, and all that’s left for apprentice Xiao Qin to do is go home and take online classes.

"I remember you said before that there are six cutting boards, and every time one is broken, then..."

"Don't worry about that." Cao Guixiang waved her hand and glanced helplessly at Zhang Chu who was washing dishes in the kitchen. "I originally thought that six normal cutting boards would be broken in three or four months at most according to your current practice."

"I don't know what happened to my husband Zhang. He used such a good wood for the chopping board. It's not that the wood is bad, but..."

"After you return to Shan City, please send me photos of the radishes you cut every day. Videos are also fine if you have time."

“Don’t worry too much about the cutting board.”

"Don't worry about the remaining unfinished molds. I'll ask my husband Zhang to send them to you once they're done."

"Isn't your friend planning to open a hand-made lemon tea shop? I have a few fruit tea recipes here and I'll write them down for you later. I don't like to drink these things, but Qingqing loves them. I've thought about it for a while, but the cost is a bit high according to this recipe. I don't know if I can make money by opening a shop."

(End of this chapter)