Zhang Wei looked back and saw that the person who arrived was Wolfgang.
"It's only been ten hours, you should rest more."
Wolfgang looked pale and forced a smile, "Rest? There'll be plenty of time later, but opportunities to see you prepare ingredients are rare."
"What, you don't plan to give me a bowl?"
Zhang Wei said, "If you want to eat the failed semi-finished product, I won't stop you."
"I'm just curious about the taste of this semi-finished product."
Since he said so, Zhang Wei personally fetched bowls and chopsticks and handed over the congee.
Wolfgang was not polite and gulped down the entire bowl in one go.
"The taste is very good."
The simpler the dish, the less room for maneuver. It truly tested the chef's basic skills.
To be able to make century egg and lean meat congee taste like this, Zhang Wei's skill was indeed solid!
After eating the congee, Wolfgang's complexion visibly improved.
"Good congee, not only tastes good, but it's also easy to digest. Despite the meat, it didn't put any pressure on the stomach."
"Except for the energy content being too low, there are no other obvious flaws."
According to Wolfgang's evaluation, this bowl of congee was very suitable for the recovery of the wounded, but it could not be used as a choice for energy replenishment before surgery.
Zhang Wei shook his head, "That's why it's a failure."
Fully focused.
Zhang Wei turned his attention back to the congee.
Based on previous experience, he swapped the proportions of the main and auxiliary ingredients.
Watching Zhang Wei busy, Wolfgang murmured, "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Five large pots were simultaneously lit.
The ingredient proportions in each pot were completely different.
Fifteen minutes later...
"No, still no."
"Keep adjusting."
Everyone tasted the congee. The ingredients were the same, and some couldn't even discern the difference between the five pots of food.
Simply adjusting the proportions, the difference in taste was too subtle.
Zhang Wei started another fifteen large pots, with even more refined formula proportions!
Another fifteen minutes later... Da Feng Novel Network
Zhang Wei tasted them one by one, shaking his head in disappointment after tasting each pot.
Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen...
It wasn't until the last pot that Zhang Wei finally showed a satisfied smile.
"This is the taste!"
Everyone gathered around, curiously looking into the pot.
What would congee that satisfied Zhang Wei taste like.
"I can't see anything different at all."
"Nonsense, it's just fine-tuning the proportions. The ingredients are all the same, how can you tell?"
"The aroma doesn't seem to have changed..."
"I guess the secret of this congee must be in the taste!"
"Even so, how can we guess it just by imagining it!"
Seeing everyone's curiosity.
Zhang Wei said, "I have remembered the correct proportion for this congee, you can try it."
Everyone eagerly began to eat.
As the congee went down their throats, everyone wore strange expressions.
They looked at each other, but no one spoke.
It was extremely quiet for a moment.
"How does it feel?"
One chef said awkwardly, "This... this congee is profound and mysterious, I really can't comprehend its intricacies."
"What do you think?" Zhang Wei looked at another person.
"Master, I apologize, I... I really couldn't taste the difference in flavor between these congees."
"What about you all?"
Zhang Wei looked around, and wherever his gaze fell, everyone lowered their heads.
There was bewilderment, and shame...
Zhang Wei was quite disappointed.
If they couldn't even cross the simplest threshold, there was no hope for the rest.
Zhang Wei genuinely wanted to teach them something substantial.
But...
Alas...
In the crowd, only Wolfgang frowned and said, "This congee is getting worse and worse. The original proportion was already perfect, but this pot... forgive me for saying, it's the worst tasting version I've ever had."
"I don't understand why you would choose this. With your skill, you shouldn't make such a mistake."
As expected of a Seven-Star Chef, his skill was top-notch.
If Sponge and Star were here, they should be able to tell as well. Reaching this level of culinary skill meant they were no longer ordinary people.
Wolfgang said, "Stop playing coy. I know you must have a trick up your sleeve, so let us see it."
Zhang Wei placed his hand on the rim of the pot.
Smiling, he said, "You've actually seen this move before!"
The Art of Refined Food!
Activate!
Using a specific technique to manifest spiritual power, achieving a mysterious culinary method!
Blue smoke rose from the congee, and its volume began to decrease rapidly!
Finally, only a small amount of thick congee remained at the bottom of the pot.
"It's the Art of Refined Food?"
"Didn't that move be used to make Ration Pills? Can it also be used for cooking?"
"Definitely not. The ingredients compressed by the Art of Refined Food have their taste severely distorted, making them extremely unpalatable!"
"Yes, I've eaten onigiri made with the Art of Refined Food before. The taste was like raw potato starch..."
"Although the nutrients are concentrated, if the taste is too bad, it can only be consumed as fuel and will not be absorbed by the Gourmet Cells."
"Just providing fuel won't help the patients at all! If Gourmet Cells lack nutrients, they won't divide, and even if they are saved, their strength will be greatly reduced."
"There's no need to consider strength. Gourmet Cells lacking nutrients will definitely fail transplantation, and even survival will be precarious."
...
There was a constant murmur of discussion.
Their focus was entirely on the technique Zhang Wei was using.
Since the Art of Refined Food appeared, it had never been used as a culinary technique.
It was only used in some factories to produce compressed dry rations. Due to its taste, it was disdained by orthodox chefs.
Wolfgang pondered, "You are using the Art of Refined Food to compress the dish and increase its energy density in this way?"
"But... the Art of Refined Food cannot be used for cooking!"
Zhang Wei retorted, "What is the basis for it not being usable for cooking?"
Wolfgang replied, "Texture and flavor, these two points are almost the entirety of the core of cooking."
"Once processed by the Art of Refined Food, the properties of the ingredients change. The texture becomes extremely soft and sticky..."
"For congee, what's wrong with being soft and sticky?"
Congee is supposed to be soft and sticky.
There was no concept of texture to speak of.
Moreover, Zhang Wei's Art of Refined Food had minimal impact on the dish.
The same logic applied to Zhang Wei's Nine Tripod Soup. All the flavors remained in the soup, so what texture was there to speak of?
However, this was not absolute. After fifteen times the refinement, Zhang Wei's Nine Tripod Soup had become quite thick, like clear oil.
But these congees were only refined five times, so the impact was low.
Wolfgang was still unconvinced and continued to question, "Even if there are no problems with texture and nutrition, what about the flavor?"
"If the taste is bad, the Gourmet Cells cannot absorb energy, and everything else is a joke!"
In the Great Gourmet Era, taste was everything.
Zhang Wei said confidently, "Flavor?"
"You can always try it first before saying anything."