Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

　For side dishes, prepare baby potatoes, baby cabbage, baby tomatoes, baby carrots, and shiitake mushrooms.

　Cut the small potatoes in half, remove the leaves and roots from the baby carrots, remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and score the caps with a cross. Set the rest aside for now.

　Since the steak was taken out of the refrigerator not long ago, it will gradually seep out water at room temperature, so you need to wipe it clean with kitchen paper.

　The iron skillet is heated until it's scorching hot, so that the steak will more easily form a gelatinized layer when placed in it.

　This is also known as the Maillard reaction.

　As the beautiful sizzling sound rang out, the steak was put into the pot, releasing an enticing aroma that made Alice Nakiri look completely blissful.

　Bai Yuan simply smiled at this, keeping his eyes on the iron pan. He didn't rush to flip the steak, but waited quietly for ten seconds to allow the surface to brown and caramelize.

　Fry one side until the other side is browned and browned. For the thicker parts of the steak, fry them upright to ensure the entire outer layer is browned.

　Some people judge the doneness of the steak by sight, while others by smell. Generally, Bai Yuan makes steaks that are medium-rare.

　"This tastes amazing!"

　Sensing the increasingly enticing aroma in the air, Alice Nakiri, who was making the sauce, exclaimed with a look of admiration.

　They were both pan-frying steaks, and the steps were exactly the same, so why was Bai Yuan's steak so much more fragrant and delicious than theirs?!

　Who can I complain to about this?!

　Alice Nakiri thought to herself, and then she saw Bai Yuan set up five flat-bottomed iron pans at the same time, holding only an iron tong in his hand.

　"Ten pots without using silver chopsticks?"

　Seeing that Bai Yuan hadn't taken out any silver chopsticks, Nakiri Alice tilted her head in confusion.

　"Why use silver chopsticks to pan-fry a steak? This is a very repetitive and simple dish, so you can just use your hands."

　Bai Yuan muttered a speechless complaint, then stared at the frying pan and started cooking with the heat turned up high.

　After the steak is cooked, it becomes a side dish. According to the doneness of the ingredients, they are added to the pan in order and cooked until they are browned. After adding butter, rose salt and black pepper for simple seasoning, they are placed on a foil baking tray and baked at 200 degrees for ten minutes.

　"Are the last two sauces almost ready?"

　"It'll be done in no time."

　Hearing Bai Yuan's words, Nakiri Alice replied without looking up.

　Compared to the main dishes, the sauce was much simpler to make, but Alice Nakiri was slow because of the large quantity.

　"it is good."

　Bai Yuan nodded, then tossed a piece of butter and a sprig of rosemary into the frying pan where he had just fried the vegetables, and simmered them over low heat until fragrant.

　Once the aroma begins to fill the air, turn up the heat and add the steak.

　This is considered a classic way to cook French steak, and it's relatively simple in French cuisine. After the steak is seared until fragrant, it's removed from the pan and cut into strips on a cutting board.

　Amazingly, even after being cooked twice, the steak still retains an incredible tenderness inside, looking incredibly juicy and flavorful. With just a slight squeeze, the juices are released, releasing an irresistible aroma.

　"Come on, Alice, it's time for your sauce to make its appearance!"

　Before serving the dishes, Bai Yuan specially heated the plates to ensure the best possible taste, a common practice in high-end restaurants.

　"Yes!"

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Alice Nakiri readily agreed and then poured the freshly prepared chili tomato liquid nitrogen cold sauce and kelp mushroom soy sauce molecular sauce over the two steaks respectively.

　The heat of the steak quickly brings out the aroma of the sauce, filling the air with a rich fragrance that makes your mouth water.

　"The spiciness of chili peppers and the sweet and sour taste of tomatoes combine to create a sweet and spicy flavor. The ice crystals formed by liquid nitrogen freezing create a unique cool texture that contrasts sharply with the hot steak."

　He picked up a knife, cut off a piece, and savored the steak in his mouth before giving his evaluation.

　Although the heat causes the ice crystals to melt quickly, releasing...

　The aroma was enticing, but that took time to develop, so upon tasting it, Bai Yuan experienced a blend of ice and fire.

　The tender texture and sweet and spicy flavor elevate the steak to another level.

　"Then there's this kelp and mushroom soy sauce molecular sauce."

　After eating half of the steak and leaving the rest for Alice Nakiri, Bai Yuan turned his attention to another steak drizzled with kelp and mushroom soy sauce. After two minutes, the sauce on the steak had warmed up, so he picked up his knife and fork, cut off a piece, and began to taste it.

　The saltiness of the soy sauce provides the basic flavor for the steak.

　The natural umami flavors of kelp and shiitake mushrooms enhance the overall taste.

　Then comes the sweetness of the honey, which balances the saltiness and adds a smoothness.

　"The soy sauce provides the basic saltiness, the honey adds sweetness and thickness, and the garlic and ginger add spiciness and complexity, making it a perfect match for steaming hot grilled meat!"

　Licking his lips, Bai Yuan's voice was filled with satisfaction. He then tried the steaks with other sauces and couldn't help but admire Alice Nakiri's excellent cooking skills. Every steak was incredibly flavorful, making it hard to stop eating.

　"You've passed this stage. Next up is advanced training: compound sauce!"

　After finishing all five steaks in front of me, I tasted the perfect balance of sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors. The sauces were delicious without overpowering the steak's natural taste.

　"A complex sauce?!"

　Alice Nakiri tilted her head, somewhat surprised.

　"The making of complex sauces involves combining two or more flavors into one sauce, ensuring that it has a distinct character while maintaining harmony and deliciousness."

