Chapter 984: Flashy but Impractical Decapitation Slaughter Technique, But Cool Is a Lifetime Thing!

"What's wrong, is there something wrong with how I slaughter ducks?"

Broly looked doubtfully at the golden-haired bun-headed girl.

"Of course it's wrong. The process of slaughtering a duck shouldn't be like this."

"Then what should it be like?"

"Normally speaking, you should first secure the duck's feet to prevent the duck from struggling, then secure the duck's head or wing roots, fold the duck's neck back to expose the throat, pluck the neck feathers, use a knife at the depression behind the ear or the neck, cut an opening of about 0.5~1.5cm, sever the trachea, blood vessels, and esophagus, and conduct the slaughter."

"Killing a duck, and there's this much fuss about it?"

"This is a matter of course. The slaughter technique affects the meat quality of the slaughtered duck. For example, if the bleeding isn't thorough, it will cause the cooked duck meat to have a dull color and heavy blood smell.

And if the duck struggles violently during the slaughter process, it will cause the duck's body to secrete harmful substances, further affecting the meat quality————"

Mentioning her own professional knowledge, Yoshino Yuuki spoke with perfect logic and order.

"I see."

Broly had an appearance of having received instruction.

"However, it shouldn't have struggled violently just now, right? My knife was still very fast, so I only need to hang the duck's body upside down now and bleed it properly, right?"

As Broly spoke, he lifted up the wild duck that had lost its head; the neck break point was smooth, neither blocking the blood vessels nor blocking the esophagus, fresh blood dripping drop by drop into the washing sink, the bleeding speed much faster than the slaughter method of only opening a small hole.

"Uh, this————"

And Yoshino Yuuki looked at the ground, at the dazed cute duck head that hadn't reacted to its own death even after dying, her expression gradually becoming tense.

The slaughter process was all wrong, but the slaughter result seems to be right. Is this correct?

Moreover, this isn't even the main point. The main point is that just now, while the duck was still alive, without a cutting board, and without using his other hand to grab the duck's head for assistance, Broly directly swung his knife once and decapitated the duck's head. Is this really something a chef can do?

"Broly, how exactly did you do that slash just now?"

Yoshino Yuuki shook her head, then leaned close to Broly and began inquiring.

"Is this difficult?"

Broly lowered his head, looking doubtfully at Yoshino Yuuki, as if the girl had asked a common sense question.

"This is of course difficult. Living creatures have instincts. Normally, one slash and the duck would instinctively dodge. It's absolutely impossible to achieve something like your one-slash decapitation."

"Then as long as the knife is fast enough that the duck can't even react, wouldn't that work?"

"That's why I'm asking, how did you do it?"

"Nothing else, just practice makes perfect."

Broly's number of sword practice sessions wasn't small either. Although usually he used his own hands and feet as substitutes for swords, it was all more or less the same thing.

"So you learned this skill by frequently slaughtering ducks like this?"

Yoshino Yuuki curiously pursued the question. Broly's answer was actually within her expectations, but what surprised this girl a little was that there was actually someone who would practice this decapitation-style duck slaughter method like this.

"No, I don't eat duck much, and I rarely cook duck myself."

"Then how did you learn it?"

"I know a bit of swordsmanship, and I also eat the meat of other beasts and fish."

"I see. So you practiced this decapitation slaughter technique on other livestock and fish?"

"You could say that."

Broly nodded.

"Then can you teach me?"

Yoshino Yuuki looked at him with a requesting expression.

"Ah, Yoshino, do you really want to learn Mr. Broly's decapitation-style livestock slaughter knife technique?"

Behind them, among the other Polar Star Dormitory students who had specially come to watch Broly's knife skills, someone asked.

"Yeah."

Yoshino Yuuki nodded in acknowledgment.

"But this slaughter method, don't you think it's a bit flashy but impractical?"

"It is a bit."

"Then you still want to learn?"

"Flashy but impractical is flashy but impractical, but cool is a lifetime thing. Don't you all feel that when Mr. Broly just drew his blade, there was a feeling of an ancient swordsman killing an enemy with one strike?"

As Yoshino Yuuki spoke to this point, her eyes had already begun to shine brightly.

"Recalling it now, my goosebumps are standing up. That one slash was simply too cool!"

Hearing this, the Polar Star Dormitory crowd also tried to recall, and soon they had the feeling Yoshino Yuuki spoke of.

Someone subconsciously rubbed their arms, smoothing down the goosebumps that had risen.

Someone subconsciously touched their neck, but felt their own neck was cool and chilly.

Obviously, they had put themselves in the duck's perspective.

"Teaching is possible, but it depends on talent. Those with good talent might learn it immediately, while those with poor talent might practice for several years and still not learn it."

Broly wasn't stingy with his own sword techniques, just putting the ugly words first, to avoid the situation where if he couldn't teach them, the other party would think he was holding back.

