Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

Now, after hearing Teacher Baiyuan's explanation, I finally understand. So that's how it all happened...

As Bai Yuan finished speaking, Mito Ikumi let out a long breath. The problem that had been bothering him was solved, and a look of sudden realization appeared on his face.

"Teacher Baiyuan, you still haven't answered the question about the difference between using raw and cooked egg yolks?"

Beside her, Hisako Shinoto continued asking questions; this was the issue she was most concerned about at the moment.

"This has to be explained in terms of function. The role of raw egg yolk is to emulsify, bind, provide moisture, and color."

Cooked egg yolks, on the other hand, provide a unique flavor, add texture, and thicken the consistency. The two differ in both flavor and texture, therefore their functions are also different.

Upon hearing Hisako Niito's words, Shirabuchi continued to explain.

Although it's just a process from raw to cooked, the difference in between is undoubtedly huge.

Raw egg yolks are a natural and powerful emulsifier.

It contains lecithin and protein, which can stably blend water and oil, two substances that are not originally compatible, to form a delicate, smooth, and uniform emulsion.

Cooked egg yolks provide flavor; heating produces the Maillard reaction, resulting in a unique, rich aroma, oiliness, and a slightly salty and savory taste, while also providing a grainy and powdery texture that raw egg yolks cannot achieve.

On stage, Tadokoro Megumi was unaware that Shirabuchi and the others were analyzing her cooking.

At this moment, she had just dissolved the baking soda and baking powder in water and added them to the flour she had prepared beforehand. Then she dissolved the sugar in warm water, poured it into the flour, and kneaded it until smooth.

Next, add an appropriate amount of warm water and flour.

"Corn flour is loose, while wheat flour is sticky; combining the two can increase their elasticity."

There are many types of dough. Real dough can be further divided into rice flour dough, fluffy dough, unleavened dough, shortcrust pastry dough, and other types. These doughs together constitute pastries.

Watching Tadokoro Megumi's actions, Hakugen continued to explain.

Because he had studied pastry making with Logan for a period of time, he was very clear about the classification of pastries, understood the characteristics of various doughs, and knew what kind of dishes should be made with different types of dough.

At this moment, he had some guesses about the dishes that Tadokoro Megumi had made, but he didn't quite believe it, or rather, he couldn't believe it.

"If I'm not mistaken, what Xiaohui wants to do in this competition is steamed buns."

As Tadokoro Megumi continued kneading the dough, Shirobuchi's voice rang out, drawing the attention of those around them. The girls' faces showed surprise.

"Steamed cornbread? Making steamed cornbread in a competition like this? Seriously? Xiaohui wouldn't do something like that, would she?! Wouldn't that guarantee a loss..."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's guess, Yoshino Yuuki couldn't help but mutter a complaint under her breath.

Is she really going to compete with cornbread like this? It sounds incredibly absurd, practically a guaranteed loss. This is definitely not Xiaohui's style!

"When did using cornbread in a competition become synonymous with certain defeat?"

Seeing Yoshino Yuuki's slightly furrowed brows, Nakiri Erina pursed her lips.

Although she felt that using cornbread to compete was a bit exaggerated, she didn't think that doing so would necessarily lead to a loss, after all, Tadokoro Megumi was not weak and had a strong personality.

A woman like that wouldn't intentionally lose a match; she must have her reasons for doing so.

"But isn't steamed corn bread the most common street food? Can such a pastry really satisfy the judges? They're used to fine dining!"

Yoshino Yuuki wasn't doubting Tadokoro Megumi, but rather felt that the judges might not like the steamed buns, since the dish was so ordinary that it could be found everywhere.

In a racing competition, Megumi Tadokoro arrives on a bicycle, and even though it's a fully modified bicycle, it's hard to believe she could beat a car.

"It may not necessarily be cornbread. I'm just stating my guess. Perhaps it's a type of pastry that's somewhat similar to cornbread."

Seeing that Yoshino Yuuki and Nakiri Erina had a conflict, Shirai quickly tried to smooth things over. He had only seen the trend and had not really made a decision.

Given Tadokoro Megumi's current cooking techniques and her handling of dough, making it into steamed buns would be the most delicious outcome for this dough.

"Just keep watching and you'll see. Although Xiaohui's talent is average, her foundation is very solid. Since she chose to make this dish, she must have something to rely on."

Alice Nakiri's voice followed immediately.

Although she hadn't known Tadokoro Megumi for very long, she knew she was a reliable person, and there must be a reason for her choice.

"Just keep watching and you'll find out; it seems her opponent is planning to make peach shortbread."

Bai Yuan's voice rang out again, but this time his attention had shifted to Ba Jiang, who had only just begun to act.

Twenty-five grams of butter and one hundred and twenty-five grams of sugar were used. Instead of adding flour immediately, the butter and sugar were kneaded together by hand. This step is known as emulsification in pastry making.

Once this step is complete, Ba Jiang adds two grams of baking soda, two grams of ammonium bicarbonate, and a small amount of water to the bowl to dissolve them. Then, he adds the egg liquid to the bowl in batches.

After adding the egg liquid, quickly stir in one direction until well combined, then mix it with the butter and sugar.

After processing this part of the material, Bajiang began making the other part.

Bai Yuan frowned slightly as he looked at the brown powder that Ba Jiang had taken out. He then silently closed his eyes. At that moment, the air conditioning in the venue was blowing in his direction, so theoretically he should be able to smell it.

"The aroma of black tea..."

Thirty seconds later, sensing the faint fragrance wafting in the air, one of which was particularly noticeable, Bai Yuan opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing within them.

"You can even smell that? Isn't that a bit too perverted..."

When Bai Yuan clearly described the properties of the powder used in Ba Jiang cuisine, Nakiri Alice was taken aback at first, and then her expression became subtle.

