Chef system

The game is in full swing.

Four days later, the fifth round of competition began, which is the competition for the quarterfinals.This competition and the next few competitions will be judged by nine chief judges in person.

From the very beginning, the game has reached a fever pitch.The 16 people participating in the competition are all famous top chefs in the country.Among them, the dark horse Xiao Junliang is the most impressive. No one would have thought that this little-known chef would be able to make it this far.

The rules of the competition are stricter than at the beginning. All chefs compete at the same time, and no opponent is assigned. No matter how delicious the food is, only the top eight will be selected.

At the same time, in order to ensure the fairness of the competition, all the contestants are covered with soundproof black boxes, so that the work room is completely closed to prevent the interference of the external environment.Of course, in order to ensure the entertainment of the game, these workshops use one-way glass, the outside can see the inside, and the inside cannot see the outside.At the same time, a camera is installed in the workshop, which can simultaneously transmit the image of the chef's cooking situation.

Yang Chen and the others were all concentrated, not daring to relax in the slightest.Among the 16 people who participated in the competition this time, their cooking skills are at the top level in country H. Any one of them may become their next opponent, so we can't be too cautious.The more you know about the opponent, the more chances you have of winning.

Several chief judges were idle and bored, chatting among themselves.Wang Zhanfeng, the president of the National Gastronomy Association, looked at the participating chefs below with a smile and asked, "Who do you think will be the champion of this food competition?"

"It goes without saying that besides Xue Hua, who else is qualified to be the champion of this food competition."

Liu Jiefei, the president of the Imperial Food Association, said proudly.

"Hehe, that's not necessarily true." Chen Luohai, the country's top food commentator, immediately retorted, "I admit that Xue Hua's cooking skills are really good. But Guo Shitao and Shu Qiming's cooking skills are not bad either. What's more, Xue Hua's performance before Lukewarm and disappointing, I'm sure he won't win this time."

Chen Luohai and Liu Jiefei have always had old grievances.

Back then, the two were competitors in the National Food Competition. In the end, Chen Luohai missed the championship by 0.3 points.Chen Luohai was arrogant, unwilling to be inferior to others, so angrily changed careers and became a food critic.Because of this competition, Chen Luohai always hated Liu Jiefei.

"Then who does Mr. Chen think will be the champion this time?" Wang Wangfeng asked with a smile.

"Xue Hua, Guo Shitao, and Shu Qiming are all likely to win the championship, but I think if they make mistakes, Yang Chen also has a chance."

Chen Luohai thought for a moment, then said: "Of course, if he performs at a normal level, I think Shu Qiming is most likely to win the championship."

"Shu Qiming?" Liu Jiefei mocked with disdain, "Chen Luohai, are you joking? Although Shu Qiming's cooking skills are good, compared with Xue Hua, there is still a big gap."

"Your apprentice Xue Hua's previous performance didn't look good either?" Chen Luohai said immediately.

"He's recharging his energy!" Liu Jiefei sneered, "Do you think that everyone is as brainless as you, exposing all their culinary skills from the very beginning?"

Hearing this, Chen Luohai's expression darkened.When he participated in the food competition, he went all out from the beginning. Although he made great progress all the way, he also exposed too many weaknesses.The rules back then were different from those now. Each would report a dish to the other and ask the other to cook it.

Liu Jiefei knew that he was lacking in heat, so he ordered a tofu and crucian carp soup specifically for him.

Although the dish of tofu crucian carp soup is very simple, it is really complicated to control the heat.For tofu and crucian carp, if the temperature of the former is too high, it will be too old and affect the taste, and if the temperature is low, it will be brittle and affect the appearance; if the latter is cooked for too long, the soup will be fresh and the meat will be old; if the cooking time is too short, the meat will be tender and the soup will be light...

This dish is an extreme test of the chef's ability to control the heat. Although Chen Luohai is excellent in other aspects, he was caught by Liu Jiefei and lost by 0.3 points in the end. qualifications.

