This question is completely off-topic during Eating Light month, but what the heck. We're here for you. Breanne has a problem: she was gifted some duck fat and she doesn't know what to do with it. Can we help her out? Yes, we can.
My roommate brought me a jar of duck fat from his recent trip to France. I am totally grossed out but he seems so excited by it so I'm willing to give it a shot. How do I use it?
Breanne, maybe it will help to think of the duck fat like butter, or shortening, or lard, or any other fat you cook with. It's a wonderful delicacy, too -- better than any of the abovementioned fats! It crisps food up with a deliciously golden color and rich taste.
You can use it just like almost any other cooking fat. You can use it to sauté anything, but potatoes are perhaps the most classic use for it.
Here are a few specific things that duck fat is good for.
• Cooking potatoes. Brown them in the duck fat for an eye-rolling good treat.
• Pie crusts. Add a tablespoon or two to your pie dough.
• Rub your roast chicken with this instead of butter.
• A Chowhound thread on what to do with duck fat. One intrepid eater likes it on popcorn!
• Here's information on health and duck fat. Basically, it sounds indulgent, but it's probably much better for you than hydrogenated oils.
Duck fat will keep for a long, long time in the refrigerator, but you can also freeze it.
Rendered duck fat is available in many gourmet grocery stores, and you can also buy it online.
• Rendered Duck Fat, $10.20 for 7 ounces.
You can of course also do it yourself; we rendered quite a lot when cooking duck magret, a particularly fatty sort of duck breast. We were in France, and sadly couldn't bring all that delicious fat back with us. But we did cook up a batch of potatoes with it and they were wonderful.
Related: Handy Pantry Staple: Duck Confit in Cans
(Image: Goutzi.com)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Duck fat fries seem to be on menus everywhere these days. Not sure if it's worth trying at home, though.
view MissMatlock's profile
Whenever you cook beans or lentils, add a spoonful to saute onions, carrots or celery before adding the beans. It adds a beautiful richness to the beans. Think cassoulet, which is full of duck/goosefat.
view lemontart's profile
Send it to me.
view kljmlace's profile
Consider using duck fat instead of bacon when braising bitter greens. It adds a similar savory tastiness.
view Michelle of Montreal's profile
all great ideas.
I was going to suggest fries as well. I recommend getting an electric fryer which you can plug in outside.
view art's profile
Cook brussel sprouts or asparagus in it. Use it instead of butter for really luxurious mashed potatoes. Spread it onto a piece of french bread with a couple cloves of roasted garlic for some awesome garlic bread. Cook an omelette with it. I'm a vegetarian and find an ingredient like this inspiring...
view Comicgeek's profile
pan fry the potatoes, no need to deep fry.
comicgeek: I don't mean to sound critical, but I'm confused: how can you eat duck fat as a vegetarian? how is it different than eating the duck? (or did you just mean it's 'inspiring' in that it makes even a vegetarian think about how to use it?)
view foodefafa's profile
I didn't say I was going to eat it. I just found it inspiring in its possible applications.
view Comicgeek's profile
Wow, I wish someone had given ME duck fat. It fries anything better than butter, olive oil, even lard. And you needn't use a lot. A little bit goes a long way, and foodefafa is right...pan frying is the way to go. Use just enough to leave a thin layer in the pan. You're gonna love it.
view 39520expat's profile
Roast potatoes, roast carrots and parsnips - really any roast veggies. Gives them not only a nicer golden brown color but also adds depth of flavor.
view gormanmcadams's profile
Better question: What not to do with duck fat?
view lordnelson's profile
roast potatoes.
be warned though. my dad is convinced he has narrowed down the moment where he went from not needing quadruple heart bypass surgery to needing quadruple heart bypass surgery to a bag of potatoes roasted in duck fat bought at a paris market while on holidays.
mmmm duck fat
view alicee's profile
Whoa!
Duck fat is a healthy fat.
Read this:
"most are unaware of the health benefits to duck fat. Duck fat contains 35.7% saturates, 50.5% monounsaturates (high in linoleic acid) and 13.7% polyunsaturated fats.(Which contains Omega-6 and Omega-3 essential oils). This compares to olive oil which is: 75% monounsaturated fat (mostly oleic acid) 13% saturated fat and 10% Omega-6 linoleic acid and 2% Omega-3 linoleic acid. "
"The French Paradox
In the United States, 315 of every 100,000 middle-aged men die of heart attacks each year. In France the rate is 145 per 100,000. However, In the Gascony region, where goose and duck liver form a staple of the diet, this rate is only 80 per 100,000 (See below: Can Foie Gras aid the heart?) This phenomenon has recently gained international attention as the French Paradox --They eat more fat in Gascony than anyplace else, but they live the longest ."
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7D81F3AF934A25752C1A967958260&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=1
AS for what to do with it, well, Cassoulet is the most sublime use of duck fat. If that seems too daunting, use it for frying. Par-boiled potatoes fried in duck fat are delicious. Fried croutons for salad or slices of baguette to float in a soup...a frittata, pork chops.. beans, or soups made with beans for a richer flavour (sauté the onions in the duck fat as the base).
So many things, that it becomes difficult to list them all.
You will see, duck fat is more delicious than any other kind!
view mschatelaine's profile