He was at least 30 or 40 meters away from the field.

To be able to smell the aroma of the ingredients the other person is using from this distance—that's an almost superhuman sense of smell!

"The basic operation mainly relies on the air conditioning to bring the fragrance over; otherwise, even if I had the greatest skills, I wouldn't be able to do this."

Bai Yuan rolled his eyes at Alice Nakiri's sarcastic remarks, saying that no one would praise someone by calling them a pervert, and then explained the reason.

"Your explanation makes it seem even more perverted to me..."

After listening to Bai Yuan's words, Alice Nakiri leaned back in her chair, looking somewhat melancholy.

"The super sense is like this: my God Tongue and super taste are the same type of talent, which should be considered a weakened version of super taste."

Even so, my control over flavor remains very strong. As soon as a dish enters my mouth, I can instantly analyze what ingredients were used, what seasonings were added, the proportions of the seasonings, and the approximate amounts used.

Hearing Alice's sarcastic remark, Erina Nakiri, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

Her divine tongue is a secondary product of super-taste.

Although they don't have the same sensitive taste perception as those with superhuman sense of taste, they still surpass 99.9% of people, so they are even more aware of the terror of superhuman senses.

Furthermore, Teacher Bai Yuan upgraded his abilities after acquiring them, making them even stronger than ordinary super-sensory abilities, so it's normal for him to have reached this level.

"I don't want to talk to people like you who cheat."

Hearing Erina Nakiri's explanation, Alice Nakiri's feelings became even more complicated.

Why did she inherit no talent other than the clothes-ripping incident, despite being born into the same Nakiri family? If she hadn't been by Hakugen's side since childhood, she probably wouldn't be as good as Erina.

Alice Nakiri, realizing this, was both happy and frustrated.

I'm happy that I met Bai Yuan when I was young, but I'm also frustrated that my talent is only average. It's okay now, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to keep up with Bai Yuan's pace in the future, while that girl, Nakiri Erina, can...

After all, she also possesses extrasensory perception.

"Your talent is not bad, at least better than the average person, and because you have a solid foundation, your growth rate will only get faster and faster."

Because Alice Nakiri was talking a lot today, Bai Yuan paid more attention to her and could guess what she was thinking from her dejected appearance.

The idea that you have no talent and will definitely not be able to keep up with him in the future is both right and wrong.

Talent can indeed determine a chef's ceiling, but the vast majority of chefs never reach that ceiling, so they can make up for it through hard work.

"Really? I feel like I haven't made any progress lately, I've been stuck in the same place."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Alice Nakiri, who had been looking down, brightened up and looked up at him with a hint of hope in her eyes.

"Of course, when have I ever lied to you?"

It took you five years to go from a third-rate chef to a first-rate chef.

However, it took him less than two years to go from a first-class chef to a master chef and reach his current level as a three-star chef, which is the benefit of having a solid foundation.

A solid foundation is more useful than god-like talent. After all, turning talent into strength requires a lot of time and experience. Similarly, it's difficult to judge the properties of unfamiliar ingredients; it takes a significant amount of time to learn. This is where your advantage lies.

As he spoke, Bai Yuan reached out and patted Liya's body, and she got off him.

The next moment, he put his arm around Alice Nakiri's shoulder and began to rationally analyze the advantages she currently possessed.

Foundation, a foundation as solid as a rock.

No matter how talented an opponent is, they can't make a ripple in her eyes.

"Is a solid foundation really that important?"

Faced with Bai Yuan's praise, Nakiri Alice looked doubtful, clearly feeling that he was just trying to comfort her.

A solid foundation is important, but it shouldn't be that important, otherwise there would be geniuses everywhere!

"Of course! All culinary skills in the world are based on one stone: talent accounts for 10%, creativity for 10%, and basic skills for 80%. So tell me, are basic skills important or not?!"

Seeing the doubt on Alice Nakiri's face, Bai Yuan tightened his grip on her shoulders, his words filled with passion, and what he said was indeed true.

"It can take up 80%!?"

"Of course, you'll understand the specifics later. It's not something that can be explained overnight. Let's focus on the game for now."

Seeing the surprised and doubtful look on Alice's face, Bai Yuan did not explain in detail, but instead told her to continue watching the match, as some things cannot be explained with words.

Turning a solid foundation into real strength takes time and consistent effort; giving up halfway through will yield no results.

That's why, although there are many people on the path of cooking, very few actually make it to the end; most give up halfway through.

"But I remember peach shortbread is supposed to have chopped walnuts in it, right? Why did this person choose to add black tea powder? Are they trying to create some kind of innovative dish...?"

Ryoko Sakaki voiced her doubts. She had eaten peach shortbread before and had even researched how to make it out of curiosity. The classic version would include walnuts, and other nuts as well.

Of course, nowadays bakeries don't add anything in order to save costs.

But this is a competition, and if we're going to do it, we have to make sure the peach shortbread tastes the best, otherwise it would be meaningless to lose the competition.

If that's the case, why doesn't Bajiang add chopped walnuts instead of using black tea powder? If not done properly, that could also cause serious problems.

"Perhaps it's for the sake of innovation. In the previous match, Leah won against Samulan's classic braised oxtail with a version of braised oxtail with preserved plum, so he thought that innovative dishes would score higher than traditional dishes."

However, his use of black tea is not without reason. Traditional peach shortbread tends to be sweet, and the subtle bitterness of black tea can balance it well and cut through the sweetness.

At the same time, black tea can also bring a unique flavor, so as long as this pastry is made successfully, the score he gets will likely be quite high.

Although he didn't get to taste Ba Jiang's cooking, Bai Yuan quickly came up with an answer by mentally simulating the steps he took.

The taste should be good, and the concept is decent; in that case, the score won't be low.