Seeing that Chen Luohai was showing signs of an attack, Wang Zhanfeng hurriedly acted as a peacemaker, "Okay, stop arguing. It's all about Chen Zhimai's rotten millet, so don't bring it up again."

Chen Luohai snorted coldly. After all, this kind of public occasion did not explode. He suppressed his anger and said in a low voice: "As the contemporary heir of the Shu family, Shu Qiming can be said to have acquired the most authentic inheritance of H country cuisine, and even mastered it. There are quite a few gourmet secrets. Do you think your apprentice Xue Hua can compare?"

"It's just a stickler who wants to win the championship, so I'm not afraid of laughing when I say it." Liu Jiefei said with a sneer, "Xue Hua graduated from Italia Ennis Gastronomy University, and was carefully taught by me. Taking the essence of both sides, how can those old-fashioned people be able to compare?"

Chen Luohai sneered unceremoniously: "Still integrating things? I think it's not enough to make things better! The so-called gluttony can't be chewed, and it's the last word to study one thing carefully."

"I'm too lazy to talk to you." Liu Jiefei snorted coldly and turned his head away.

Seeing that Liu Jiefei was speechless, Chen Luohai laughed, looking quite happy.

Except for Wang Zhanfeng to mediate the friction between the two, the rest of the people looked calm. This kind of quarrel has happened countless times, and everyone is no stranger to it.

"President Jiang, who do you think is most likely to win this competition?" Gong Hui, another well-known national food critic, asked in a low voice curiously.

Jiang Chengren looked at the sixteen contestants who were cooking, then glanced at Yang Chen and the others sitting on the contestant's bench, and after a moment of silence, he said: "The one who is most likely to win the championship should be Xue Hua!"

Gong Hui smiled slightly, "Yang Chen's culinary skills are not bad, not to mention that he is the head chef of a Michelin three-star restaurant, just because he defeated Cui Yuhao, the champion of Yingzhou National Food Competition, he is qualified to compete for the championship. What's more, he is still You members of the Food Association of Binhai City, don't you have any confidence in him."

Jiang Chengren sighed, "Old Gong, it's not like you don't know. Now that Yingzhou is struggling financially, most of the funds and equipment for the national food competition held just now were sponsored by the big Korean chaebol. This Yingzhou How much moisture do you think is involved in this national food competition, which allowed a Korean to participate and win the championship? I think the true level of Cui Yuhao's culinary skills is the level of the middle and lower levels in the top [-]."

"Although Yang Chen's cooking skills are great, he is still too young after all. If he comes back to participate in this competition in a year or two, he will definitely be able to win the championship. As for this competition, I think it is still too early."

Jiang Chengren said helplessly.

Xue Hua, Guo Shitao, Shu Qiming, and the hidden Xiao Junliang, none of them are good opponents.Although Jiang Chengren had confidence in Yang Chen, but after tasting the delicacies made by these people, this confidence has gradually faded away.

Although the delicacies made by these people are not much different from what Yang Chen usually cooks, but Jiang Chengren can tell at a glance that these people haven't even shown five points of strength.Although he didn't know how much strength Yang Chen used to make the dishes, he simply didn't believe that Yang Chen could cook this level of food with five percent strength at a young age.

I'm afraid that the bowl of bamboo leaf rice dumplings made with Cui Yuhao is already Yang Chen's highest level.Even if he has improved during this period of time, it is impossible to reach the point where he can defeat Xue Hua and others.

Gong Hui nodded in agreement with Jiang Chengren's words, and said: "Yang Chen is still young, if he is trained well, he might be able to become a pillar of our H country's food industry. Participating in this food competition is just an opportunity , Let him learn a lot and sharpen his temper, whether it is to broaden his horizons or to play in the future, it will be of great benefit."

"That's true." Jiang Chengren said with a smile.

Everyone chatted in twos and threes. After about an hour, the easy-going host announced that the first dish had been prepared, and everyone immediately became nervous.

The first dish came out was Shu Qiming's, and the waiter brought the dishes to the nine chief judges one by one.

