Chapter 823 - 727: Maxing Out Zhao Meng’s Personal Skills (2)

His wrist has an old injury, making him unsuitable for heavy wok-tossing work for extended periods.

So whenever this type of cooking operation is involved, it’s assigned to Sun Qingning to complete.

However, for certain ingredients that require high control of heat and timing, Fu Yu is needed to step in and help with the cooking.

But now, taking orders is different from before; Fu Yu is no longer the unsung back-of-the-kitchen cook.

Even though he’s merely been made a regular employee without a specific title, the attitude of his colleagues and some customers towards him has significantly changed.

After all, Fu Yu has become a chef recognized by many customers, who are very satisfied with the taste of the dishes he cooks.

Therefore, when placing orders, they often specifically ask for Fu Yu to cook.

Sometimes, the order taker would deliver the order and specifically convey the customer’s requirements:

"Chef Fu, this long-time customer’s order has a note that says the braised pomfret last time was particularly good! They’ve ordered it again this time and want the same flavor as last time."

"Chef Fu, for the charcoal grilled oysters, the customer wants extra garlic paste like last time, with bigger chunks, saying it tastes better!"

...

Zhao Meng felt entirely assured handing the order to Fu Yu.

He just spent quite a bit of time chatting with Chef Hao in the front hall, causing a backlog of orders seen piling up, with everyone in the kitchen being busy, creating a bustling work atmosphere.

Fu Yu has always worked methodically, and after spending a lot of time beside him, Zhang Jinyu developed quite a bit of rapport with him.

While cooking, just a look or a gesture from Fu Yu is enough for Zhang Jinyu to understand his intentions.

Moreover, Zhang Jinyu holds a sort of mysterious trust toward Fu Yu.

In the course of work, regardless of what task Fu Yu assigns, he would immediately carry it out unconditionally.

Because he’s convinced that what Fu Yu says is bound to be correct.

Busy and bustling, they managed to get through the peak lunch time when customers flood in.

After having lunch in the afternoon, Zhao Meng pulled Fu Yu aside once he left the dining room: "Hey, I’ve got something to discuss with you."

Fu Yu was startled and turned around curiously asking: "What is it?"

Zhao Meng glanced around to make sure no one was passing by, and then whispered: "I noticed your knotting technique is quite special, was it taught by your mentor?"

Fu Yu nodded: "Yeah, it was. Why?"

Zhao Meng hesitated a bit but still said: "Well, since we have some free time now, could you teach me that knotting technique, how about it? I think it looks quite impressive."

[Ding! Task from NPC Chef Zhao Meng: Teach Zhao Meng the special knotting technique. Task completion reward: Choose any of Zhao Meng’s personal skills to learn]

Fu Yu was momentarily stunned.

This time the reward for the task is quite generous!

Just by teaching Zhao Meng how to knot, he can learn one of Zhao Meng’s personal skills.

Isn’t this mutual learning between two people?

Not bad, not bad!

Even without the task reward, Fu Yu certainly wouldn’t refuse Zhao Meng’s request.

But when a bonus reward accompanies a request, it’s all the more reason not to refuse.

Fu Yu quickly said: "No problem! Let me teach you right now."

Though the special knotting method was taught by Liu Yunong, it doesn’t involve any secret techniques of Liu Family Cuisine.

It’s merely a handy little trick for cooking operations.

In Fu Yu’s view, while the knotting technique appears trivial, it is quite practical and handy when truly put into use.

Back when Fu Yu was learning culinary operations, he discovered that although aspects like control of heat and timing are emphasized by many, most people only have a rough understanding of the general handling of these aspects for various ingredients under different cooking methods.

For instance, boiling in hot water for several minutes, slow simmering on low heat, or rapid boiling to reduce the broth.

However, regarding more detailed aspects such as boiling for four minutes and thirty-five seconds versus five minutes and thirty-five seconds, although both are around five minutes, the resulting texture and effect of the boiled ingredients differ.

Most people don’t take this seriously!

They might think that deviating by those few dozen seconds is insignificant, having little impact on subsequent cooking.

After all, managing heat and timing during cooking is inherently without fixed standards.

Real cooking relies largely on personal experience for judgment.

Certainly, no one operates with a stopwatch; that’s impractical.

However, the difference in a chef’s technique often lies in these details.

Since ultimately, even with identical ingredients, seasonings, and steps, there can still be slight taste differences in the finished dish.

Zhao Meng taking the initiative to learn this knotting technique, such detailed operation, is truly remarkable.

The two went back to the kitchen together; Gu Yunwu happened to walk towards them.

He was about to rest but took an order from a regular customer, kept busy until now, and finally found time to rest and grab a bite.

Gu Yunwu said with a smile: "Hey, Xiaofu, ready to learn something new from your Chef Zhao again?"

Early on, Zhao Meng used to guide Fu Yu as they would grab lunch together; he’d casually offer a few pointers.

Fu Yu chuckled: "Not at all, Chef Gu, this time it’s Chef Zhao learning from me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Meng gave him a playful smack on the back of his head.

Gu Yunwu also laughed heartily: "You cheeky fellow, daring to joke about Chef Zhao! But you’re learning well, Old Zhao has tons of skills you can pick up."

Fu Yu nodded; indeed, that’s true.

Currently, having just started with culinary operations and with few skills at an advanced level, he has to rely on various recipes for support just to manage.

Casually following Zhao Meng to brush up on personal skills sounds great...

With that, Fu Yu silently set a small goal for himself: work hard to fully learn all Zhao Meng’s personal skills!

...

In the kitchen, the commonly used rope for knotting is hemp string.

Fu Yu retrieved two cleaned hens from storage and started demonstrating how to tie knots and bind them for Zhao Meng.

Once binding began, Fu Yu picked up the hemp string and explained to Zhao Meng while operating: "First, cross the hemp fibers, winding both ends and pulling them tight, then cross again. Above the crossing, wind once more. At this point, if there’s an error in the winding technique, it results in an amateurish flat knot, so be particularly careful. Watch this carefully, hold both ends of the string and pull tightly."

Zhao Meng listened intently, and when Fu Yu was operating, he picked up a hemp string too. Instead of rushing into operation, he mimicked Fu Yu’s movements in the air, enhancing memory while not obstructing the learning process.

Fu Yu slightly shifted, allowing Zhao Meng a better view: "Mistakes in the winding method can result in an incomplete slip knot; pulling hard will cause it to come undone. If the knot is too tight, it’s difficult to untie, but holding both ends of the string and pulling firmly will easily undo it."

"Once bound this way, the chicken is less likely to scatter when frying, helping maintain its shape, and when the dish is served, customers can easily untie it without affecting the presentation of the whole chicken."

While teaching Zhao Meng the binding process, Fu Yu didn’t hold anything back; he explained thoroughly.

Zhao Meng is serious and meticulous when it comes to culinary skills, and he was learning earnestly.

Fu Yu’s knotting method is quite innovative, yet for Zhao Meng, executing it wasn’t too challenging.

Moreover, this knotting technique, due to its distinctiveness, once the specific steps are mastered, it becomes much more convenient than ordinary methods of binding.

This technique not only keeps the whole chicken intact but it also allows for easy unraveling of the string with a gentle tug.

It’s highly practical, with particularly great results.