Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

"Lady Erina!"

At the doorway, Hisako Shinomiya heard her words and couldn't help but show a touched expression. If the other person hadn't been confronting Alice Nakiri, she would definitely have rushed into her arms and snuggled up to her intimately.

"Unexpectedly upright, Erina."

Hearing their conversation, Bai Yuan roughly understood their current situation. Sometime during the evening's meal, the two had made a promise to have a food battle.

However, what Erina Nakiri just said really surprised him.

It's hard to imagine that such words could come out of this young lady's mouth.

It seems that Erina has grown up too.

"It's unbelievable that you would say such a thing."

Alice Nakiri was equally surprised.

She looked at Erina Nakiri with disbelief on her face, clearly not expecting the other woman to say such a thing.

"How is that unbelievable!"

Seeing the surprise on Alice Nakiri's face, Erina Nakiri blushed slightly, seemingly a little embarrassed, but this was indeed what she had in mind.

"It just doesn't sound like something you would say."

Alice Nakiri voiced her thoughts, her voice full of sarcastic remarks.

"what!"

Upon hearing her words, Erina Nakiri couldn't help but stomp her foot, clearly annoyed.

"You mean I'm praising you? I was wrong about this. Let's stick to the bet as it was. I still need to work on the dough, so I'll head into the kitchen first."

As they were talking, Alice Nakiri found the groceries she had bought on the table, picked up the bag, and headed to the kitchen.

"Don't even think about sneaking away!"

Seeing this, Erina Nakiri, not wanting to fall behind, followed suit. She then ran out of the kitchen and brought in the groceries she had bought.

"dong dong dong"

"Who is it? Stop knocking, I'll be right there."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Hisako Shinto, who was standing at the door, went to open it and immediately saw two burly men. She looked puzzled and asked, "Who are you two looking for?"

"We've found the chief and brought the tree stump as agreed. Would you like us to carry it inside?"

Even though it was a young girl who appeared, the burly man still looked cautious.

As he spoke, he secretly glanced into the room. The man standing behind the girl must be the leader of the Dark Cuisine World. He looked so young!

The burly man was shocked, but his face remained calm, a testament to his composure as a member of the dark cuisine world—unperturbed even in the face of a collapsing mountain.

"Just leave it by the door. I'll get it when I need it. You two can go back now."

Hearing the burly man's voice, Bai Yuan also turned his attention to the doorway, and then saw the tree stump behind the two men, with ropes on it, which looked like they had taken turns carrying it over.

And this tree stump in front of him is the key to his Swedish torch-grilled steak tonight.

"Okay, then we won't bother you any longer."

Seeing that Bai Yuan intended to drive them away, the two burly men exchanged a glance and then hurriedly left towards the stairs.

"Teacher Bai Yuan, what do you need such a big tree stump for?"

After the two figures disappeared, Hisako Shinto came out of the house and couldn't help but circle around the tree stump, her voice full of curiosity.

Is it perhaps intended to be moved to the kitchen and used as a cutting board?

Chapter 353 Swedish Torch Steak, Erina Nakiri's Miscalculation

"It needs a quick clean-up. These are the kitchen utensils we'll be using to make the steak tonight."

As he spoke, Bai Yuan raised his hand and drew the Giant Gate Blade from behind him. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he looked at the tree stump. The next moment, the blade flashed and the tree stump split into eight pieces.

"boom--"

The eight-petaled wooden stake fell to the ground with a sound, its cuts smooth and its division even, resembling a delicate work of art.

"The kitchen utensils used to make steak?"

Hearing Bai Yuan's words, Shinoto Hisako became even more confused.

She simply couldn't connect the wooden stake that had split into eight pieces in front of her with the cooking utensils used in cooking. As she spoke, she glanced at the steak on the table, giving her an expression that said, "Are you kidding me?"

"That's right, it's the kitchen utensils used to make steak. You might not understand it now, but just keep watching and you'll soon find out."

Explaining would take a long time, so Bai Yuan decided to demonstrate the situation through actions.

The wooden stake, chopped open with a cleaver, was tied together with rope, and a knot was made at the edge. Then, a large hole was chiseled in the middle for grilling the steak later.

This is the essence of torch-grilled steak, which is why Bai Yuan carved it with extra care.

Before long, a huge hole appeared in the wooden stake. Bai Yuan took out a tomahawk steak from the bag, gestured slightly to it, and nodded when he felt it was about right.

Olive oil, black pepper, sea salt, rosemary, Sichuan peppercorns, chopped parsley, chopped onion, and minced garlic...

Looking at the various ingredients laid out in front of him, Bai Yuan quickly mixed them and soon made a spice blend suitable for marinating steak.

After preparing the spices, he didn't hesitate for long before rubbing them onto the tomahawk steak until the surface was evenly coated, then set it aside to rest.

"It takes half an hour to reach peak condition."

After glancing at the size of the tomahawk steak, Bai Yuan made a simple judgment and decided to marinate it for half an hour to allow the flavor of the spices to fully penetrate the steak.