"Everyone, Master Shu Qiming is still the one who cooks the delicious food first." The host walked to Shu Qiming's side and said excitedly, "Master Shu, from the beginning of the competition to the present, you are the first in every competition." One is done. But this competition is different from before, the opponents are all top famous chefs in the country, do you have confidence in your food?"

"Of course!" Shu Qiming said quietly.

"It seems that, Master Shu, you are very confident about entering the top eight!" The host laughed and continued to ask, "Then can you tell us in advance what is special about this dish you made?"

Shu Qiming smiled lightly, "You will know when the time comes."

"It seems that Master Shu is very confident in his masterpiece!" The host said immediately, "Now let us appreciate what kind of delicacy Master Shu has brought us. Waiters, please open the lid. "

As the lid on the dinner plate was opened, a faint fragrance soon permeated the entire space.

The host took two deep breaths, and said intoxicatedly: "It's so fragrant! Let me distinguish, this dish should use fish, ginger, garlic... The fragrance of various ingredients mixed together can produce This kind of effect. Strong but not strong, refreshing. Just smelling this fragrance, I can't help but eat a meal."

"Please point the camera at the judging platform so that the audience can appreciate Master Shu's masterpiece."

"Looks like pearl balls?"

I saw two white balls the size of ping-pong balls neatly placed on the plate. The white soup was poured on them, and two slices of mint were placed beside them, exuding a cool breath.

Although this dish is simple, it is not simple. Whether it is the placement of the meatballs or the amount of soup, there is a lot of attention.

"It's not pearl balls. It's completely different from ordinary pearl balls. It should be some other kind of balls." Everyone thought that there are many kinds of meatballs, and they just need to poke the ingredients into a round shape. What a surprise.

However, the surface of the meatball was as smooth as fine silk, and after flipping it a few times at random, there was not even a trace of blemish on the entire surface of the meatball, which made one have to admire Shu Qiming's ability to handle the ingredients.

"What's the name of this dish?" Wang Zhanfeng asked first.

Shu Qiming smiled slightly, and said: "This dish is called Baiyu Balls. It is mainly made of two main ingredients, fish and tofu, and many other auxiliary ingredients are added. Mix them thoroughly and poke them into balls. The taste is smooth and smooth. Not greasy, fresh and refreshing, you can try it."

### Chapter 178 Top Eight
Zhan Wang nodded, and said: "Although this dish seems simple, you can see the real skill in its subtleties, but from this meatball, you can see that your ability to handle ingredients has reached the pinnacle. You can combine two kinds of ingredients. The ingredients are processed into one ingredient that looks exactly the same, and I don't know many chefs."

"Thank you for the compliment from the exhibition director." Shu Qiming said, even though he was arrogant, he didn't dare to be too arrogant in front of a big star in the gourmet world like Wangwangfeng.

"Okay, since the delicious food has been served, we don't need to watch and swallow, let's start eating!" After Zhan Wangfeng finished speaking, he took the lead in eating a white jade ball.

He tasted it with narrowed eyes, and commented with a smile: "The taste is very good. The characteristics of the two ingredients of fish and tofu are perfectly blended together. It has all the toughness of the fish itself and the tenderness of the tofu. It is very delicious." good!"

"And the control of the heat is also very good. It is cooked relatively old, and it tastes chewy. It has endless aftertaste and is a very special dish." Liu Jiefei added.

Chen Luohai glanced at Liu Jiefei, and said with some displeasure: "However, there are still some problems, that is, the taste is too simple. It is tender enough, but the taste is not mellow."

Shu Qiming's face shuddered. Although what Chen Luohai said was true, he was simply looking for trouble. His dish was specially made for people who like light food, so of course there is a problem with the bland taste.

He immediately opened his mouth to argue: "Then according to what Mr. Chen said, why is the taste of my dish not mellow?"

Chen Luohai said softly: "The so-called taste is not mellow, it means that there is no aftertaste. After taking a bite, it may be delicious at the time, but it does not give people the feeling of endless aftertaste."

