A truly qualified and good chef will make a proportion of the ingredients purchased today based on the approximate number of guests that need to be received today, so as to ensure that the ingredients are purchased fresh every day and there is no excess every day.
Because according to the standards of star restaurants, it is absolutely not allowed to use overnight ingredients for cooking.
Including some high-end hotels in China and the cooking at state banquets, the freshness of daily ingredients must be ensured, and the use of overnight ingredients is absolutely not allowed.
This is a great test of a chef's ability to control the amount of ingredients. He must be able to use up almost all the ingredients every day. Unless there is an emergency, there cannot be too much left over, which would lead to food waste.
Nowadays, the country is also advocating thriftiness at the table, and requiring people to finish their meals when dining in restaurants and hotels.
In fact, top chefs must also avoid waste in their daily purchases.
Therefore, Feng Yifan's final test for Lin Ruifeng and Ma Xiaolong was to ask them to be able to make a fried rice based on the number of diners and the meal amounts of diners of different ages.
It can’t be too much, because if it’s too much, since it’s two servings, everyone won’t be able to finish it.
But it also cannot be too little, because if it is too little, everyone won’t be able to taste the unique flavor of their fried rice.
It can be said that this final test has become a problem that Lin Ruifeng and Ma Xiaolong need to rack their brains to consider. In particular, they need to consider whether the greasy taste of their fried rice and side dishes will make the elderly and children not want to eat a second bite, thus leaving the fried rice uneaten.
When Feng Yifan mentioned this test, people present who didn't know how to cook, like Su Ruoxi, didn't understand its meaning.
However, Su Jinrong, Zhuang Daozhong, Shi Jiahui and the three foreign chefs were naturally very clear about the purpose of Feng Yifan's test, and they all agreed with this test.
While waiting, Zhuang Daozhong thought of old man Su Quansheng again.
"Perhaps you don't know that Ruoxi's grandfather was a very famous person in the state banquet team. He was able to do something that almost all the state banquet masters back then could not do."
This naturally attracted everyone's attention, and everyone couldn't wait to know what it was
Zhuang Daozhong looked at Shi Jiahui and asked, "Jiahui, did your father tell you?"
Shi Jiahui shook her head: "My father never really talked about this, but he really admired my master. Since I was a child, I have always heard my father talking about my master. When I was learning cooking, I would always say, your master was so and so."
Zhuang Daozhong said seriously: "Your master is indeed a true master, a top master."
Hearing this, Ning Guang couldn't wait to mutter: "What kind of ability is this?"
As soon as his brother muttered, Ning Cheng immediately glared at him and whispered, "Listen, don't talk."
Zhuang Daozhong glanced at the two brothers, then smiled and said, "Grandpa Ruoxi's ability back then was to accurately grasp the amount of ingredients for each dish. He didn't need to weigh anything at all. He just relied on his own ability to judge, and it was almost accurate. There would never be even a single scallion left in a dish."
Hearing this, Ning Guang and those who didn't know how to cook didn't quite understand.
But cooks like Feng Yifan knew very well how terrifying that ability was.
You have to know that when cooking a dish, the amount of each main dish, side dish and condiment needed is something that cannot be quantified at all.
The fact that Mr. Su Quansheng was able to achieve such quantification back then really made the chefs present admire him.
Zhuang Daozhong saw that the others didn't quite understand, so he immediately gave a serious explanation: "To put it simply, if the kitchen has been cleaned up today, but a table of guests suddenly wants to add a plate of shredded pork, normally you need to prepare the ingredients again and then start cooking the shredded pork.
So, after frying, there will be some unused ingredients left, right?"
After hearing this question, everyone understood that if you are just stir-frying a plate of shredded pork, it is impossible to have such an accurate amount for one plate. Maybe too much shredded pork was cut, or there were too many other ingredients, so there must be some leftovers.
Zhuang Daozhong continued to speak only after seeing that everyone understood and those who didn't understand were explained by Feng Yifan and the others.
"If it's Grandpa Ruoxi who cooks, the meat will be used up in the end, and there will be no onions and ginger left. He will take out as many ingredients as needed, and there's no need to clean up after he finishes cooking his dish of shredded pork."
After Zhuang Daozhong said this, Su Ruoxi and the others were actually still a little confused.
