Chapter 2: To Sell or Not to Sell, That Is the Question

In the Lin family, there is an elderly gentleman who has been bedridden for a long time, along with three beautiful young ladies. As a servant in this household, could there be a better situation than this? In any other family, as long as there is a male member, it is certain that Jia Yi would be worked to death without a second thought.

"Frying, sautéing, stewing, and deep-frying." Jia Yi proudly proclaimed these four characters, which are well-known in later generations. In the Tang Dynasty, an era primarily focused on stewing and boiling, the emergence of any dishes represented by these four characters would undoubtedly cause a tremendous sensation

As the temperature of the pot rises, the fatty meat begins to emit a sizzling sound, followed by a layer of transparent grease starting to congeal at the bottom of the pot. Upon seeing the emerging grease, Jia Yi let out a breath without leaving a trace, as long as the oil comes out, it is good.

Um... this is a bit complex to explain. To put it simply, cooking oil includes two types: vegetable oil and animal fat. The animal fat refers to types like mutton fat commonly used in restaurants. As for vegetable oil, the best is oil made from rapeseed, although soybean oil is also acceptable.

Lin Meiyu had never eaten this kind of thing, and it was even her first time seeing it, so she wore a face full of suspicion

Although Old Master Lin has only three daughters, who will eventually marry, if their maternal family has a decent business, then even after they marry, they will not face too much difficulty from their husbands' families. However, if they were to marry without any support, the thought of such a miserable life makes Old Master Lin's heart ache.

"What do you mean by innovation?" Mr. Lin's attention was successfully drawn to Jia Yi. Having run a restaurant for such a long time, Mr. Lin truly knew little beyond stewing and boiling. Now, hearing about new cuisines from Jia Yi's words and illustrations, how could a chef not pay attention?

In just a short while, a large piece of fatty meat had completely melted into lard, and the bottom of the pot was filled with a significant amount of meat residue. Jia Yi turned off the heat, scooped out all the meat residue, placed it in a ceramic bowl, sprinkled it with salt, and set it aside to sell when the restaurant opened for lunch.

In fact, Jia Yi was thinking to himself that the household servants in the Tang Dynasty were essentially slaves. The master could do whatever they wanted with you, and you could be subjected to any form of cooking or treatment at their discretion. Of course, as long as you paid a little money to the authorities afterward, it was fine. However, if you were to rebel, even if you managed to escape from that household, without the master's guarantee, the official documents issued by the authorities would mean that no matter where you fled within the Tang territory, if you were caught, you would still end up as a slave. The outcome could be even worse; you might be exiled to some remote mountains to serve as a dung collector for the locals.

Jia Yi organized his thoughts and said: "I have been with the Lin family for a few years now. During my time helping in the restaurant, I have noticed that our menu is quite limited. It mainly consists of stews and boiled dishes, or some simple cold dishes, which lack any novelty. Other restaurants generally offer similar dishes, but we could definitely innovate.

Looking back at the meat scraps, the bowl was already gone. By the time I turned around, Lin Ruyu was already rushing outside like the wind

A light remark took away the by-products of Jia Yizhi's oil production. Judging by Lin Meiyu's reaction, if these meat scraps were placed on the dining table, they would undoubtedly become a famous dish in no time... But could you at least leave me some...

She carefully picked up the meat scraps with the beautiful jade-like book and placed them in her mouth. At first, there was only a salty taste, but as she chewed delicately, the unique aroma of the fried meat began to spread in her mouth. Her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief, yet the speed at which she chewed the meat scraps increased significantly.

Our Lin family is a kind-hearted household, which is why we took the time to inform you before selling you off. Ahem..." The old master Lin coughed a couple of times and gave Jia Yizui the most ruthless response: "There is no room for negotiation"

"Are you planning to add the cooking oil you mentioned while cooking?" Boss Lin's thoughts were still focused on stewing and boiling. It was indeed not a simple task to make Master Lin think of using oil directly in food preparation at the first instance

What is cooking oil? Old Master Lin, being a chef, immediately wanted to learn more upon hearing about a new cooking ingredient

In fact, all methods of cooking, whether frying, sautéing, or deep-frying, require one essential ingredient, which is cooking oil. The dishes made with cooking oil are simply delicious to the extreme. Jia Yi vividly depicted a cuisine that the few present had never encountered before, making it impossible for them to think of any dishes that came before it, completely capturing the attention of the four individuals.

Peat, how dare you say that your Lin family is a virtuous household without even discussing it? Aren't you ashamed? If it weren't for the fact that you are lying in bed and unable to move, I would definitely show you what a rebellion by the masses looks like

You! ? '' Master Lin's expression and tone revealed an unmistakable skepticism towards Jia Yi's words. Jia Yi has been at the Lin family for several years, but aside from seeing him doing odd jobs in the backyard and serving in the restaurant, he has never actually seen Jia Yi cook.

