Food - Drink
Why You Should Always Refrigerate Duck Breast Before Cooking
By HEATHER LIM
Duck is considered a delicacy compared to other poultry like chicken and turkey. While some fancy and involved duck dishes include Chinese Peking duck and French confit de canard, making delicious duck breast at home involves nothing more than a sufficient rest in the fridge followed by a good pan-searing.
For a perfect pan-seared duck breast, MasterClass suggests air-drying the meat for about three days in the refrigerator, which removes excess moisture, concentrates and deepens flavor, and ensures a great crispy skin when you cook the duck. This method is similar to dry-aging the meat, but requires far less time and precision.
After you've left your duck breasts uncovered in the fridge, brought them to room temperature, and it's finally time to cook, sear the duck skin-side down for almost 90% of your cooking time, in order to render the fat while crisping the skin. Then, flip the breast over and cook the delicate meat for only a few minutes more.