Free Web NovelChapter 526: Chapter 438: The Heavy Cleaver and Chef’s Basic Skills
Lin stared blankly at the huge bamboo shoot on her cutting board, looking a bit at a loss.
When it was in front of Chef Lin, it didn’t seem that big, so why does it feel like it’s doubled in size now that it’s in front of me?
This size, I guess it’s even bigger than my head?
It’s not the first time she’s seen bamboo shoots. She saw pandas eating them when Daniel took her to the zoo, and she knew back then that this pointy thing was baby bamboo.
She just didn’t expect that this thing could actually be used in cooking.
So, rounding it up, I’m on the same level as pandas?
She reached out, mimicking Lin Chen’s earlier movements, and took up the heavy knife, aiming a forceful chop at the base of the bamboo shoot.
"Crack."
The knife got stuck in the middle of the bamboo shoot and didn’t slice through it as she had imagined.
Lin looked at Lin Chen awkwardly, feeling rather helpless.
Even though she had run through the whole operation process in her mind, she got stuck on the first step.
Lin Chen blinked and said with some amusement, "You’re not very strong, and it’s your first time using a Chinese kitchen knife. It’s normal to be hesitant to use force. Just lift the knife and chop it once or twice more, no need to pull it out."
Lin nodded, gripping the handle and lifting the knife again, and sure enough, the bamboo shoot was raised into the air with it.
"Thud."
With a dull thud, the bamboo shoot slammed heavily onto the cutting board. The sharp knife sliced all the way through with the momentum, emitting a crisp ’tah’ sound.
The dark brown base of the bamboo shoot was cut open, revealing the light yellow bamboo shoot core inside, which faintly emitted a fragrance.
Lin shook her hand, which was a bit numb from the shock, then gripped the knife again, using the base of the knife to cut through the bamboo shoot’s surface, slicing straight ahead along the curve to the tip of the bamboo shoot.
With both hands, she pried open the cut seam, and with just a gentle pull, the overlapping layers of bamboo shells peeled off, revealing the tender shoots inside, resembling little pyramids.
Then she used a peeler to shave off the terraced, hardened outer layer slightly, making the whole tender shoot surface smooth again, marking the completion of the first step.
"Phew..."
Lin breathed a sigh of relief, not expecting that handling this thing would be even more difficult than she imagined. The hardness of the bamboo shoot’s skin and the feel of peeling it were unlike any other ingredients she came across in her daily life.
How did the Great Xia People discover that the middle of baby bamboo is edible? Could it be that they simply saw pandas eating it and thought they’d give it a try themselves?
She had never tasted bamboo shoots before and picked up a piece of freshly peeled tender bamboo shoot skin to taste. It was crisp with a plant-like fragrance, and there was a slight bitterness and sweetness to it.
She couldn’t tell whether it tasted good or not; it was just a bit strange.
Maybe it’s because it hasn’t been cooked yet?
Lin didn’t develop any prejudice against bamboo shoots as an ingredient because of this. She understood how greatly cooking could alter the overall taste of an ingredient, though she was merely puzzled about how pandas would like eating something with this flavor.
After peeling off the outer skin, the next step, dicing, was the main focus.
How to cut the bamboo shoot into uniform, small pea-sized cubes would be the biggest challenge she faced in her culinary skills.
The shape of the bamboo shoot was like a horn, wide at the bottom and pointed at the top, with a slight curve.
If she hadn’t watched Lin Chen cut the shoot for quite a while, she wouldn’t have been able to imagine how to handle an ingredient of this shape just by herself.
First, cut off the pointy top with one chop, slice the slender part into sections, and cut the thicker part in half and then into the same size.
The remaining bamboo shoot base wasn’t too difficult. Slice it vertically into equally thick fine slices, then into shreds, and finally into cubes.
As long as the bamboo cubes were roughly the same size, there was no requirement for them to be the exact same shape.
Holding such a heavy kitchen knife in her hand made her extremely uncomfortable. With just cutting a single shoot, her wrist and palm began to feel a dull, aching pain, almost like cramping.
Putting these discomforts aside, the feeling of the Chinese kitchen knife truly opened a new door in her heart.
Although it felt overly heavy to grip, correspondingly, it made cutting much easier.
The knife’s own weight would drive the blade downward, effortlessly cutting through ingredients. Unlike a Western knife, which requires force throughout, and sometimes you even have to draw with the tip to slice through food.
Lin proudly shoveled the diced bamboo with the blade into a bowl and handed it to Lin Chen, watching him with bated breath, not daring to even let out a big breath.
Lin Chen just glanced at it faintly, nodded, and said, "Not bad. It seems like you do cook at home sometimes; it’s just that the speed needs to be picked up."
As he spoke, his hands never stopped moving. Even though his eyes didn’t look, his hand held the kitchen knife as if it had eyes, swiftly slicing the bamboo into evenly thick slices with a few strokes.
