Chapter 485 The Ultimate Skill
However, "Zhang Dashao" is not a chef from a well-known restaurant.
In this case, he is just a cook in the "Polar Bear" cafeteria.
With this status, it seems that he is far away from being a famous chef.
Don’t forget, this old man is not an ordinary canteen master.
That was when I had my own little canteen in "Polar Bear" and only cooked for the factory leaders.
Not only did he get his first salary, he was already past the retirement age, but the "Polar Bear" didn't even say he was quitting, but instead coaxed him even more.
If nothing else, this "Zhang Dashao" is different from others by giving out welfare during the holidays.
He is actually on the same level as the factory leaders.
Zhang Shihui is the most powerful witness to this matter.
Don't forget, "Zhang Dashao" is a lonely old man. He can't eat anything given out by the factory.
So after the old man got acquainted with Ning Weimin and Zhang Shihui, he often asked Zhang Shihui to go to the factory to collect them on his behalf, saying that it would be worth the money he spent on cigarettes and alcohol from the store on weekdays.
When Zhang Shihui arrived at the "Polar Bear", he found that Chef Zhang was treated completely differently from ordinary employees.
It was the factory leader who sent something to "Zhang Dashao". Not only did he get a lot of stuff back, but it was also good.
Many are even things that are mutually adjusted within the Light Industry Bureau, not even a friendship store.
Even the people in charge of welfare were extremely polite to him.
Obviously I thought he was a relative of "Zhang Dashao" and I didn't dare to offend him.
It was as if this "Zhang Dashao" was not a cook, but a deputy factory director or deputy secretary.
Is this score big?
Then why does the old man get into this position?
There is only one answer, and that is excellent cooking skills!
Don’t believe it.
If it is still a bit false to say that this kind of thing is true, then the most solid evidence is probably the human tongue.
Because the human tongue will never lie.
You will know if it tastes good or not.
To be honest, it started when I tasted the food cooked by "Zhang Dashao" for the first time.
Ning Weimin doesn't think much of those "zhuangguan dishes".
Because although those famous restaurants and time-honored stores have some unique skills, the quality of their dishes is extremely unstable.
Often the only things that people admire from the bottom of their hearts are those expensive signature dishes.
Most of the rest of the recipe is mediocre and sloppy.
Even sometimes, if these catering companies are too popular and busy, even the signature dishes will have to be lucky.
If you don’t manage it well, you’ll be eating a meal that’s not worth it.
But "Zhang Dashao"'s craftsmanship is not like this.
What Ning Weimin admires the most is every dish he has ever tasted was made by "Zhang Dashao".
There have never been any delicacies from mountains and seas. Strictly speaking, they are just common home-cooked dishes.
But there is nothing that is not delicious or delicious.
It is said that skill can be found in the ordinary.
Being able to cook an ordinary plate of stir-fried cabbage to the point where people can't stop mouthing and eat every bit of it is much more powerful than cooking several high-sounding dishes.
Because delicacies from mountains and seas are delicious, it should be made, otherwise it would be a pure waste of materials.
On the other hand, if something that is commonplace and commonplace can be transformed into something magical.
It is absolutely impossible to do it without transcendent skills.
In the past, Ning Weimin was really a bit addicted to eating and stuffing. He was just addicted to it and didn't understand much of the knowledge involved.
But after I heard about Kang Shude’s talk about the differences in the grades of restaurants in the capital, I started to understand a little bit about it.
If nothing else, he can discover it through recall.
The dishes "Zhang Dashao" dared to cook for him were all delicate dishes that required the most heat and skill.
Not to mention the pot-stuffed tofu with shrimp paste and Qiankun's poached crucian carp inside, it is a whimsical dish made with special cooking methods.
You can never see or eat from the restaurant outside.
Just like cabbage with vinegar and middle portion of fish with sauce, they are available in almost every restaurant and are home-cooked dishes that everyone can cook.
