"Liu, you want to teach me how to cut vegetables with a Chinese knife, right?" said Gordon, putting down the kitchen knife in his hand.

"No......" Liu Mang shook his head: "Cutting vegetables is not basic, and the first thing people who go to Chinese kitchens to learn to cook is to learn to sharpen knives." ”

"Sharpen knives? What's so hard about that. Gordon thought it was a little funny: "You don't have to go out of your way to learn it." ”

With that, Gordon took a sharpening stick from the table, leaned the kitchen knife up, and sharpened it back and forth.

"Gordon, you're wrong. That's not how Chinese knives are sharpened. ”

Liu Mang took the kitchen knife handed by Gordon and walked to the water platform, where a huge whetstone was placed.

"Sometimes, sharpness is also a luxury, and if you want to get it, in addition to having a good knife, you have to take care of it with your heart and play its due role with your own hands. ”

"So how do you grind?"

"I'm going to demonstrate. Liu Mang stroked the blade with his hand, then sprinkled a little water on the whetstone and laid the kitchen knife flat.

"The body of the knife is male and female, the side that sticks to the meat is called male, and the side that is outward is called female. The grinding method of male and female is different, the edge of the male side pushes outward, and the edge of the female side pushes inward. The way you sharpen the blade back and forth like your Western style is not suitable for Chinese kitchen knives. ”

"Rustle!" a rhythmic voice resounded between the blade and the whetstone: "Sharpen the knife not with the eyes, but with the ears." The sharper you grind, the more you grind, the less sound there is. In the end, if the knife doesn't work, it will tell you on its own. ”

When the 'rustling' sound became dull, until it was subtle and inaudible, Liu Mang stopped his hand, gently stroked the blade, and felt the sharpness of the blade with the fingerprints on his thumb.

"There are two criteria for whether a knife is sharp or not. The first is paper cutting. ”

After speaking, Liu Mang picked up the sharpened kitchen knife, pulled a kitchen paper towel from the kitchen board, waved it lightly with his hand, and cut the paper into long strips without any stagnation.

"You can try it, if you don't use force, you can cut it by gently putting the knife down. ”

Gordon took it carefully, and as Liu Mang said, sure enough, without force, the tissue broke on the spot.

"Also, it's the ability to break hair. Liu Mang ripped a hair from his ear: "Give me the knife." ”

"Oh. Gordon carefully grasped the handle of the knife and handed it back.

Liu Mang turned the handle of the knife upside down, gently leaned on his hair, and cut it into two in an instant.

"So fast!" Gordon couldn't help but exclaim.

The chef's knife in Western cuisine is also sharp, but it is not to the point of blowing hair and breaking hair.

"Wow, isn't it dangerous to have such a sharp knife?"

Gordon thought that using such a knife to cut vegetables, once he got his hand, it was not a small cut, and maybe half of his finger would be cut off.

"The sharper the knife, the safer. People often cut their hands because they have to cut hard, and the blade is slippery. If the knife is sharp enough, you can cut the ingredients as thin as paper without slipping, and naturally you won't be able to cut your hands. Moreover, in Chinese cuisine, there are many knife techniques that need to be displayed with a sharp knife. ”

Liu Mang casually took a cucumber, put it on the cutting board, and cut it with the kitchen knife in his hand, and in just a moment, he handed the cut cucumber to Gordon.

"Nothing has changed. Gordon took it, first stunned, then pulled, and the whole cucumber was stretched like a spring.

"The Cloth Knife Technique, one of the introductory knife techniques in Chinese cuisine. Seeing Gordon stunned, Liu Mang patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile.

"Liu, I want to learn such a knife technique, what should I start with?"

"There is a saying in the Chinese chef's business - a kitchen knife goes all over the world. Although this sentence is not accurate, there is usually more than one knife in Chinese kitchens, but many times Chinese kitchen knives can indeed take on most of the functions. Here, it contains China's philosophy of multi-purpose and the pursuit of the highest utilization value. ”

"The first half of the blade is used to cut. Liu Mang gestured, and Shan Jian immediately handed over a carrot.

With a quick and continuous slide, the radish quickly turns into a thin and even slice: "Remember, the blade of the knife and the cutting board are at an angle of 45 degrees, and the knife should be held with no dead force, but with vitality. ”

"What is death force and vitality?" Because Liu Mang explained directly in English, Gordon was a little puzzled.

"Well, this probably means that when holding the handle of the knife with the right hand, don't hold it firmly, but leave a certain amount of hand strength to control the direction of the blade. Liu Mang thought for a moment and explained it in detail.

"Wait......" Gordon took out his phone from his pocket and opened the recording software inside: "Liu, please say it again." ”

Liu Mang was a little helpless, so he had to repeat it slowly: "Then, the middle of the blade is a piece." It is suitable for processing large pieces of ingredients. ”

Lin Xiao took out a piece of cod belly from the crisper and threw it on the cutting board with a 'pop'.

Liu Mangping put down the kitchen knife and slice a large piece of fish meat from the belly: "Look at it, this looks like a pass." ”

Gordon took the fish fillet handed by Liu Mang and unfolded it carefully under the light. The unfolded fillet is thin and translucent, like a soggy paper towel.

"The blade in the back is for chopping. Lin Xiao threw half a chicken again, and Liu Mang's hand fell with a knife and quickly chopped it into pieces.

"These are the three basic uses of kitchen knives. As for the techniques derived from this, such as leaning, pushing, pulling, patting, reverse knife, and oblique knife, you can only practice it slowly after you are proficient. ”

"It's complicated. Gordon scratched his hair: "How long will it take to practice like you?"

"How long? Ten years. Lin Xiao laughed: "Gordon, even if you learn everything, it's just a beginner." But don't forget, there's a food eagle waiting for you in the back. ”

"Oh, if I want to specialize in Chinese food, how long will it take?" said Gordon.

The ingredients carved by Liu Mang and He Donglin in the Chef God Contest are what he admires the most. There are also food sculptures in Western food, such as butter sculptures, ice sculptures, etc. But in comparison, it's just weak.

"It's not good to say this, because this thing, even if you study it for a lifetime, you may not be able to reach the top. Of course, you already have the basics, and with a little practice, you'll be able to get started in no time. Liu Mang didn't want to dampen Gordon's enthusiasm, so he replied.

"That's good. Gordon nodded repeatedly: "Next, what else do you need to learn?"

"There's so much to learn, as well as heat, seasoning, pickling, sorting...... There are eight major cuisines in China, each of which has its own characteristics, and it is difficult to learn all of them even if you spend a lifetime. Lin Xiao counted with his fingers.

"Not to mention learning, I estimate that it is difficult for ordinary people to eat all Chinese food in their lifetime. He Donglin mended the knife in the back again.

"Oh my God......"