"Master above, please accept this disciple's bow~"

Yoshino Yuuki also directly cupped her fists and bowed, performing the disciple's etiquette.

And the plucking after bleeding didn't need Broly to do it.

Yoshino Yuuki took over, first soaking the duck in cold water.

"What, are you very interested in how to pluck feathers?"

She saw Broly still standing by the side watching, so she asked.

"Hmm, I rarely handle this kind of live poultry ingredient. Usually I just tear it directly or burn off the outside hair with fire."

"Well, burning feathers works too, but because I'm making stewed duck, and if the heat isn't controlled well with the burning method, it will produce unwanted flavors, so I don't use it."

"Right now, I'm soaking the duck in cold water first as a pre-wet, to expel the air inside the feathers, so that when it's soaked in hot water later, the hot water can more easily penetrate to the feather roots."

"So now that it's pre-wet, do we put it in the boiling water pot?"

"No no no, absolutely cannot use boiling water. Boiling water would cause the duck skin pores to shrink instantly, not only drastically increasing the difficulty of plucking, but also extremely easily scalding and breaking the skin, causing separation of skin and meat. That pot of boiling water needs cold water added to it, to control the water temperature between 70~80℃."

"As for the precise temperature, it depends on whether the duck is an old duck or a young duck, or whether the season for processing the ingredients is winter or summer."

"Old ducks or winter require a higher water temperature; young ducks or summer can use a slightly lower temperature. But generally when processing ducks, there's no need to be absolutely precise, so mindlessly controlling the water temperature at 75℃ is best."

"During this time, you can add edible salt to the water to soften the hair follicles and expand the pores. You can also add white vinegar, aged vinegar, or edible alkali to remove grease and soften the proteins at the connection between the feather roots and the skin."

"Even, ten minutes before the duck is slaughtered, you can pour a small amount of high-proof baijiu into the duck, using alcohol to stimulate blood circulation and make the pores open, so that after scalding it's easier to pluck the feathers————"

Broly previously didn't know that cleaning a duck had so many particulars. He just squatted next to Yoshino Yuuki, listening to this girl narrate the various methods of processing duck feathers.

Really, don't mention it. Watching the girl pluck the duck's feathers on one hand, and listening to her popular science on the various plucking techniques and knowledge points on the other, it was actually quite interesting.

Of course, the plucking process is actually very fast. It must be handled within a few minutes after the duck is scalded, otherwise once the duck cools down it becomes hard to pluck.

"If you can't handle it in the first instance, then you need to re-scald. And if you need to re-scald, you must change to a pot of water."

"Otherwise, the first scalding water has dissolved blood water, grease, and shed feather roots. If you scald a second time with that, it will cause the duck to develop a blood smell and the skin to become sticky."

"Besides that, the re-scalding time must be short, otherwise it's very easy to scald and break the duck skin, thereby causing the duck meat's texture to become worse."

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"I see. But if it's handled successfully in one go, then you don't need all these particulars, right?"

"That's right. Being able to handle it in one go is best."

Yoshino Yuuki lifted up the plucked duck.

"There are still some feathers in these places."

Broly's eyes were sharp. Pointing at the places that still had some fine down, he gave a reminder.

"These down feathers are comparatively fine. Plucking them by hand is very hard to get clean."

"Then what to do?"

"You can use an open flame to quickly scorch and burn them off. You can also apply edible wax or rosin, then peel it off after cooling."

"Then which method will you use to handle these down feathers?"

"Don't rush. Besides the above methods, there's still one more direct method————"

Yoshino Yuuki fished out a small pair of tweezers she carried on her person from her pocket.

"That is to use an assistive device, to carry out pure physical processing."

Down feathers are hard to pluck clean by hand, but with tweezers it's different.

"Perfect. Once the organs are removed, it can go into the pot."

This time Yoshino Yuuki didn't let Broly do it. She directly opened up the plucked duck's belly and took out the organs inside.

The whole process was careful and cautious. According to her, she hadn't fasted the duck before slaughter, so she had to be careful not to damage the intestines and stomach and such. Otherwise, once the contents overflowed, it could contaminate the duck meat, and in turn cause the duck meat to mix with off-flavors.

And after handling those, she also cut off the duck's butt, and explained to Broly: "The duck butt is the source of the blood smell. Unless you like the taste of duck butt, it's prohibited to put it in the pot to stew together.

"However, even if you like this taste, from the aspect of nutritional health science, I also don't recommend putting this thing in the pot together.

"Because the duck butt contains the tail fat gland and the supracavernous organ. The former accumulates metabolic waste, environmental pollutants, and fat-soluble toxins. The latter is an immune organ, prone to concentrating viruses, bacteria, and heavy metals.

"Of course, the ducks I raise definitely don't have these messy things, but I still don't recommend you eat it————"

"Is there a possibility that I don't like eating duck butt?"

