When preparing confit, do you start ingredients in cold fat, or do you add it when it reaches cooking temperature?
I have watched many videos on the subject and I see it going both ways. Also, do you have to wring out all the water from the duck/chicken before adding it to the fat? Is there a splattering risk?
Best Answer
Traditional duck confit is made with duck fat, which would be a solid when cold. That will not work so well. So, the cured duck is placed in a crock, and warm duck fat is added to cover. This is then placed in the oven at a low temperature. After the cooking, the duck is left submerged to cool, and be stored in the fat. There is no splatter risk, because the temperature is not hot enough, but the duck is generally blotted, before submerging in fat, to remove excess moisture and herbs or spices that were used in the cure step.
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What is the process of confit?
Confit is a method of cooking food in fat, oil or a water syrup at a low temperature. Confit cooking is not deep frying since it is done at temperatures around 93C or 200F and sometimes lower. Deep frying typically takes place at temperatures between 325 (163\xb0C) and 450\xb0F (232\xb0C).How do you cook confit?
To confit, food must be cured in salt (when necessary) and slowly cooked in fats like duck fat, chicken fat, olive oil, or sugar syrup (most commonly used to confit fruit or citrus peels) at low temperatures.Does confit involve hot oil or fat?
In an article for Food & Wine, chef Philip Brazil at The K Club in Ireland recommends using cold or room temperature fat for confit. The best temperature for confit will be much lower than a typical deep-fry, which usually ranges between 325 degrees Fahrenheit to 400 degrees (via Serious Eats).What temperature should I cook confit?
The process of confit differs from deep frying in one key way: temperature. While deep frying typically takes place at temperatures between 325 and 450\xb0F, confit preparations are done much lower\u2014an oil temperature of around 200\xb0F, sometimes even cooler.Duck Confit with a Crisping Hack
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Answer 2
My rule of thumb is to use room temperature vegetable oil.
I add a lot of vegetables (onion and garlic mainly) and herbs in the bottom of the pot and the meat goes on top of it; this way, when the oil is heated and the water start to leave the food, it will remain in the bottom and the meat will still be in contact with the oil.
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