Chapter 413 Conditions, Choice
The numbers Zhao Xiaojing received in the morning were 2 9 6. During the lottery process, she seemed to see a large number around 290 being drawn, but the number was buried at the bottom and she couldn't see it clearly.
"The first group of contestants has been drawn. Please confirm yourselves. The second group will be drawn next."
Zhao Xiaojing was secretly wondering if it was really her when a sound came from the big screen again. Then the small ball that had been shaken out from the bottom of the lottery machine disappeared automatically. A list appeared on the first electronic screen from left to right, and the lottery machine started turning again.
All the contestants immediately looked to the left.
As the list was confirmed, the scene became noisy again, with many people talking at the same time, but Zhao Xiaojing was no longer in the mood to listen.
Because she was also on the first list, the big number that was drawn was indeed hers.
In an instant, Zhao Xiaojing was nervous and excited, and countless thoughts flooded into her head. What should she do next? Will the variety of dishes be as diverse as in the warehouse last time? Will the camera be able to shoot her cooking directly? What if she gets nervous and makes mistakes? If she performs well, will she be in the first episode of the variety show "Fresh Chef Competition"? But the audition footage has already been edited out. Will it be shown as a separate episode, just like the one broadcast in Tuancheng subway station?
Many thoughts were running through her mind, all random and random things. Zhao Xiaojing took a deep breath, rubbed her temples, and tried to calm herself down and sort out her thoughts.
First of all, the cooking time is only ten minutes, so stewing, braising, roasting, and braising are definitely ruled out. The rest are either stir-fries or steamed or served cold. Also, dishes that require long-term marination must be avoided.
Steaming and cooking are very dependent on the freshness of the ingredients. Only when the ingredients are fresh can they be juicy and delicious when steamed. But even if the ingredients are fresh, it is difficult to demonstrate your cooking skills. You can't just make a bowl of delicious dipping sauce and score points based on it, right?
If it is served cold, it seems to make sense, but just like steaming or cooking, it is difficult to show your level, and it is also difficult to make a cold dish stand out with a dish that can be prepared in ten minutes.
So, I still have to make some stir-fry.
Secondly, considering the ten-minute time limit, the ingredients for stir-fry must not be those that require complicated knife skills, nor those that require delicate processing, and certainly not those like leafy vegetables that need careful washing to ensure cleanliness.
Again, under the ten-minute limit, most contestants will likely choose stir-fries, and with everyone making stir-fries, dishes are inevitably repetitive. In such a tight timeframe, there's no time for innovation and it's easy to fail. To stand out from the crowd, you have to choose a dish that's reliable and tastes great.
Once Zhao Xiaojing understood the three conditions, her thoughts became clearer.
Zhao Xiaojing thought about the stir-fries that met the criteria again and selected four dishes. But which one should she choose? Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes, Stir-fried Pork Liver, Stir-fried Beef, or Stir-fried Pork with Chili Peppers?
When the quality of the ingredients cannot be confirmed, shredded potatoes are the most reliable choice, but shredded potatoes are not as good as the other three.
But the other three require better quality ingredients, especially the stir-fried pork liver. Once the liver is not fresh, the whole dish will be ruined.
Zhao Xiaojing thought about it again and again, and stared at the big screen in a daze, feeling very conflicted.
The first thing he noticed was Guan Yingxia's name. She was placed in the third group, which was pretty close to the front. However, there were so many people at the scene that he couldn't see where she was sitting.
The lottery machine on the big screen had already drawn the seventh group. Zhao Xiaojing suddenly realized that Bai Tao's electronic lottery was the same as the last electronic lottery. The whole process was so smooth.
This kind of smoothness is not the neat and rigid feeling produced by a machine, but very real. Even the numbers on the small balls are not the kind controlled by a machine that are all facing in one direction, but have a real scattered feel. During the lottery process, the contestants can clearly see the numbers constantly rolling, and even like Zhao Xiaojing's number, it dives down and only half of it is exposed, which makes people scratch their heads and forget that this is an electronic version.
"All contestants have been divided into groups. Please line up here and wait to enter the studio with me. The rest of the contestants, please wait here."
As soon as the groups were divided, the staff member who had just been there appeared in front of the big screen again with a loudspeaker in hand.
"Isn't it starting already? So soon?"
"Ahhh I'm not ready yet!"
"Director, I'm in the second group competing. Can I go over and watch?"
"Yeah, I'm in the last group. Can I go to the audience and watch?"
In a flurry of activity, the first group of contestants hurriedly stood up and lined up in front of the big screen, while the remaining contestants also joined in the fun, talking in a flurry.
"Competitors who have finished the competition can watch from the audience, but those who haven't finished can't, otherwise it will be unfair to the contestants ahead. Of course, if you want to watch earlier, you can give up the competition. It is still allowed to just be a spectator in the audience." The host said with a smile, and the voices clamoring to be a spectator immediately died down.
While Zhao Xiaojing was waiting in line, she was still thinking quickly about which dish to choose. When she heard the staff's words, a light bulb suddenly lit up in her head.
From the moment the rules were announced, Bai Tao made it very clear what was strictly prohibited, all of which were based on disqualification from the competition, such as prohibiting non-players from watching the competition, and prohibiting continuing to cook after the competition time was over.
But when I ordered the food just now, they didn’t mention that I couldn’t order more, they just said that the ordering time was limited to two minutes.
In this case, you can order two dishes, decide which one to cook based on how good it is, and leave the other one untouched on the counter. That should be fine, right?
When the staff sees the vegetables left there intact, maybe they can take them back and reuse them?
I just don't know if the staff at Baitao will just throw the garbage away in a garbage bag without even looking at it for the sake of efficiency, which would be a waste.
"Director, this chef always makes sure to look at the dish before cooking. If we order the dish later, we won't be able to see the state of the dish, right?"
"Yeah, we don't know whether the dish is old or tender, what's the difference between this blind box?"
Zhao Xiaojing was struggling with this when she heard a contestant with the same concern start asking questions.
"2 2, 2 4, 2 6... Don't worry, the dishes are all real shots, and there's plenty of room for choice. As long as you're quick, know what you're doing, and manage your time well, you'll have everything you want. When we go on stage, the host will show you how to order. ... 2 8, 3 0, okay, first group, follow me!"
The staff member answered while counting the number of people. Seeing that the first group of contestants had arrived, he immediately waved his hand and led everyone out of the hall.
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