Duck is flavorful poultry loved by some American home cooks. Whether it is your first time trying out a roasted duck recipe or you have been cooking meat for a while, the ideas below are worth adding to your kitchen skills:
Picking the Best Duck Meat
Fresh duck is available in many stores but some of them may not be 100% clean. That is why you need to ensure it has clean, feather-free, odor-free, and off-white skin. Frozen ducks are plump-breasted and wrapped in airtight packages. Stores that sell fresh duck want to showcase the freshness of their meat by packing them in transparent packaging. If you purchase duck in a supermarket, remember to check the “sell by” date.
The Right Way to Store Duck
After buying a duck from your favorite store, you need to store it properly if you will need it later. You must store the meat in its original wrapping. However, you need to overwrap it with aluminum foil to ensure leakage is caught. Fresh duck needs to be stored in the coldest part of the fridge to preserve the freshness and integrity of the meat. If you are buying giblets along with the meat, wrap and store them separately.
You can get duck usually frozen. That is why you may not freeze it if you want to cook it sooner than later. Place the duck you bought from a store in the freezer in its original wrapping. Make sure to date the package and use it within three months. You can also find some frozen duck carrying an expiration date.
Defrosting Duck
When you defrost a frozen whole duck, put it on a dish in the fridge. Give a found-pound frozen duck a 24-36 hour window to thaw. Also, you can submerge the meat in a pot or sink full of cold water. Do not use warm water as it thaws the duck too quickly and can cause bacteria to flourish. The water must be changed every thirty minutes. When you thaw the duck using cold water, it will take around three hours.
Preparing Duck
Before you cook a fresh or thawed whole duck, ensure it does not have any feathers. Also, remove any fat you can see, especially fat from the cavity. Pat the duck dry and prick the skin over without piercing the flesh. If you want to roast a whole duck, remove the skin before you eat it. If you grill or broil it, go for skinless duck breasts. Keep in mind that duck tends to have a serious amount of fat in it and it could retain some of its fat even after cooking.
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