radicalducati Chapter 92 Hufflepuff's Kitchen Notes
Chapter 92 Hufflepuff's Kitchen Notes
Chapter 92 Hufflepuff's Kitchen Notes
"We will not consider the standards that commercial restaurants need to meet, such as plating, and will only judge based on color, aroma and taste."
If the full score is 100 points...
The elves all stared intently at Lucas, and Professor Sprout listened with rapt attention.
"As far as the final taste of the dish is concerned, I would give it 80 points."
Professor Sprout was taken aback. Lanchi and the elves had mixed feelings, both slightly relieved and annoyed that their scores were not high enough.
Eighty points is neither high nor low, just barely reaching the good mark, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.
In other words, it's not bad, but it's not good enough.
"This is because the blending of seasonings, herbs, and sauces is too rudimentary," Lucas explained without hesitation. "Especially for sausages, which require a high degree of emphasis on spice ratios, only parsley was added during the stuffing process."
The five herbs are sage, rosemary, thyme, and coriander seeds.
"If it could be combined with cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger, its flavor would definitely be elevated to another level."
The house-elves stared at him in astonishment. No one could have imagined that Lucas, after eating just a few sausages, could name all five spices without missing a single one!
Lanchi exclaimed with adoration, "Mr. McGregor, you truly are the greatest gourmet! Lanchi will remember everything you say, and I will try and try again until I make the perfect sausage."
Lucas laughed: "No need for that, Lanchi. I'll give you the sausage recipe later. Wait..."
Don't cry.
To stop Lanchi from bursting into tears and choking back sobs as he uttered phrases like "the noble Mr. McGregor," Lucas quickly said, "I still have one more point to make."
There's another rating? The little elves were all stunned.
Lucas nodded. To accurately analyze the level of Hogwarts kitchens, it was necessary to score them from two aspects.
"That is, just in terms of controlling the heat during cooking."
All the little elves held their breath.
"Perfect score!" Lucas beamed. "Impeccable perfect score!"
The kitchen suddenly fell silent, save for the crackling of flames licking the firewood. Then, "Wow!!!" all the little sprites cheered with immense joy.
The genius chef and outstanding food critic, Mr. McGregor, gave us a perfect score!
Looking at the frolicking elves and then at the magnificent kitchen, Lucas had his own insights.
Yes, the kitchen created by Helga Hufflepuff has both distinct advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage lies in its extremely solid and superb basic cooking skills!
The kitchen and banquet systems created by Hufflepuff themselves, along with these tireless and magical house-elves... and of course, the core of it should also include Hufflepuff's "food charms" that Lucas hasn't yet figured out. All of these combined to create the most magical kitchen in Britain.
The selection, processing, cooking, and preservation techniques of the ingredients are all superb. In particular, with the help of magical flames, the control of the heat is flawless, and hundreds or even thousands of dishes can be cooked and served at the same time with excellent quality!
However, its biggest drawbacks are its limited menu, simple seasoning, and rough cooking techniques.
Even at the most lavish opening banquet, the seemingly abundant dishes are actually just repeated "roasting, frying, and deep-frying," with the ingredients being just a few kinds over and over again.
However, the root of this biggest drawback lies in the food culture of Great Britain, in the fact that Britain is a culinary wasteland!
The problem isn't Hogwarts, it's the whole of Britain!
Britain, isolated overseas, is a damp and cold island nation. Its native produce mainly consists of root vegetables, grains, beef and lamb, and seafood, lacking the abundant fruits, vegetables, spices, and olive oil flavor elements of the Mediterranean region, which is inherently disadvantageous.
Historical culture also values frugality, restraint, and pragmatism, viewing food as a means of obtaining energy to sustain life rather than as enjoyment or art, resulting in simple and crude food preparation.
In short, the variety of ingredients and seasonings was limited, and people were used to simply filling their stomachs. Generation after generation, their imagination and pursuit of delicious food had long been exhausted.
Even the kitchens at Hogwarts cannot escape this culinary culture. They perfect every step of British cooking to a ninety or even a hundred percent standard, but the limits of British cuisine are there; what good is a perfect score?