"Of course I know this truth." Shu Qimin retorted dissatisfiedly, "Although aftertaste is an important factor in judging food, it still depends on the situation. My dish is relatively light, so it's normal not to have aftertaste. What do you say The taste of the dishes I cook is not mellow, among the many chefs present, who can make this white jade pearl dish mellow."

The stronger the flavor, the easier the aftertaste.This dish made by Shu Qiming is mainly light, and it only refers to the use of two ingredients. It really takes a lot of effort to make this dish have an endless aftertaste.

"If you can't make it, it doesn't mean that no one can do it!" Chen Luohai's tone became cold, "Young man, you must be good at learning your lessons. Your dish is indeed a masterpiece, but it's normal to have some small flaws .”

Seeing that the two had a tendency to quarrel, Zhan Feng hurriedly said, "Every judge, have the scores been printed yet?"

"It's done." Everyone responded one after another.

Zhan Wangfeng nodded slightly, and looked at Shu Qiming, "Shu Qiming, since the score is out, you can leave now, just wait quietly for the score to be announced!"

Shu Qiming stared at Chen Luohai fiercely, snorted coldly, and walked off the stage unhappily.

"The young people these days are getting more tempered than the other, and they just pointed out the shortcomings of his dishes. As for that?" Chen Luohai stared at Shu Qiming's back with a dissatisfied expression.

Zhan Wangfeng also shook his head helplessly, and said, "This Shu Qiming is really troublesome. He argues with the opponent's chef in every game. But from the beginning to now, the food he cooks is of great quality and quality. They have all risen in a straight line, it seems that they have not shown their true level before, and this time it should be the same, I am afraid that you are not happy with what you said, old Chen."

"Of course I know that he didn't show his full strength, but am I wrong?" Chen Luohai said, "See the real kung fu in the subtleties. It's normal to have an aftertaste when cooking strong dishes, but it's only when cooking light dishes that there are still aftertaste." It's called real kung fu." Chen Luohai's voice seemed a little heavy.

"Okay, okay. Old Chen, don't be angry." Gong Hui said suddenly, smiling and consoling, "Old Chen, there are some shorts and some good ones, not everyone is as good at aftertaste as you are. Shu Qiming You have a special family background, you are proud and arrogant, and it’s normal that you can’t tolerate the shortcomings of your own dishes, Lao Chen, just listen to it, and don’t take it to heart.”

"Heh, they are quite old, and they blow their beards and stare at every turn, so they don't look like an old man." Liu Jiefei mocked unceremoniously from the side.

"you……"

"Stop arguing!" Wang Zhanfeng said with a serious face, "The second course has already been served."

The second dish is a chef with thick eyebrows, big eyes and a strong physique. The dish he made is very ordinary, and it is a representative dish in Sichuan cuisine, husband and wife lung slices.

Although the dishes are very ordinary, the chef has added a lot of unique innovations in the production, which is still somewhat new.

After Zhan Wangfeng and the others tasted it, they mentioned something. This chef was not as arrogant as Shu Qiming. He accepted the opinion with an open face, expressed his gratitude and stepped off the stage.

Time passed by, one by one, the dishes were served.Finally, it was time to announce the scores.

Wu Bin looked at the pretentious host on stage, and asked curiously, "Who do you think can enter the quarterfinals?"

Guo Shihao said with a smile: "It's not always the ones with the highest voices. Xue Hua, Shu Qiming, Sun Rong...they are a few of them. If you insist on counting, I think Xiao Junliang may also enter the top eight."

"I don't know who our opponent will be in the next round? I hope it won't be too strong." Wu Bin said with a bitter face.

Guo Shihao shook his head, and said in a deep voice: "A chef who can go to this level, how can he not be good at cooking. Whether he can win or not depends on whoever is better."

"Hey, I'm so clueless right now!" Wu Bin sighed, looked at Yang Chen again, and asked, "Master Yang, what do you think? Did you take me out of the next match?"

Yang Chen smiled faintly, "It shouldn't be a big problem."

"You really have confidence." Wu Bin looked around and saw that the other three were all serious, curled their lips, and stopped talking sullenly.

After that, the scores of the quarterfinals were finally announced.

