Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 350 - 349: The Final 4-Hour Sprint (Part 2)

Chapter 350: Chapter 349: The Final 4-Hour Sprint (Part 2)

At least a hundred-pound water jar was effortlessly lifted high by Xia Yu with both hands!

The ordinary audience gasped in surprise at the young man’s innate strength.

However, among professional chefs, this scene had profound implications, especially when the camera focused on the water jar. Many chefs skilled in using Chinese sand pots had a glimmer of realization in their eyes.

This water jar was very large but different from the usual ones.

"Minister Shinohara, could you tell us the purpose of this big jar..."

Chiyoda Aichi, noticing the strange atmosphere in the venue, awkwardly tried to find a topic.

"Big jar?"

Shinohara Shigetaro smiled and said, "I suddenly remembered that Chef Xia requested a charcoal stove and charcoal from us yesterday, and incidentally, he also asked for such a large clay pot."

"What, a clay... clay pot?"

In surprise, Chiyoda Aichi unusually stuttered.

"Yes, don’t mistake that thing for a water jar. It merely has a similar shape; structurally, it’s entirely different!" Shinohara Shigetaro explained, "Let me talk about sand pots and clay pots first."

"Both sand pots and clay pots belong to ceramics. However, a sand pot is made from ceramic clay and sand, and after firing, it’s coated with a layer of glaze, which makes it smooth, bright, and delicate."

"A clay pot is different. Its material is entirely ceramic clay, and it’s coarse in texture, and its design is relatively ugly... um, should I say it’s plain and heavy."

The latter sentence elicited a wave of good-natured laughter at the venue.

Presumably, many watching from home were also laughing.

It truly was ugly.

"Then why doesn’t Chef Xia use a sand pot?" Chiyoda Aichi, being a professional gourmet journalist, knew that a sand pot was the best cookware for making porridge.

Shinohara Shigetaro continued to explain.

Due to different firing materials, sand pots and clay pots also had different characteristics.

Sand pots could accumulate heat well, but due to smaller pores, their heat resistance was not as good as clay pots.

Generally speaking, sand pots were much more expensive than clay pots. In an era that valued appearance, clay pots were too ugly and inevitably evoked a strong rural vibe.

After the explanation, the audience’s doubts were not dispelled but deepened.

Why did Xia Yu not use a sand pot for porridge?

Instead, he used a big clumsy clay pot?

"That’s no ordinary clay pot..." Shinohara Shigetaro spoke into the microphone with a meaningful gaze, "The clay pots provided by IGO are made from the finest ceramic clay by the best master craftsmen. Instructor Xia chose the clay pot because it’s more suitable for his upcoming cooking!"

"Oh?"

The audience’s curiosity was piqued by Shinohara Shigetaro, but he remained silent after that.

As a result, everyone focused on the screen, eager to see what Xia Yu was up to.

"Four hours remaining!"

In his mind, this sentence floated.

It felt like a sword hung above his head, but Xia Yu was not restless or agitated. He had a good nap. Uh, actually, he was communicating with the Chef God Space to think of strategies, and he finally gained some confidence.

Boom.

Carefully, he placed the heavy clay pot on the large charcoal stove.

The charcoal stove had a layer of sturdy steel mesh; otherwise, without the right fit, the large and heavy clay pot would indeed be hard to place on it.

Next, he lit the charcoal and opened the vent. Soon, hot air billowed from the charcoal stove.

This large clay pot wouldn’t heat up immediately, and Xia Yu wasn’t in a hurry. After starting the fire, he left it there and turned to lift a metal box containing "Jile Rice."

"Clatter..."

About 18 pounds of rice remained, all poured into a clean large water bucket.

He directly carried the bucket to the tap, filled it with cold water, and let the "Jile Rice" soak for about half an hour.

On seeing this, the audience was puzzled.

"Ahem!"

Shinohara Shigetaro explained, "This is a very conventional treatment method. Before cooking porridge, soak the rice in cold water to let the grains swell, which saves time and improves the porridge’s texture! In fact, this experience also applies to ’Jile Rice,’ as its main components are still starch and protein."

Cook porridge?

The audience was stunned, staring at the young chef busy on the screen. Was he still insisting on the so-called ’porridge’ dish?

Having failed twice before, why not change his approach?

Was he being stubborn?

Shinohara Shigetaro slightly frowned.

He had already mentioned earlier that when dealing with Fantasy Ingredients, one should not be rigid but use their mind, converting previously accumulated experience and foundation into inspiration and sparks of wisdom, to conquer ’Jile Rice’ in one go!

Conquering ingredients, in the eyes of top-notch special chefs and Lin Chefs, was similar to hitting a snake at seven inches.

First, a chef must understand the ingredients.

In Shinohara Shigetaro’s view, Xia Yu’s two failed practices fell far short of "understanding."

Merely using brute force, it was very difficult to conquer the culinary world inherently possessed by ’Jile Rice.’

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

In the kitchen, after heating the clay pot, Xia Yu lifted the water bucket and repeatedly poured clear water into the clay pot.

Finally, he placed the pot filled with water on the charcoal stove.

Xia Yu squatted down halfway, turned on the kitchen’s own blower, and directed it at the vent. Instantly, the charcoal stacked in the stove turned fiery red, pouring out torrential heat.

"To boil this big pot of water would take at least half an hour! Switch!"

Shinohara Shigetaro shook his head and gave instructions.

So the camera switched to kitchen number four, continuing the previous introduction of the situation.

The head chef of the fourth kitchen, in the past day or two, had been receiving a lot of attention, was Beiyexiu.

On the guest seats, Mars and Elizabeth sat together.

While paying attention to Xia Yu, they also didn’t forget the core cultivator in which ’Gourmet Society’ invested a lot of resources.

Beiyexiu’s culinary talent, naturally outstanding to be valued by the ’Gourmet Society.’ Yet, on the other hand, his temperament, concentration, and passion for cooking were the decisive factors that made the ’Gourmet Society’ willing to invest heavily in him.

"Beiyexiu, 30 years old, was noticed by our ’Gourmet Society’ ten years ago. At that time, he was only a helper chef at a roadside popular restaurant, almost clueless about cooking. His culinary talent wasn’t outstanding on our list, but his temperament ranked among the top."

Mars spoke quietly to Elizabeth, "Out of the total eighty-eight people on that cultivation list, only he has reached his current level. If he can pass the special-grade assessment, our previous broad investment will pay off in one go."

Training a Special Chef was extremely difficult.

Not to mention culinary skills, just regarding the ’chef’s heart,’ if the temperament didn’t meet the standard, one could never comprehend it.

Elizabeth nodded, said nothing, and stared at the man exuding a crazy aura on the screen.

His hair was disheveled.

His originally fair and handsome face was contorted.

Bloodshot veins crawled through his eyes.

In front of him, a stockpot was steaming profusely.

The camera focused on the stockpot, and the ingredients submerged in the clear broth came into the viewer’s sight.

Celery, onion, carrot...