During this process, Bai Yuan turned around and went to the refrigerator, took out a few duck eggs, skillfully cracked them into a bowl, and then used chopsticks to break them up and set them aside for later use.

Next, take out wheat flour, corn flour, spices, and a small amount of sugar from the kitchen to promote the Maillard reaction during the grilling process, giving the steak an appealing golden-brown color after grilling.

This is not over yet.

To give the steak a unique flavor, Bai Yuan added a small amount of rice flour, whose heat-resistant properties allow the steak to quickly form a crispy crust.

"Looking at it this way, it's still missing a supporting point..."

After processing the ingredients related to the steak, Bai Yuan looked at the wooden stake with the hole carved in it. It was hollow inside, but a support point was still needed to make the steak float in mid-air.

Suddenly, Bai Yuan's eyes lit up as he saw something that was perfect as a support point.

broom.

Without hesitation, Bai Yuan rushed forward, removed the broom head, swung the wooden stick in the air, and then stood it next to the wooden stake.

However, he also discovered a problem at this moment.

That is, the broomstick in front of you is straight, without any bends, so it cannot be used to hang the steak in a figure-seven shape. In layman's terms, it cannot be used in actual cooking.

However, after taking a few glances, he came up with a solution.

Simply cut off the top of the stick, carve a convex shape at the top, and then chisel a concave hole in the middle of the cut stick.

The interlocking of the concave and convex parts creates a mortise and tenon joint, which can firmly fix the two together.

"Perfect! Hisako, go to the kitchen and make the soup, otherwise we might not be able to finish cooking in time."

Looking at Hisako Niito, who was still busy at work not far away, and remembering that she still had the task of making soup, Shirai stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder to remind her.

If Hisako Shinto hadn't even started making the soup by the time he finished cooking the steak, then the joke would have gone too far, and the candlelight dinner would have been delayed.

"Okay, I know."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Shinoto Hisako nodded slightly.

According to her calculations, if she started cooking a little later, the tomato beef brisket soup should be ready in time, achieving the perfect timing.

but.

Since Teacher Bai Yuan had urged her, she didn't want to delay any longer and annoy anyone, so she strode towards the kitchen.

"Well, I leave it to you."

Watching Hisako Shinto's departing figure, Shirabuchi bent down and carried the prepared wooden stakes outside his house. Then, he picked up the coal brought by the members of the Dark Cuisine World and started a fire.

In an instant, flames roared up, turning the orange-yellow wooden stake inside into a layer of phosphorescent white, with sparks faintly visible on the surface.

The flames quickly dissipated.

The black coal turned into a combination of gray and red.

It may look ordinary, but its internal temperature is actually extremely high.

"This temperature is about right."

Bai Yuan reached his hand into the wooden stake to feel its temperature and nodded in satisfaction.

Without much hesitation, he returned to the living room, dipped the marinated tomahawk steak into the duck egg mixture, then coated it with the mixed powder he had just prepared. He then used a wire to thread through the tomahawk handle, suspended it, and placed it into the wood-pile oven.

As the tomahawk steak enters the torch, the first thing you see is the gelatinization reaction between the protein in the duck egg liquid and the mixed powder upon contact with the high temperature of the flame, forming a golden-brown crispy crust almost instantly.

The sugars in the mixed powder caramelize at high temperatures, releasing a rich caramel aroma.

The surface of the steak sizzles and crackles during this process, a sound of moisture evaporating and fat melting, which is incredibly enticing and makes you want to devour it.

"Oil dripping onto the wood stump ignites a brief flame, which then produces guaiacol, the main substance that produces the smoky flavor. However, the brittle shell prevents excessive adhesion, ultimately achieving a unique effect of light smokiness."

As he watched the fat dripping from the tomahawk steak onto the charcoal, and wisps of smoke rising and swirling around the steak, creating a unique smoky aroma, Bai Yuan's satisfaction grew even more evident.

This is a flavor that cannot be achieved by frying in oil.

"Teacher Bai Yuan, what's wrong...?"

Just as Bai Yuan was completely absorbed in his art, Nakiri Erina came out of the kitchen and saw him squatting at the door. She walked over with a curious look on her face.

"Special offer for training students: Swedish torch-grilled steak!"

Upon hearing Erina Nakiri's voice, Shirabuchi raised his head.

As he spoke, he turned slightly to the side, perfectly showcasing the tomahawk steak on the torch.

"Is it grilled directly over a flame? It looks a bit like American-style barbecue."

Looking at the Swedish torch-grilled steak that was being grilled in front of Bai Yuan, Nakiri Erina crouched down slightly to observe it closely, her eyes sparkling with a hint of inquiry.

"There are still significant differences. The core of American-style barbecue lies in long-term low-temperature grilling, which uses indirect heat sources to slowly break down the meat fibers, resulting in a tender texture that is so soft that it falls off the bone at the slightest touch."

To give a simple example, Texas brisket needs to be smoked for over 12 hours until it's as tender as crab meat, melting in your mouth, while mine only takes fifteen minutes.

"Is this baked for such a short time?"