　After a moment's thought, Bai Yuan revealed the new training content: a complex sauce needs to contain at least two flavors. How to make these flavors coexist harmoniously without conflicting with each other is something a chef should pursue for a lifetime.

　On a small scale, it's a sauce; on a larger scale, it's a seasoning.

　Someone who can make good sauces can't possibly be bad at seasoning.

　In addition, complex sauces contain ingredients with various textures, and making the sauce even and smooth is also a technical challenge.

　Flavor, texture, aroma, ingredients, and stability—each and every one of these is a challenge that complex sauces must overcome, and also a test of a chef's skill.

　"A complex sauce... then we need to carefully calculate the proportions."

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Alice Nakiri fell into deep thought. She naturally knew the difficulty of creating a complex sauce, especially one that required molecular gastronomy techniques while also tasting delicious...

　"Please feel free to take any of the ingredients on the table. If you need anything that isn't available here, just call the staff and ask them to bring it up. When you come back tomorrow, please make at least three different flavored compound sauces to match the dishes that best suit them."

　Bai Yuan finished speaking, then walked towards the door, stopping just before leaving.

　"Although I'm not here anymore, you can still ask me any questions. In the morning, I'll give individual lessons, one hour to each kitchen, and tailor a way to improve your skills."

　In the afternoon, I will be patrolling the corridors. That's your question-asking time, but try to solve the problem yourself first; it's a good way to practice. Only come to me if you really can't solve it.

　After saying this, Bai Yuan left Alice Nakiri's kitchen without waiting for her reply and headed straight for the kitchen next door where Lia was...

　The special training continues.

　In one morning, Bai Yuan taught each of the girls in the hotel, starting from the first room, without showing the slightest impatience.

　After spending half a year together, Bai Yuan could clearly feel that the girls' cooking skills had improved significantly. Even the weakest one had the strength of a second-class chef and could make a first-class dish with a little effort.

　However, every time Bai Yuan taught them, he couldn't help but sigh at the difference in their talents.

　In the same six months, Erina Nakiri went directly from a novice first-class chef to a master chef, while some people only made a little progress.

　Although it's faster than others, it's incredibly slow compared to the overall improvement rate of the group. This is the most direct feeling brought about by talent, and of course, it may also be that the right method hasn't been found.

　He needs to pay more attention to this.

　"Your cooking lacks a decisive flavor. Continue."

　After taking a bite of Hojo Miyoko's cooking, Shirayu looked up at her and spoke frankly.

　"The taste of decisiveness..."

　"That's right, you need to add ingredients accurately and not repeatedly. Because of the delay in taking the food out of the pan, the control of the heat is very poor."

　Hearing Hojo Miyoko's mutterings, Shirobuchi continued.

Chapter 252 Why is the teacher here?!

　“Meat, your problem is the same as Miyoko’s: you lack self-confidence and decisiveness.”

　Picking up a fork and stabbing it into the secret-recipe steak made by Mito Ikumi, and seeing the girl's expectant expression, Shirabuchi pointed out her flaw, which was unexpectedly the same as Hojo Miyoko's.

　It's highly likely because the two girls have been hanging out together lately.

　"You're being too meticulous about the cooking time. I remember when I first met you, you weren't like this. Back then, although your skills were rudimentary, you were very confident in your cooking, firmly believing that everything you did was correct. That kind of decisive cooking..."

　tasty!"

　Thinking back to their first meeting, it was an ordinary class, and Mito Ikumi was also making pork cutlets. However, at that time, she didn't respect him as much, and she cooked based entirely on intuition, unlike now when she hesitates and only wants to find the perfect cooking time.

　“I understand. I’ve taught you too much theory, which has affected the culinary edifice you’ve built from childhood. You feel that there’s a problem from the very foundation of your edifice, and you’re afraid that I will point out the problems with your cooking, so you’re desperately trying to act according to the theory.”

　In contrast to the bright and confident Ikumi Mito I met at the very beginning.

　This timid and fearful Mito Ikumi is really boring!

　"It seems that the special training plan I initially devised for you was wrong. What you need to do now is to regain your confidence."

　Thinking of the plan he had initially prepared, Bai Yuan shook his head inwardly.

　When faced with people who have lost confidence and are afraid of failure, even the most scientific training plan is unlikely to be effective. The first thing to do is to boost their confidence and make them believe in themselves.

　Only in this way can they avoid getting lost in the wilderness of delicious food!

　"Yuuki, you are the complete opposite. You are too confident in your cooking, which leads you to overlook many details. The final taste is too straightforward. Such dishes are at a disadvantage in competitions. You need to be more careful."

　I really hope you two can complement each other.

　After commenting on the dishes prepared by Hojo Miyoko and Mito Ikumi, Shirabuchi turned his gaze to Yoshino Yuuki, savoring the fruit-flavored beer-roasted duck in front of her. He then spoke, his straightforward cooking as unpretentious as her simple mind, revealing no hidden thoughts.

　"Lack of decisiveness..."

　"Overconfidence..."

　"So how do we solve this problem?"

　Three pairs of eyes turned to Bai Yuan, their eyes filled with longing.

　They want to improve! In fact, they came here specifically to improve!

　"Actually, it's quite simple to solve. Miyoko and Meatball, your goal today is 300 servings of Golden Fried Rice. Waiters will come up and take them to the guests. Each serving of Golden Fried Rice must be cooked in no more than two minutes."

　"Your task is much easier, Yuuki. You only need to make three servings of fried rice, but each serving must be more delicious than the previous one, otherwise it won't count as a completed serving."

　Looking at the three people who were asking him questions, Bai Yuan smiled and gave them a solution.

　A simple and straightforward solution.