Duck is delicious poultry appreciated by some home cooks. If you are looking to try to cook duck meat at home, here are some tips and recipe ideas you can add to your kitchen repertoire.
Picking the Best Duck
When buying a fresh duck, ensure the skin is clean, free of odor, free of feather, and off-white in color instead of yellow. Frozen duck must be plump-breasted and wrapped in airtight packages. If you want to buy duck in a supermarket, check the “sell by” date. Visit canardsdulacbrome.com for great duck meat options:
Storing the Duck
Just like other poultry, duck must be kept in its original wrapping; however, overwrap it with aluminum foil to ensure there are no leakages. Fresh duck must be stored in the coldest part of the fridge. Giblets must be wrapped and stored separately.
As you can usually buy duck frozen, you don’t have to freeze fresh duck. Place store-bought frozen duck in the freezer in its original wrapping. Make sure to date the package and use it within 3 months. A number of frozen birds have an expiration date on their packaging.
When defrosting a frozen whole duck, put in a dish in the fridge. A found-pound duck will thaw in 24-36 hours. But, you can also submerge the meat in a pot or sink full of water if you want to defrost quickly. Just ensure the water is cold because warm water can thaw the meat too quickly and cause bacteria to flourish. Make sure you change the water every thirty minutes.
Preparing the Duck
Before you cook a fresh or thawed duck, check for any feathers and take them away. Also, check for any visible fat, especially from the cavity and remove them. Pat the duck dry, and prick the skin all over without piercing the flesh. If you are roasting the bird, leave it whole. Take the skin away before eating. When grilling or broiling it, pick skinless duck breasts.
Important Things to Keep in Mind when Cooking Duck
To get the most of your duck dish, make sure you keep the following in mind:
- Duck meat is very much like beef. Thus, use thick slices of duck breast as you would a boneless beef steak. Just like beef, duck meat can stand up to strong seasonings.
- You can use duck pieces. Traditionally, you will want to roast a whole duck. But, this does not mean you cannot use duck pieces. Skinned duck parts can be used in any recipe that requires skinless dark-meat chicken.
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