Feng Yifan thought for a moment and explained again: "That is, no matter how much meat, chili peppers, onions and ginger are needed for a plate of shredded pork, grandpa will make sure that they are used up. He will not fry the shredded pork in insufficient quantity, nor will he have unused meat left over in order to fry a plate of shredded pork."
After this explanation, everyone present finally understood it completely.
Especially for those who have cooked at home, they naturally understand what a powerful skill it is.
Su Jinrong also said: "Well, Grandpa Ruoxi did have this ability back then. I followed him to learn for a long time, but I still couldn't fully master it and couldn't control it so well."
Shi Jiahui couldn't help but exclaimed: "Oh my god, Master's move is too powerful."
As the former deputy chef of Shanghai Grand Hotel, Shi Jiahui is very clear about the power of this skill. Because she knows very well that if it is not accurately controlled, how much food will be wasted in the kitchen every day. In order to save money, many large hotels can only let employees make employee meals in the evening.
But in fact, that is also a waste. It does not mean that we should not prepare employee meals for employees.
This is because, if it cannot be controlled, the costs of restaurants and hotels will inevitably increase.
Especially for star restaurants, which require fresh ingredients every day, this is a huge invisible cost.
Zhuang Daozhong looked at Feng Yifan and said, "I know. Yifan seems to have this ability, right? So Su Ji's purchases were also very precise before. There wouldn't be too much left over every day, especially for meat and fresh produce."
Seeing that his uncle-master was talking about himself, Feng Yifan could only smile and said, "I have learned everything on my own. I may not be as good as my grandfather was back then. I still have a lot of room for growth."
Zhuang Daozhong immediately laughed: "Hahaha, you are really a cunning guy."
Soon, the other adults started laughing too.
Perhaps only Catherine, Hans and Tom know Feng Yifan's true strength in this area, which is really terrifying.
Three-star restaurants have the same requirements, so if Feng Yifan cannot be so precise and estimate the number of customers each day to make purchases, how can he become the chef of a three-star restaurant
Even now, in the minds of the three people abroad, they think that Feng Yifan's skills must have been passed down from his wife's grandfather.
A group of people here were talking and listening to Zhuang Daozhong talking about the old man Su Quansheng.
Even the children, including Feng Ruoruo, were listening with great interest to the stories told by an old man like Zhuang Daozhong.
The little chatterbox who usually talks a lot actually sat obediently in his father's arms and listened.
I have to say, what Zhuang Daozhong talked about in the kitchen of state banquets was really interesting.
For example, sometimes a young chef made a mistake, but the dish had to be served. At this time, a great state banquet master like Su Quansheng would personally make modifications.
"Once, there was a foreign affairs event and we were responsible for the state banquet. We were supposed to insert some snacks between each round of dishes to relieve the foreign guests' greasiness or to change their taste.
As a result, a young man was making a side dish that required vinegar, but he lost control and it poured out all of a sudden. He was so scared that his face turned pale, but the dish couldn't be thrown away, because it wouldn't be enough. The state banquet purchases are fixed and there won't be much extra. "
Having said this, Zhuang Daozhong deliberately paused to attract everyone's attention.
"Then Grandpa Ruoxi took action, tasted it, and then began to modify and adjust the flavor. Soon he made a very fresh and sour cold dish."
Hearing this, everyone found it magical that temporary seasoning could actually change the taste.
But the story didn't end there. Zhuang Daozhong continued, "But that pot is fine, but the others taste different. When the dishes can't be served, the dishes given to each table are different, right? Grandpa Ruoxi seasoned the others according to the taste he tasted."
There was another pause, watching everyone staring with wide eyes waiting for the result, arousing everyone's curiosity.
Finally, Zhuang Daozhong said: "The taste is exactly the same. I didn't weigh the ingredients. I just added them based on my touch. The taste is exactly the same."
Everyone was truly amazed and thought that old man Su Quansheng was truly amazing back then.
Su Jinrong admired his father even more in his heart, but at the same time he felt guilty for not being able to promote Su Ji.
Feng Yifan noticed his father-in-law's expression, leaned close to him and whispered, "Dad, don't blame yourself. You have actually worked very hard, and I believe Grandpa will be very satisfied."
