How and how much to cook duck meat?
Before boiling, the duck must not only be well washed, gutted and, if necessary, cut, but also the excess fat must be removed. In order for the duck meat to retain its shape and elasticity of the skin, it is recommended to pour boiling water over the carcass or its individual parts before cooking.
The nuances of boiling duck in a regular saucepan and the main steps:
- add salt and spices to cold water and bring the liquid to a boil;
- after boiling water, a duck is laid in it;
- boil the duck under a closed lid and over low heat;
- during cooking, excess fat and foam can accumulate on the surface of the water (you can remove them with a slotted spoon);
- duck meat is fatty, so the accumulation of its residues on the surface of the water is a characteristic feature of the duck cooking process (you will have to remove fat almost constantly);
- after bringing the duck to readiness, it is recommended to leave the meat in a saucepan for a while under a closed lid.
If the duck is cooked for soup, then some time before the meat is ready, the broth must be completely drained. Boil duck in new water for at least 20 minutes. The water is drained due to the excessive fat content of the meat. If you cook soup or noodles in the first broth, then not everyone will like such a dish.
If the duck is cooked for the second course, several additional steps must be taken during its preparation. Before cooking, the parts or carcass of the poultry must be grated with spices and salt, and then the workpiece must be placed in the refrigerator for several hours. After this procedure, the duck should be poured with water and put on low heat. It is not necessary to wash the duck before immersion in liquid. Excess salt or spices will merge into the broth.
Features of cooking duck in a multicooker:
- before immersion in the multicooker bowl, the duck must be grated with spices and salt;
- you can cook a whole duck (if it is small) or its individual pieces in a slow cooker;
- it is recommended to cook duck in a multicooker in the “Stew” modes;
- in order for the duck to be more juicy, it must first be fried in a multicooker using the “Frying” mode for 7-10 minutes, and only after this stage the timer must be moved to the “Stew” mode.
You can cook duck not only in a regular saucepan or multicooker, but also using a pressure cooker or a double boiler. In a pressure cooker, duck cooks in record time, and in a double boiler it turns out tender and juicy. The main secret of steaming duck is the foil. If you put pieces of pre-pickled duck in foil, and only then start cooking it in a double boiler, then this method can be called the simplest and most delicious of all other methods. The fat will be simultaneously melted and absorbed into the meat, and there will be no excess of it.
How much to cook duck
The minimum cooking time for duck meat is an hour and a half on average.… The key factor in this case is the age of the bird. If the duck is young, then it can be cooked in an hour, and the old duck will have to be cooked up to 2,5 hours. Separate small pieces of duck are cooked for 30-40 minutes.
In a slow cooker, duck is cooked for 2 hours. If small pieces of duck are put into the bowl, then their readiness should be checked after 60 minutes and only after that, if necessary, continue the cooking process. If the duck is old, then it will not be cooked before 2 o’clock.
A pressure cooker can cook duck faster than other methods. As a rule, this process rarely exceeds an hour. You need to cook the duck over low heat, and during cooking, you can add additional ingredients in stages (if you plan to use the duck to prepare an independent dish).
Cook the duck in a double boiler for 40 minutes. The maximum cooking time for duck in this way is 1 hour. Time can be lengthened if the duck is cut into large pieces or is old. Salt and pepper the duck meat when cooking in a double boiler.