It was unaware of the secrets of soy sauce, failed to grasp the subtle uses of spices, had never heard of the delicate sweetness of Wei Lin, and could not comprehend the fusion and progression of umami flavors between ham and dried scallops in the broth.
Just like Lucas's comments on the grilled steak and fried sausage, the cooking was perfect, but the final product only scored 80 points because the spices and seasonings were not used well.
But then again, even if you use the right spices and seasonings to make your grilled steak and fried sausage taste perfect, so what?
It's still just steak and sausage; who could stand eating that every day?
In addition, in the early days of the school's founding a thousand years ago, wizards came to the Scottish Highlands to escape persecution by Muggles and needed high-calorie, filling food to withstand the hardships of wandering. This dietary style has been passed down from generation to generation by house-elves.
Therefore, the Hogwarts kitchen is like a pianist with impeccable skill, but who can only play the most basic pieces.
Therefore, the monotony of food at Hogwarts is not due to the kitchen's incompetence, but rather to limitations imposed by dietary culture and historical factors!
Once this restriction is lifted, Hogwarts' kitchen will surely create culinary miracles!
Looking at the bustling and vibrant kitchen before him, Lucas's hazel eyes shone brightly. He could hardly contain his excitement, and his heart pounded.
This is a huge, top-quality rough diamond, and I, Lucas McGregor, have the good fortune to have discovered it today, and I must carve it into a peerless treasure!
Otherwise, how could I live up to all that I've learned in my life, how could I live up to my dream of magical cuisine?
At the same time, this will be the most solid starting point for my journey into magical cuisine. Just think how much help such a perfect kitchen will provide for my exploration and research!
Of course, to do this, you need to fully understand the Hogwarts kitchen system and even master Hufflepuff's "food charms" in order to truly integrate into, transform, upgrade, and control the place!
and many more.....
All of this is predicated on the fact that in this kitchen, someone has to listen to what I say, someone has to accept my opinions and ideas, and I even need to have some authority to give orders, so that I can push forward with the kitchen reform at Hogwarts.
Looking up, Lucas saw the house-elves, led by Lanchi, gazing at him with eager and respectful eyes, which instantly gave him a boost of confidence.
House-elves are absolutely amazing! They would make the perfect subordinates and assistants! Absolutely no ulterior motives whatsoever!
Therefore, as long as I can obtain the permission and authorization of Headmaster Professor Dumbledore, the elves will definitely cooperate with me fully!
Having made up his mind, Lucas turned to Professor Sprout and asked.
"Professor, what exactly is Hufflepuff's 'Food Charm'?"
Professor Sprout was smiling as he held a cup of hot cocoa, as if he had expected this question.
"Lucas, what you are seeing now, all the magic happening in this kitchen, is the Hufflepuff food charm."
Lucas's eyes widened as he followed Professor Sprout's finger. Even though it was late at night, the Hogwarts kitchen was still operating smoothly, preparing various ingredients for the next day.
"The first of the five exceptions to Gamp's fundamental law of transformation is that a wizard cannot conjure food that can meet the nutritional needs of the human body out of thin air."
"Therefore, the Food Charm is not a spell to create food. It is not a single spell either, but a complete system of cooking magic and banquet magic. It provides chefs with powerful assistance, making cooking more efficient, precise, and perfect."
"Yes, sir! The great Lady Hufflepuff created Hogwarts' kitchen with a food charm!" Ranchi exclaimed excitedly.
The "Careful Selection Spell" automatically separates a large pile of potatoes by size and quality, and removes any undesirable leaves from vegetables; the "Running Water Washing Spell" automatically washes vegetables and fruits without causing any damage!
Lucas saw that a little elf waved its finger, and the baskets of ingredients flew up, began to be sorted, automatically sorted, and cleaned.
"Kitchen Knife Cutting Spell" guides the knife to slice the ingredients to your desired thickness and shape. "Flame Control Spell" grants complete control over the heat, ensuring every steak and cut is cooked to the perfect doneness! "Cooking Spell" makes the spatula automatically flip and stir...
A variety of gleaming kitchen knives danced in the air, their rhythmic "thump-thump" sounds slicing various ingredients into uniform chunks, strips, and shreds. Flames danced smoothly around the bottom of the pot, following the nimble fingers of the chef. A mixer vigorously churned in a large bucket, releasing a rich, creamy aroma—it was making butter.