"Ah, I was just mentioning it. After all, there really are people who like this taste."

Yoshino Yuuki gave two awkward laughs, then went straight into the next step.

"Stewing duck. The blanching stage requires cold water in the pot. Add ginger slices and cooking wine to process it, forcing out the blood water and impurities further o

"And when formally stewing, you must add enough boiling water all at once. Boiling water lets the duck meat maintain a stable heated state, making it easier for the umami substances to dissolve out, guaranteeing the soup color is clear and bright.

"Of course, if you find the water isn't enough midway, remedying it is possible too. Just that when adding water midway, you must also add boiling water. Otherwise it will make the stewed-soft meat tighten up————"

Simmer on low heat for an hour and a half. In the last twenty minutes add winter melon to stew together. Before taking it out of the pot, sprinkle on chopped green onion. That meat fragrance mixed with the green onion's fresh fragrance directly assaults the face.

The Polar Star Dormitory crowd gathered before the dining table once again at some unknown time. Freshly cooked rice was placed before each person. They swallowed saliva, watching Yoshino Yuuki come out carrying the duck soup.

"This flavor, still so penetrating to the heart and spleen~"

"The duck meat is soft and rotten, melts in the mouth."

"Fresh, fragrant, mellow, and thick, with the winter melon's refreshing sweetness."

"And, before stewing, the excess fat and duck skin should have been removed. The soup surface also had the floating oil skimmed off. This soup drinks up fragrant but not greasy."

On everyone's faces emerged expressions satisfied by the winter melon stewed duck soup. Broly even ate two big pots of rice in a row.

Before they could even mourn the dead duck, following close behind came Aoki Daigo and Sato Shoji's Shrimp Cuisine Medley and Vegetable Cuisine Medley.

"Wait, today is the second day of school, right? We just keep tasting dishes in the dormitory, don't we have to go to class?"

Soma Yukihira asked, touching his bulging little belly.

"Well, Totsuki Academy's curriculum is more like a university, but there are no required courses. Whatever culinary direction you want to develop in, you go sign up for the corresponding cooking courses. And each cooking course has a fixed time. Whether you want to go or not is the student's own business.

"Of course, the academy will from time to time summon students to take some assessment cooking courses. If you fail the assessment, being directly expelled is also a very normal thing.

"But conversely, as long as you have the confidence to pass all kinds of cooking assessments, even if you don't attend a single class, that's also permitted."

"But conversely, as long as you have the confidence to pass the various cooking assessments, even if you don't attend a single class, that is also permitted."

Totsuki Academy is very free, but that's said for students with sufficient cooking ability.

And if cooking ability isn't enough, and you still don't work hard to study, then being expelled is also a deserved thing.

"Next, who else wants to show their skills?"

Isshiki Satoshi asked.

"No good. I can't eat anymore. I have to go to class."

"Not Work, I Can't Eat Down anymore, I have to go Attend Class."

Tadokoro Megumi stood up and said, her cooking grades were on the edge of the passing line, if she didn't work hard, she might be gone.

"I can't eat anymore, I feel like I don't even need to eat at noon."

"Me too————"

The others also raised their hands in surrender one after another.

"Broly, what about you then?"

Isshiki Satoshi looked toward the burly youth again.

"Me, I'm only about fifty percent full, but, I still have business, I also have to go over to the teaching building side."

Broly hadn't forgotten, the text message Nakiri Erina sent him last night.

"Then, I announce, today's Polar Star Dormitory Morning Cooking Appreciation Meeting is disbanded, everyone go do your own things~"

Isshiki Satoshi raised his hand and said.

"Yes～"

Everyone responded.

"Also, those who didn't cook this morning, that evening meal will be your turn, remember to bring your own ingredients back, I look forward to seeing what cooking you'll produce."

Isshiki Satoshi said another sentence, the others also had no objections.

"Miss Yoshino, the matter of knife skills, I'll come back in the evening to teach you."

Broly also had no objections, just said a sentence to Yoshino Yuuki.

"No problem, but, you don't have to be so polite to me, just call me Yoshino."

The golden-haired bun-haired girl made an OK gesture and said.

"Okay, Yoshino."

Broly nodded, then looked toward the braided girl at his side.

"Komekko, let's go together to the teaching area side."

"Mhm."

Tadokoro Megumi didn't refuse.

And just as the two people, seemingly digesting food, walked leisurely together toward the teaching area, Nakiri Erina in the Sixth Cooking Building private cooking room was looking at the wall clock that had already reached nine forty, frowning slightly as she asked Hisako Arato.

"That guy Broly, still hasn't come yet?"

"Not yet."

"Damn it, his cooking foundation ability is no good, yet he's actually this negligent."

"Uh, Erina-sama, we didn't agree on a tutoring time with him before either."

"Then after he comes today, tell him, from now on after nine in the morning, I must see him in the Sixth Cooking Building!"