The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Chapter 306: Chapter 305: Clearly Making Things Up

All the contestants have completed their cooking.

According to the competition process, it’s now time for the judges to taste and then provide feedback.

Staff members, following the sequence of the contestants’ cooking stations, served the prepared Wenshi Tofu to the judges for them to inspect and taste.

As the dishes were placed closer, the details of the knife skills were immediately apparent.

Some had strands of tofu that were cut.

Some were actually cut very finely, but the next bowl was noticeably finer, instantly overshadowing the former.

There were even cases where the excessive garnishes affected the overall appearance.

Going through the bowls one by one, Liu Yunong specifically tasted the one made by Fu Yu.

The Wenshi Tofu demanded strict selection of ingredients, with exquisite knife skills. When tasted, it was not only smooth and tender but also fresh and appetizing.

Not only was it soft and delicate, but it also melted in the mouth, often reaching the stomach comfortably before diners even realized it.

The aftertaste made people involuntarily praise it.

In Fu Yu’s bowl of Wenshi Tofu, from the tofu to the various garnishes, all ingredients were as thin as hair, and they were continuous.

When it is said to be continuous, it’s because when this bowl of Wenshi Tofu was served, at first glance, it wasn’t obvious, but in fact, the ingredients inside were connected end to end.

Upon closer inspection, it was as if there were endless spiraling whirlpools.

Amidst Liu Yunong’s amazement, she couldn’t help but think to herself how lucky she was to be the first to taste this dish.

Otherwise, how would she have had the chance to see this astonishing plating technique!

The judges tasted each bowl of Wenshi Tofu in turn, and they now needed to evaluate all the contestants.

As the most experienced and highest-status chef present, Dai Jinghe naturally spoke first.

Although it was just a rehearsal, Dai Jinghe’s attitude was very serious.

He smiled slightly at the camera, warmly greeting the many contestants present.

Then he began the critique.

From the proficiency of the knife skills, to the speed of the cuts, and on to the attention to detail during cooking.

He spoke in detail, precisely pointing out the small issues that the people present were clearly unaware of.

He casually offered a few insights on the tips and considerations when cooking this dish.

Afterward, instead of looking at Fu Yu, he turned to Liu Yunpeng in the second row.

”Number six, Liu Yunpeng, Xiaoliu, your knife skills are indeed impressive, with very solid fundamentals! Both the speed of your cutting and the resulting effect are excellent. It’s clear you’ve put a lot of effort into your culinary arts over the years, truly remarkable.”

Liu Yunpeng was taken aback; from the moment he found out he wasn’t the fastest at cooking, he felt a bit disheartened.

After all, he always prided himself on his solid knife skills, never expecting to be so easily outdone by someone else.

Hearing Dai Jinghe’s critique now, though it slightly calmed him, he still couldn’t feel entirely happy.

But having reached Liu Yunpeng’s age, it was quite easy not to let his feelings show.

Liu Yunpeng’s face lit up with surprise and he gratefully said, ”Thank you, Mr. Dai, for your guidance. I’ll continue to work hard and strive to reach new heights!”

Dai Jinghe smiled and then looked at Fu Yu, giving a faint evaluation: ”Number two, Xiaofu, you did well, but you should pay a bit more attention to the stew’s control of the heat.”

Everyone present was taken aback.

The contestants were relieved, realizing that although this guy had good knife skills, his cooking technique wasn’t yet mature!

Controlling the heat is quite a challenge!

Without accumulating a lot of experience as a chef, it’s impossible to grasp it precisely.

Liu Yunpeng, on the other hand, suddenly felt relieved in his heart.

He had always been determined, otherwise, he wouldn’t have mastered his fundamentals so thoroughly.

In the back kitchen of Family Joy Restaurant, among all the chef masters, only Liu Yunpeng prepared all his ingredients painstakingly every day by himself.

He always insisted on chopping the ingredients himself, never outsourcing to others.

He hoped that in every aspect, he could be better than others.

At this moment, Dai Jinghe turned with a smile to Liu Yunong: ”That’s as much as I could think of. Chef Liu, why don’t you share your thoughts?”

With a single sentence, he transferred the right to speak to Liu Yunong.

Liu Yunong looked at Dai Jinghe, somewhat surprised.

By seniority and status, everyone present should have been above her, and it wasn’t supposed to be her turn to evaluate first.

But since Dai Jinghe spoke, naturally no one else had any objections.

Liu Yunong nodded in gratitude towards Dai Jinghe.

Earlier, she was the first to taste Fu Yu’s Wenshi Tofu.

So she was well aware that Fu Yu had excelled both in knife skills and in the stew.

She didn’t expect Dai Jinghe to give such an evaluation.

However, upon seeing the reactions of everyone present to Dai Jinghe’s words, she belatedly realized.

Fu Yu was indeed too young; it wasn’t good to be too flashy at this moment.

After all, the contestants present were all veteran chefs, with both networks and reputation already established.

Fu Yu, in the future, will certainly need to navigate this circle, and during the stage of accumulating work for future breakthroughs, it’s best to remain low-key and work hard to accumulate depth.

Liu Yunong, being so astute, quickly figured it out through Dai Jinghe’s actions.

Dai Jinghe moved away from the microphone and sincerely said, ”Chef Liu, this young man is quite remarkable, with talent and a solid foundation, you might want to consider him carefully.”

Having said that, Dai Jinghe turned his head towards Fu Yu on the stage, feeling somewhat regretful.

Since a couple of years ago, he had vowed not to take on any more disciples.

On one hand, because he was getting old and didn’t have the energy to mentor apprentices anymore.

On the other hand, his current status had too many limitations, restricting him from freely accepting students at will.

Otherwise, Dai Jinghe thought that taking a promising talent like Fu Yu as a disciple would indeed be a great thing.

What a pity...

At the same time, Fu Yu was initially puzzled by Dai Jinghe’s comments about him.

Didn’t manage the heat well in the stew?

This old man was clearly spinning tales!

If they had pointed out other shortcomings, he could have humbly listened.

But when it came to controlling the heat, he could manage it flawlessly with his eyes closed!

How could there be an issue?

It was at this moment that Fu Yu suddenly heard an electronic prompt sound:

[Ding! Received +5 favorability from NPC Master Chef Dai Jinghe]

[Ding! Received +5 favorability from NPC Master Chef Liu Yunong]

Fu Yu: ”!”

What’s going on?

Wasn’t it said that he didn’t manage the heat well in the Wenshi Tofu?

How could he still gain favorability points?

Fu Yu looked towards the judges’ table in surprise.

He saw Dai Jinghe smiling as he spoke quietly with Liu Yunong.

Since they avoided the microphone, he couldn’t hear what they were saying.

But it was clear from their demeanor that they were discussing him.

With the favorability points already awarded, did it mean that there was hope for becoming an apprentice?