The "Keep Warm and Fresh" spell keeps prepared dishes warm, fresh, and maintains their texture. With this spell, even after a whole day, the chocolate donuts will remain as hot and crispy as when they were freshly fried!
"And there's more!" Lanchi excitedly pointed to the ceiling, "The most amazing thing is the Mirror Teleportation Charm! As long as we cook the dishes in the kitchen and place them on these tables and plates, they will be magically teleported directly to the four dining tables in the upstairs hall, in the exact same positions!"
So that explains why the four long tables, plates, cups, and bowls in this kitchen are exactly the same as those on the college table upstairs!
"This is amazing!" Lucas looked around excitedly, his red hair shining as brightly as the firelight.
I finally understand that the food spell is not magic that conjures food out of thin air, but rather magic that is integrated into every step of cooking: sorting, washing, cutting, controlling the heat, cooking, preserving, and transporting—making magic the chef's most powerful assistant!
This is true "cooking magic"!
In that instant, Lucas thought of even more.
Freed from the tediousness of washing and chopping vegetables, the anxiety of losing control of the heat, and the heartache of spoiled ingredients, Helga Hufflepuff's Food Charm uses magic to minimize the difficulty of cooking.
On the one hand, novices can quickly become qualified chefs by mastering food spells.
On the other hand, with the help of food spells, chefs can devote more energy to the creation and exploration of flavors, going further and reaching higher on their culinary journey!
"I want to learn!" Lucas blurted out, his eyes burning with longing. "Professor, can I learn the Food Charm?"
Before Professor Sprout could answer, Lanchi shouted in a shrill voice, "Mr. McGregor wishes to learn the Food Charm, Lanchi will go and get it for you right away!"
Lucas was taken aback. "Give it to me? Is it recorded in some book?"
In less than ten seconds, Lanqi appeared holding a book about three fingers thick, bound with oil paper.
Lucas carefully took it and saw the title printed in gold on the cover.
Helga Hufflepuff's Kitchen Notes
Hufflepuff's Notebook! This is Hufflepuff's Notebook!
You just gave it to me so easily?
Seeing Lucas's surprised expression, Professor Sprout smiled gently: "Lucas, this is Hufflepuff."
"The original manuscript of this notebook has been carefully preserved as a relic of a great man, but Ms. Hufflepuff has long ago instructed that this notebook can be copied indefinitely. Anyone, regardless of which college, whoever is passionate about cooking and food and is willing to make an effort to bring delicious food to others can take a copy."
"This is a generosity unique to Hufflepuff."
Lucas was deeply moved. With utmost reverence, he opened the thick notebook.
He quickly scanned through it, trying to decipher the contents. The notebook could be roughly divided into three parts.
One aspect is the exploration and research of food spells, which contains detailed records of the improvement processes and achievements of various wondrous spells.
Secondly, there are the construction notes for the Hogwarts kitchens. Hufflepuff meticulously records how the entire kitchen system was built from scratch in the early days of Hogwarts, as detailed as a diary.
Thirdly, there are various recipes. These are the gourmet recipes that Hufflepuff invented and improved throughout his life.
Each page was fatally attractive, making Lucas's eyes glued to them, but he still insisted on quickly flipping to the end to get an overall understanding of the notes' contents.
On the last page, everything suddenly cleared up; the fine handwriting vanished, leaving only an elegant cursive script in the middle of the blank page.
That was Helga Hufflepuff whispering to those who come after her, across a thousand years: "There are two things I am most proud of in my life."
"First, I co-founded Hogwarts with three close friends, took in and taught so many innocent and lovely children, and watched them grow up."
"Secondly, it was in this kitchen that I perfected this magic that brings happiness."
"Never underestimate food. It can comfort a grieving soul, unite alienated hearts, and give people the warmest, most resilient strength to keep moving forward."
"My journey of exploration has come to an end, but the culinary adventure is endless. If there are those who follow, who share my insights, are willing to take over this notebook, understand what I have researched, and build upon the insignificant foundation I have provided, continue to explore the endless mysteries of food, to warm the souls of more people —"
"Then I will be very, very happy."