Chapter 63
After buying all the necessary ingredients, Jiang Jitang returned home.
“Activate the virtual kitchen.”
According to the shop description, some products could have special effects as star-rated items, which could be used by players and in dungeons.
Star-rated products were the main difference between the Dream-Fulfillment Food House and an ordinary store. Jiang Jitang couldn’t wait to try out the virtual kitchen.
[Virtual kitchen activated. Please select the kitchen type as needed.]
Several models appeared before his eyes: Chinese kitchen, Western kitchen, outdoor kitchen…
“Can I copy my own kitchen?”
The system complied immediately. Based on Jiang Jitang’s familiar kitchen, a new model appeared in the options.
“Also, copy all the ingredients I just bought, along with what I already had.”
The model instantly filled with countless ingredients—both his original supplies and several newly purchased bags. Jiang Jitang crouched down to check them one by one.
Sliced toast, separated into ordinary and premium quality; eggs, divided into farmed and free-range; tomatoes and lettuce, both ordinary and organic; luncheon meat and cheese slices, each prepared in two quality grades.
Additionally, he still had half a bag of high-gluten flour and leftover pumpkin and other ingredients.
With everything ready, it was time to try cooking.
“We don’t have a large oven at home; that would be so satisfying to use.”
No sooner had he spoken than a large oven appeared at a corner of the kitchen.
[Here, you can create any kitchen tool you need, even from another world,] the system bubble popped up. [Just like in task space, no matter how long you stay inside, only five minutes pass outside.]
“Thank you,” Jiang Jitang immediately understood.
The virtual kitchen allowed him to update menus without affecting real life and gave him enough time and space to improve his culinary skills.
The Dream-Fulfillment Food House wasn’t just about sitting there tapping a finger. To upgrade, the owner had to work hard—starting with improving his cooking.
The system didn’t provide instant “foolproof” skills. Everything else was virtual; only skills he learned himself were real.
It worked in cooperation with the tasker: everyone benefited. Taskers worked seriously, and the system wouldn’t hold them back. Jiang Jitang appreciated that.
Moreover, shops in automatic mode were like idle mobile games—they required almost no attention and wouldn’t occupy the tasker’s time.
Life existed beyond work; the system wanted its host to be happy.
Ingredients had already been sorted. Jiang Jitang planned to make two dishes: sandwiches and pumpkin bread.
The sandwiches mostly used ready-made ingredients; just slight cooking and assembly were needed. The pumpkin bread required hands-on effort, from kneading dough to fermentation.
For both dishes, he planned different reference groups.
For example, sandwiches would use both Western eggs and free-range eggs, ordinary and organic tomatoes, ordinary and premium cheese, etc.
Pumpkin bread would be tested with machine-kneaded dough and hand-kneaded dough.
He wanted to study how ingredient quality affected the final product and the relationship between effort and result, to determine the conditions for generating star-rated foods.
“Number one, two, three, four.” Four mixing bowls were placed on the counter.
Measuring cups, kitchen scale, spoons, and rulers were all set. Jiang Jitang adopted the stance of conducting a chemistry experiment.
A large pumpkin was cut into four pieces, peeled and cubed. For texture, the seeds and fibers were removed, though seeds would be used separately.
The pumpkin cubes were steamed, freeing his hands to work on the dough.
The high-gluten flour was divided into four portions, mixed with water, skim milk powder, salt, sugar, and spinach powder.
Number one: machine mix, then add instant dry yeast.
Number two: machine mix, then add natural yeast.
Number three: hand-knead, natural yeast.
Number four: hand-knead, instant dry yeast.
“One: machine + dry yeast. Two: machine + natural yeast. Three: hand + natural yeast. Four: hand + dry yeast,” he noted in his notebook.
Some people’s hands were more sensitive than machines, able to control dough kneading and fermentation precisely and judge timing accurately.
Jiang Jitang inherited his mother’s talent and had his previous life’s pharmacist skills, allowing him to judge dough quality effectively. But beginners should still use a mixer.
There was a saying in the bread world: everyone’s hands carry different microorganisms, so even identical ingredients and steps can produce different results. Some people were naturally blessed bakers.
Jiang Jitang was skeptical of this and trusted yeast more.