When Su Jinrong heard this, he turned his head to look at his son-in-law, nodded and said softly, "Yeah, okay."
While Zhuang Daozhong was telling the story, Lin Ruifeng and Ma Xiaolong were also working hard.
Finally, Ma Xiaolong's plate of fried rice was ready. He actually used a mold to shape it. Even without putting it in a kraft paper box, he was able to shape the fried rice into small rice balls.
And he ensured that each rice ball was the size of one bite for an adult and two to three bites for a child.
After making a large plate of this, he personally brought it to Feng Yifan and the others.
Seeing the small rice balls on the plate, Feng Ruoruo and the other children naturally liked them the most. They didn’t think that there was fried rice on the plate at all, but rice balls, and they couldn’t wait to eat them.
Ma Xiaolong was also standing nearby, respectfully introducing himself to Feng Yifan, Zhuang Daozhong, Su Jinrong, Shi Jiahui and others.
"This is my barbecue fried rice. I shape it into rice balls so it will be easier for everyone to eat. Please enjoy it slowly."
After a brief introduction, Ma Xiaolong quickly ran back to the stall and continued making fried rice for the people in line.
This scene made some girls in the queue feel very strange.
The girl who was first in line asked directly: "Brother handsome chef, why did you go there specially to deliver the food? You usually don't come out, and I really want you to deliver the food to me."
Ma Xiaolong replied indifferently: "I'm sorry, I'm a small business owner, so I can't deliver the food. The reason I delivered it to that table is because my master and some of my elders are there, so as a junior, I have to deliver it to them."
The impolite words and the disrespectful attitude instantly cooled down the girl's expectations.
Lin Ruifeng was a little anxious when he saw that Ma Xiaolong had already sent it over.
Fortunately, Shen Qingluo was beside him. Seeing that Ma Xiaolong had finished, she knew that her boyfriend might be anxious, so she quickly whispered to him, "Don't be anxious. Don't you understand that the first one to go will lose?"
Lin Ruifeng was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look at Shen Qingluo.
The latter continued, "Well, in some competitions, the one who goes up first will lose, so you are at the back, which means you have to win."
Hearing his girlfriend's encouragement and support, Lin Ruifeng rekindled his fighting spirit and nodded seriously to continue cooking.
Fortunately, Feng Yifan and his friends arrived during the night market’s peak dinner time.
Therefore, Lin Ruifeng and Ma Xiaolong both had enough time to complete the final question that Feng Yifan gave them.
Ma Xiaolong's fried rice was already on the table, and the children couldn't wait to eat it. Feng Yifan smiled and said, "Okay, okay, don't just look at it, try it quickly. Our children are already drooling."
Everyone smiled and said, "Okay, let's eat."
Naturally, the first thing to do was to let Zhuang Daozhong, Su Jinrong and Lin Ruifeng's parents taste it.
After the elders had finished eating, Feng Yifan began to share some food with the children so that they could all eat first.
Everyone got their share, and finally Feng Yifan scooped up the last rice ball with a spoon to taste it.
Ma Xiaolong continued to do business, but he was actually keeping an eye on Feng Yifan. Especially when he saw Feng Yifan opening his mouth to eat, he was really nervous and almost hurt his hand while frying the rice.
The burnt fingers on the iron plate woke Ma Xiaolong up immediately and made him realize that he needed to concentrate.
Ma Xiaolong took a deep breath, calmed his mind and continued to concentrate on making the fried rice.
Meanwhile, Lin Ruifeng finally finished the fried rice. Everything looked perfect, and the combination of each ingredient was the best he could do, and he even paired it with barbecued pork, roast duck, and roast goose.
Shen Qingluo helped and prepared the dipping sauce for everyone.
Then, Lin Ruifeng and Shen Qingluo together brought the large plate of fried rice and dipping sauce to Feng Yifan and the others.
At this time, Ma Xiaolong had basically finished his portion, but because Feng Yifan had specified the quantity when ordering, naturally no one was completely full, especially the children, who were still very greedy.
Just then, Lin Ruifeng's fried rice was served. Feng Yifan smiled and said, "You came just in time. Let's continue to taste Uncle Xiao Lin's fried rice."
Feng Ruoruo took the lead, and several children raised their hands and responded: "Okay."