Xue Hua's Spicy Big Plate Chicken ranked No.98.3 with a score of 1; No.2 was a bit unexpected. It was not Shu Qiming, but a female chef named Sun Rong. She made a sliced ​​mutton soup with With a score of 97.6, Shu Qiming's pearl ball with a score of 97.2 was defeated.

As for No. 4, it is a chef named Zheng Huanghe. The dish is husband and wife lung slices, which has achieved a good score of 96.4. He is the second chef to finish the dish.

And Xiao Junliang, who Yang Chen has been paying attention to, cooks a dish called Zui San Xian, with a score of 95.2, ranking No.6.

Seeing Xiao Junliang's ranking, Yang Chen's expression sank, the next match was a confrontation match.The four of them competed with the last four chefs who had won the top eight. The winners entered the next round as the top eight chefs, and the losers were directly eliminated.

"I didn't expect that Xiao Junliang didn't enter the top four. Is he hiding his clumsiness or what is he doing?" Yang Chen thought, and couldn't help but glance at Wu Bin and the others.Among the four of them, the one who met Xiao Junliang would be the most unlucky.

"Hey, look."

Wu Bin, who was sitting next to him, suddenly poked Yang Chen's shoulder, pointed in the direction where Shu Qiming was, and said, "Look at Shu Qiming's stinky face, as if someone owes him money."

Guo Shihao couldn't help laughing, "This Shu Qiming, hasn't he been crazy before? I didn't expect to be behind a female chef. It's so funny."

"Who told him to be so crazy that he dared to confront the chief judge. It would be polite not to put him in the top eight." Wu Bin said gloatingly.

Guo Shihao waved his hand, "That's wrong. These judges are the top judges in the country, how could they do such a self-destructive thing. A score of 97.2 is probably Shu Qiming's true level."

After the top eight were selected, the host announced: "Dear audience friends, after the previous five intense and fierce competitions, the top eight of this food competition have finally been selected."

"But don't be too careless, players who have entered the top eight. The next game will pose a great threat to your status. If you are not careful, you will lose the qualification to continue the game."

The host paused, and said loudly, "That's the quarterfinals!"

"Next, the chefs of the only four Michelin three-star restaurants in the country will play. Each person can choose an opponent from the top eight. If they beat this opponent, they will compete in the next round Competition. If you lose, you will not be eligible to continue the competition."

After explaining the rules, the host said loudly, "Then let's invite four Michelin-starred chefs to play."

Yang Chen and the others hurried onto the arena, the host raised the microphone, and said with a smile: "Although you didn't participate in the previous competition, you can become the chefs of Michelin three-star restaurants, and your culinary skills have been recognized internationally. It's nothing to worry about."

"However, the other eight chefs who can stand here are not weak players. What do you have to say about the upcoming competition?"

After the host finished speaking, he took the lead in raising the microphone to Qi Chuanyi. The latter thought for a while and said softly: "I will do my best to win this game."

"I have the honor to taste Master Qi's culinary skills. It can be said that he is worthy of his reputation. The next competition can be said to be a confrontation between two top masters, and it must be extremely fierce."

The host smiled and asked: "Then can you reveal in advance which opponent you will choose to challenge?"

Qi Chuanyi glanced at the chefs who had won the quarterfinals, and finally settled on No.2.Sun Rong was a tall and thin woman. Seeing Qi Chuanyi looking at her, she stared back with sharp eyes not to be outdone.

"It seems that Master Qi is very confident in his cooking skills, so let us wait and see who can enter the next round of competition."

As the host said, he walked up to Yang Chen and asked, "Then Master Yang, what do you think of the next match?"

Yang Chen smiled faintly, and said casually: "Try your best!"

The host nodded, and asked them one by one, but no longer as detailed as Qi Chuanyi.

"It seems that all the players are full of confidence, so I hope you will choose your opponents in the second half after careful consideration. Now that the first half is over, the second half will start at [-] o'clock in the afternoon. All players, please make the necessary preparations."

After the host finished speaking, he announced the end of the first half of the game.