I will not elaborate on the specific operations; in any case, I can prepare delicious dishes using cooking oil

Joyfully bringing Lin Meiyu back to the restaurant's backyard, Jia Yi could not wait to dive into the kitchen. During this era, it was certain that there was no rapeseed oil. Fortunately, he had previously reviewed some materials. Although rapeseed, known as "yun tai," existed during the Tang Dynasty, it was primarily consumed as a vegetable. The stems and leaves were seasoned and served cold, which tasted quite good. However, the rapeseeds were collected to be planted again the following year. It was too late to harvest rapeseeds now, so it would be better to use animal fat for the time being. The rapeseed oil could be obtained gradually.

As for the production of rapeseed oil, it could not be simpler. The pressing process requires tools that are readily available, presenting no difficulty whatsoever for Jia Yi

"Today, you should go and make some preparations; I will have Meiyu assist you." The second young lady of the Lin family is named Lin Meiyu, and the third young lady is named Lin Baoyu. The names of the three daughters all contain the character 'yu', indicating that the old master Lin is indeed a person who loves wealth.

During the Tang Dynasty, pork was considered unclean meat, and individuals of some status generally refrained from consuming it. The impoverished could not afford mutton, and beef was even more out of reach; in those times, anyone daring to slaughter a cow for consumption would face severe consequences, as the authorities would not hesitate to punish them. Cows were treated similarly to humans. Thus, pork became their only option for meat, leading to a significant presence of pork in restaurant kitchens, including a considerable amount of fat.

Old Master Lin was unsure what kind of dishes could be made from the frying, sautéing, and boiling that Jia Yi spoke of, but listening to Jia Yi's articulate explanations, which did not seem fabricated, he found himself momentarily swayed.

Jia Yi, having deeply recognized this point about www.hetushu.com, completely ignored the master's response and began to negotiate with him: "Master, look, since you are going to sell me anyway, it’s just that you are out of money. Why not let me manage the restaurant for a while? If I can make a profit, you can reclaim your decision; if I can't make any money, you can sell me then without delay"

When the oil in the pot had cooled slightly, Jia Yi began to scoop it out. As the temperature decreased, the lard quickly solidified into chunks, which was unavoidable, as this is a characteristic of animal fats

Jia Yi incessantly stirred the fatty pork in the pot. As time passed, the grease in the pot increased while the fatty pork diminished. Some browned meat scraps began to float on the surface of the oil

Thank you for your grace, Master Xie

The kitchen lacks a frying pan, only having several stoves, each equipped with a large cauldron.

Jia Yi casually selected a pot, set it on fire without adding any water, and directly cut a thick slice of fatty meat, tossing it into the pot

I will take it back for my father to taste

After pondering for a moment, Master Lin's gaze gradually became resolute. He nodded heavily and said to Jia Yi, "Alright, I will give you one month. If I do not see any improvement in the restaurant, I will still sell you."

Hello, Miss No. 2, what are you going to do?

Using chopsticks, he picked up a piece and placed it in a ceramic bowl on the stove, sprinkled a little salt, and waited for a moment. Once the meat was no longer too hot, he then presented the ceramic bowl along with the chopsticks in front of Lin Meiyu, saying: "Try it."

Oyster sauce, this technique was seen by Jia Yi when he was very young. When he was a child, the pork bought at home always had a thick layer of fat. His mother would always trim off the fat and then fry it in the pan, and in a short while, he could see the lard, along with some crispy fried meat scraps, which were his favorite.

"Alright." Jia Yishuang responded readily, thinking that it was just assigning a supervisor, which was no big deal

"Rest assured, you will come to love this flavor," Jia Yizhao said to Lin Meiyu, offering a smile that he considered harmless, accompanied by a bold look suggesting a daring attempt.

"Oil extraction, just wait and see, there will be something delicious soon." Jia Yi did not turn around, staring intently at the large cooking pot. Having seen oil extraction before was one thing, but personally engaging in the process was another. Now, he was fervently praying that his mother had not added anything else during her oil extraction years ago.

What are frying, sautéing, and deep-frying? It is truly fascinating. Master Lin, having lived for so long, has never even heard of it, so how could it not attract his utmost attention

In this era devoid of any fried or sautéed foods, the emergence of such a dish would undoubtedly cause a tremendous sensation; a month’s time is indeed excessively ample.

"Jia Yi, what are you doing?" Lin Meiyu, standing behind Jia Yi, watched his actions with some confusion. In the past, when Old Master Lin rendered lard, he would usually place it over the fire to cook, then put a basin underneath to catch it. She truly did not understand what Jia Yi was doing.

In the twenty-first century, rapeseed oil remains one of the most common cooking oils, and soybean oil is also quite prevalent. However, in the Tang Dynasty, which lacked any high-tech equipment, the production of soybean oil was quite simple. Yet, the challenge of long-term preservation was significant. It is important to note that soybean oil undergoes changes in flavor and color over time. Dishes cooked with soybean oil that has been stored for a few days are certainly not as delicious as those cooked with freshly produced soybean oil. The difficulty of long-term preservation is indeed considerable, as soybean oil will experience changes in flavor and color with the passage of time. Dishes prepared with soybean oil that has been stored for a few days are definitely not as tasty as those made with freshly produced soybean oil.