Experienced bakers knew that bread made with natural yeast was softer and more elastic, retaining more moisture, while bread with dry yeast was drier. Professional bakeries preferred natural yeast, but for home baking, dry yeast was convenient.
Similarly, machine mixing and hand kneading differed: professional baker > machine > amateur hand kneading.
Jiang Jitang had worked in a pastry shop and formally learned bread-making for a few months—enough to compete with a mixer, though he was still technically an amateur.
“Now, waiting for the first fermentation.”
The dough was prepared. Jiang Jitang rolled it into strips, added slightly melted butter, folded and kneaded repeatedly, placed it in large bowls, covered with damp cloth, and let it ferment.
He checked the steamed pumpkin.
“Perfect season for pumpkins—nothing better for pumpkin bread.”
Drooling already.
Soon, the steamed pumpkin was mashed in a mortar and mixed with white bean paste he had prepared earlier. This would be the filling for the pumpkin bread. He liked seasonal ingredients.
“At 28°C and 46% humidity, first fermentation takes about 1.5 hours. After shaping with filling, second fermentation needed…” He calculated: from flour to finished bread, at least 2.5 hours.
Luckily, after recording the recipe, he wouldn’t need to cook manually every day. Ambitiously aspiring to be a chef might have been a bit hasty.
While the dough fermented, he prepared sandwiches with ready-made toast and other ingredients.
A hot pan, sprayed with oil, left side cracking Western eggs, right side free-range eggs for comparison. Nutritionally similar, but texture differed.
He made simple luncheon meat sandwiches: two lightly toasted slices filled with lettuce, tomato, egg, luncheon meat, and cheese, lightly grilled, cut diagonally into triangles—a complete sandwich.
Foolproof breakfast; anyone with a toaster or pan could make it.
He made four sandwiches: from left to right—‘all ordinary ingredients,’ ‘one premium ingredient,’ ‘two premium ingredients,’ and ‘all premium ingredients.’
Effects differed: satiety ranged from 3 to 5. The all-premium sandwich triggered the “accelerate stamina recovery” effect.
Ding!
[You successfully made ‘Luncheon Meat Sandwich,’ one-star, feature: satiety +3~5, chance to trigger ‘accelerate stamina recovery’ for 10–30 minutes, keeps fresh 72 hours at room temperature, consume within 6 hours after opening. Record recipe?]
Jiang Jitang didn’t record it immediately.
“Does the 72-hour freshness stack with the vending machine’s freshness?” he asked.
[Timing starts after item leaves vending machine,] replied the bubble.
He nodded. Three to four days freshness was enough for players to notice the shop’s special properties.
Four sandwiches, four effects. The one with premium ingredients gave +5 satiety and 30-minute stamina boost; others scaled down. Ingredient quality clearly influenced results.
To confirm, he took high-quality flour and natural yeast toast from a bakery, organic free-range eggs, tomatoes, lettuce, and premium luncheon meat and cheese.
He made several more sandwiches.
Ding!
[You successfully made ‘Luncheon Meat Sandwich,’ one-star, satiety +5, with ‘accelerate stamina recovery’ for 30 minutes. Fresh 72 hours, consume within 6 hours. Record recipe?]
The floating variables were fixed—ingredient quality significantly impacted the final product.
“Yes.”
[One-star ‘Luncheon Meat Sandwich’ recorded. To achieve the same effect, provide equal or better ingredients; otherwise, it may fail.]
After finishing the sandwich recipes, the pumpkin dough had completed its first fermentation. He divided the dough, shaped the pieces into rounds, flattened, rolled out air, and filled with pumpkin paste.
To make pumpkin-shaped bread, he tied each piece with cotton thread. The dough would expand and automatically form pumpkin shapes.
Second fermentation needed time. During the wait, he cleaned the counter and toasted the pumpkin seeds.
Second fermentation complete—the dough had expanded into uniform pumpkin shapes.
He removed the thread, placed a roasted pumpkin seed on top of each, and moved the dough into the oven.
The oven tray was oiled, bread neatly arranged, and set into the preheated 200°C oven. Baking set at 150°C for 15 minutes.
Ding!
Fifteen minutes later, Jiang Jitang wore oven gloves, opened the door, and pulled out the tray. The aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air.
Plump pumpkin bread, perfectly baked.