"Tah, tah, tah."
"Tah, tah, tah."
The blade flew up and down, making rhythmic sounds.
In the span of just a single sentence, a whole tender bamboo shoot was turned into tiny dices.
Lin Chen didn’t go to stir the bamboo shoots, but picked up another bamboo shoot and continued chopping.
He had observed Lin’s entire process; it wasn’t wrong, but her method still adhered to the concept of home cooking, with no consideration for efficiency.
Restaurant operations are completely different from home cooking. In large-scale prepping, every saved movement can result in significant time savings.
If every bamboo shoot requires skinning, peeling, prepping, and plating, the time wasted in between seems insignificant, maybe seven or eight seconds.
But if you multiply that by one hundred, two hundred, five hundred, and so on, the accumulated time becomes a very large figure.
At this moment, he and Old Chen were operating in a kind of assembly line mode.
First process the entire basin of bamboo shoots, then prep them, ensuring that only one task is being done at the same time, which can save a lot of seemingly small amounts of time.
This little trick is also an easily overlooked detail.
On the surface, both methods look like the same steps, but once you actually start working, you realize just how much more efficient one is than the other.
This is one of the main reasons why many Great Xia chefs working abroad are more efficient than other chefs.
Most foreign chefs, especially white ones, prefer to slack off.
They don’t truly enjoy working; they just want to muddle through for welfare, doing as little as possible.
Only top-tier restaurants with professional chef teams maximize kitchen efficiency, where everyone operates at this level.
"Alright chef, I understand!"
Lin beamed with a radiant smile, her white teeth gleaming in the light.
Nothing gave her more confidence and motivation than Lin Chen’s approval. Immediately, she joyfully grabbed the metal bowl and trotted back to her spot to continue working.
Having watched for so long, she naturally understood the kind of operational model Lin Chen and Old Chen were using.
Moments before, she had cut just one bamboo shoot simply to get a feel for it and have the Head Chef assess whether it met the standard.
Seeing his sister quickly integrated into kitchen work, watching quietly from a distance, Daniel felt a reassuring smile spread across his face.
Without saying a word, he quietly exited the kitchen, secured the equipment, and drove the delivery truck to the front parking spot to avoid hindering other suppliers from unloading.
He was bold enough to bring Lin over today, not sneaking around; he’d given Wang Aiguo a heads-up the night before.
Wang Aiguo spent most of his time in the office, occasionally heading out for client meetings.
He was aware of the warehouse situation and knew Lin couldn’t mingle with the other employees.
He wanted to help but didn’t understand Lin’s thoughts, and didn’t want to talk to her alone for fear of causing misunderstandings among other employees, so he hadn’t done much.
Daniel, Lin’s brother, certainly knew her best, and since he vouched for her, Wang Aiguo didn’t mind letting her try it.
Initially, he took them in purely out of sympathy and not for any work capability.
Plus, Radisson, being his nephew’s enterprise, was like a second home to him. If Lin could live better there and gradually integrate into society, he’d certainly approve wholeheartedly.
Six o’clock.
Several pretty waitresses descended the stairs at the same time, and as they headed towards the restaurant, they couldn’t wait to discuss today’s breakfast.
"Didn’t you say we’re having dumplings this morning? What kind of filling?"
"Not sure, but I heard chef and Zhao and Chen chatting before they clocked out yesterday, and I only understood ’dumplings’."
"These days, Chef Lin has been figuring out breakfast, right? Seems like chef’s intent on grooming them to take over the kitchen. Apparently, chef still prefers running a stall outside."
"Whatever the filling, it’s surely better than oatmeal. I’m starving, should be ready soon, right?"
"How’s the recruitment going on your end? I’ve just finished the preliminary selection, nearly killed me! I’ve gone through over five hundred emails!"
"That exaggerated? I’ve only got over a hundred here; Chef Lin’s reputation is indeed effective."
While they discussed the menu, Dais and Helena walked side by side, quietly chatting about recruitment.
Helena’s promotion was expected, but Lucinda’s appointment as assistant manager surprised everyone.
Even Lin Chen hadn’t rushed to appoint an assistant manager, while Jonathan had already made the appointment, which was especially lazy.
The front hall team comprised just two people, a manager and an assistant manager, sounding like playtime and seeming so awkward.
Their responsibilities are simple too; Helena is now in charge of recruitment, while Lucinda temporarily maintains status quo without tasks.
Once applicants arrive, she conducts the initial screening, followed by a second review with Helena.
"With Jonathan’s personality, I bet someone will be coming for an interview today, right?"
Lucinda muttered softly alongside the two, instantly resonating with Helena.
"Absolutely! Since hiring is allowed, he’s really not inclined to do more than necessary himself!"