In Zhang Dashao's hands, the ingredients, knife edges, cooking, time, stove, etc. are also very particular.
Taking the heat alone, if someone else does it, the cabbage will become soft in the burnt area and the aroma of vinegar will dissipate. The sauce on the fish also spreads and can easily become unpalatable.
But if it came from Zhang Dashao, such a situation would never happen.
The old man is really good at mastering the subtle seconds of heat.
In the blazing flames, stir-fry the vinegar to thicken the sauce.
It is easy to make these dishes extraordinary and indescribably delicious.
And probably no one would believe it.
Once, Ning Weimin and Qiao Wanlin actually saw with their own eyes that Zhang Dashao used a big iron pot in the kitchen to make stir-fry and stir-fry at the same time. The two dishes had completely different tastes, different materials, and different heat levels. Requested dishes come.
Thinking about it this way, this is simply a unique skill like a magic trick.
At least Ning Weimin doesn't know how to achieve it, and who else can do it.
It can be seen from this that he forgot to fill his mouth with those dishes.
Not knowing how to appreciate or praise, just eating blindly, how ignorant and ignorant you are, how ignorant you are of blessings.
That really ruined Zhang Dashao’s cooking skills, and he was ashamed of those delicacies that seemed ordinary but were really rare!
If these are enough for Ning Weimin to judge that Zhang Dashao is a truly famous chef.
Then there are some extraordinary things that Zhang Dashao showed in his daily life, which made Ning Weimin admire him. He can be regarded as a master chef who is hiding in the city. .
What does a true culinary master look like?
In fact, Ning Weimin couldn't give a very accurate definition or answer.
But he understands the principle that "big things in the world must be done in detail".
He knows that the ultimate in any industry is to strive for precision, attitude, and make "fine" even finer.
So in his opinion, if there is someone in the kitchen who can be called a master.
Then you have to be like Zhang Dashao, who is fully devoted to cooking and has a patient approach.
In everything related to cooking, we must be meticulous and never make do with anything.
If nothing else, let’s talk about the raw materials.
The average chef can make do with whatever ingredients they are given, and they can make do if they don’t have good ones.
But Zhang Dashao is not. He is very particular about the selection of ingredients.
In addition to identifying whether it is fresh and tender, he also knows very well what dishes a certain raw material is suitable for.
Or what are the best ingredients to use to make certain dishes.
When is the best quality of this raw material throughout the year and where should it be produced.
What are the specifications, how to buy them in the market, and what ingredients, seasonings, and condiments are needed.
Its ingredients, condiments, and condiments also have a series of quality and location problems.
To make certain dishes, should you buy them now and make them now, or do you need to buy them in advance.
He knew all of these by heart and was confident.
So when Zhang Dashao cooks in his own courtyard in Huanghuamen, he has to go to the market to pick out even a few heads of garlic or a single onion.
Whether to use white garlic, single head garlic or purple garlic? Or should I use chives, Beijing scallions, croissant scallions, or Shandong scallions?
He all has his own requirements.
There are even some vegetables, such as wild mushrooms, that cannot be seen in the market, so he simply picks them himself.
Ning Weimin probably knew that Zhang Dashao would often go to You'anmen and Yongdingmen areas and do everything possible to find wild mushrooms.
Although it is difficult for novices to discover, the old man seems to have his own secret routes and tricks.
If you patrol every few days, you will definitely get something.
Ning Weimin was very lucky to have eaten a kind of mushroom stewed by the old man with shredded chicken and peas.
He has never seen this kind of mushroom, but it has been the old man’s long-term private hobby for twenty years.
The taste was truly delicious and unmatched by any mushroom Ning Weimin had ever tasted.
Obviously, it is useless to be envious. No one can master such a skill easily. It must be accumulated over many years of experience.
This kind of persistence and dedication to raw materials is not something that ordinary chefs can achieve.
(End of this chapter)