"Alright, it's getting late. Go back to sleep. You need to be up at six tomorrow morning. My training is very demanding!"
Seeing Nakiri Alice eager to ask more, Dylan suddenly put on a stern face. There would be plenty of time later; discussions about cooking could happen anytime, no need to fixate on this very moment.
Of course, the more crucial reason was that he was sleepy.
"Mm, goodnight."
Hearing Dylan's words, Nakiri Alice still felt a bit unsatisfied, but considering the strictness of tomorrow's training, she nodded and reluctantly returned to her room.
Watching the girl's retreating back, Dylan casually switched off the light.
More than a day had passed since he'd crossed over, and his mental energy had long reached its limit. It wasn't long before he drifted off into dreams.
"Your knife skills are too poor, and your control over heat is lacking! Starting this afternoon, add 100 sets of knife skill practice. No dinner until you finish!"
"Eh? How could you!"
Looking at the cucumber slices before him – some 1mm thick, some 1.3mm, some 0.8mm, with a maximum difference of 0.5mm – Dylan's eyebrow twitched. If this girl were in the Dark Culinary World, she absolutely wouldn't survive a single episode!
Trash like this, lacking culinary talent, could only become firewood for the Dark Culinary World!
"Don't stand there snivelling! After the 100 sets of practice, the maximum error must not exceed 0.2 millimeters, or you'll do another 100 sets!"
Seeing Nakiri Alice pouting, seemingly trying to act cute, Dylan's expression remained unchanged.
He was already being quite merciful. If this were the Dark Culinary World, the whip would likely have already struck her face.
Those who had lost their qualification as chefs due to lack of skill, relegated to being mere firewood for the Dark Culinary World, were naturally incredibly jealous of those with the potential to become chefs. Thus, their training methods were exceptionally harsh.
After rising through the ranks, the first thing most Dark Culinary World chefs did was eliminate their former trainers, thereby welcoming their own new beginning.
"Okay, I understand. I'll work hard!"
Hearing Dylan's ultimatum, Nakiri Alice's heart skipped a few beats.
"Faster! At this pace, you won't finish 100 sets even by midnight!"
Dylan stood beside her with a severe expression, watching as Alice slowed down, meticulously examining each slice of cucumber. He couldn't resist tapping his finger on the table.
"Mmm..."
In the kitchen, the large and small figures stood side by side. Nakiri Alice's technique genuinely disappointed Dylan somewhat. No wonder she ended up pursuing molecular gastronomy; turns out she was just bad at the basics.
However, by following his training regimen, becoming a Special Grade Chef before the age of 15 was still feasible. After all, in the Dark Culinary World, Special Grade Chefs were practically a dime a dozen.
It was only because Liu Maoxing had that so-called protagonist halo, with the entire story revolving around him, that he could continuously defeat masters from the Dark Culinary World.
And so, Nakiri Alice's arduous training began quietly. She trained frantically almost every day, covering everything from knife skills to frying and cooking techniques. Dylan taught her foundational culinary skills from scratch, setting extremely high standards for each one.
This was the bedrock of a skyscraper; only by laying a broad and solid foundation could one build a towering structure!
As time went by, Nakiri Alice's culinary skills improved visibly. Firstly, her cutting speed doubled compared to the beginning, and her cuts were both fast and precise.
Secondly, her grasp of cooking heat became appropriate, and she developed an intuition for the timing of dishes. And all this progress occurred in just two months.
"Mom, Master Dylan, this is the Squirrel Mandarin Fish I made."
Placing the golden-coloured Squirrel Mandarin Fish, generously coated in sauce, onto the dining table, Nakiri Alice wore a serious expression, a hint of nervousness betraying itself in her eyes.
Today marked Dylan's third month at the Nakiri household. To assess Alice's progress, Nakiri Leonora had specifically set aside a full day, sitting with Dylan at the dining table, awaiting the meal.
"This looks truly wonderful! The glaze is bright and lustrous, and the fish looks incredibly crispy. A dish like this definitely won't taste bad!"
Looking at the dish presented, Nakiri Leonora's eyes instantly lit up, and she couldn't help but praise it.
"The colour is lacking. You were reluctant to add enough oil when making the thickening slurry, weren't you? I must have told you more than once, for dishes requiring a poured sauce like this, you need to drizzle hot oil in small amounts multiple times as the sauce finishes. This not only makes the colour brighter but also makes the texture smoother."
Unlike Nakiri Leonora, who doted on Alice, Dylan immediately pointed out the critical issue, his brow furrowing.
"I... I felt that adding so much oil would be too greasy, so I added it one or two fewer times."
"I don't care what you feel. Innovation is acceptable, but it must be beneficial. You could replace the tomato paste used in the sauce with other sweet-and-sour fruits to change the dish's flavour profile to some extent – that's innovation."
"But changing the correct method based on personal ideas, thereby worsening the dish's taste, simply means you haven't mastered the craft properly. Out in the world, people will laugh at you for that."
"Also, regarding your point about too much oil making it greasy."
"I don't know where you learned that, but a good sauce incorporates the oil without appearing oily. That's one reason I told you to drizzle hot oil. Your technique should also involve pushing with the spoon; this helps the sauce and oil emulsify better."
"Sorry. It won't happen again."
Hearing Alice's excuse, Dylan began his stern lecture. Having been a teacher for two months, he had acquired an air of authority, enough that the young girl, feeling his gaze, couldn't help but hide behind her mother.
"Little brother Dylan is certainly strict, isn't he? Let's try the fish first."
Patting Nakiri Alice's head, Nakiri Leonora smiled, smoothing things over. She proactively picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of fish, and placed it in her mouth.
"Delicious! The fish is crispy, the sauce is sweet and sour. The winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and green peas mixed in the sauce add another layer of flavour."
An expression of enjoyment spread across her face. Nakiri Leonora patted Alice's head beside her, her eyes filled with joy. To grow so much in just two months – choosing Dylan as a teacher was truly the right decision!
"These green peas... you blanched them together with the bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and carrots, didn't you? You shouldn't have taken that shortcut. Green peas change colour; after blanching, they must be cooled separately in cold water. Without cooling, the colour won't look good."
"Alice, you must remember: details determine success. In any field, if you want to reach the very top, it's never easy."
"I understand, Master Dylan!"
This time, Nakiri Alice came forward to stand before Dylan, looked him in the face, and nodded seriously. She had been nervous earlier and had forgotten that step.
"Aside from that, your knife work and the degree of frying are quite good. There are commendable aspects. My time teaching you these past months hasn't been wasted."
Reaching out, Dylan gently ruffled the little girl's head, his voice softening. Reaching this stage in two months was acceptable, he supposed.
However, if this dish were presented in the Dark Culinary World, the plate itself would probably be smashed to pieces, and the chef who made it forced to kneel and eat it off the floor.
____________
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