Cooking With Duck? Terms You Should Know

Cooking with duck can seem like an intimidating task. Not only is duck cooked differently than other popular meats, but the vocabulary used when preparing duck can be confusing. That is why we are here to make preparing and cooking duck accessible for everyone starting with terms and words you should know when starting to work with duck.

Cooking Terms

• Pan Seared: Cooking duck on medium heat in a skillet to create a delicious brown texture on the surface of the duck meat.
• Cold Pan: A skillet that has not been prewarmed on the stove.
• Rendered: To slowly melt or cook out the fat in the skin.
• Scoring: Using the tip of a knife blade to make shallow cuts in the skin of a duck, being careful not to pierce the meat, so the fat can render out during cooking.
• Debone: Removing the bones from the duck.
• Best if Used By Date (BIUB): Indicates the time period a product should retain maximum freshness, flavor and texture. Beyond this date, the product may still be edible, but the quality begins to deteriorate. It is not a purchase-by or food safety date.
• Julian Date: Indicates the number of elapsed days since the beginning of a particular year. An example might read 1072. The first number indicates the year, which would be 2021. The final three numbers are the Julian day of the year when the product was manufactured. For 2021, the 72nd day was March 13th. A product with this example Julian date was produced on March 13, 2021.

Recipe Terms

• Turducken: Thin layers of turkey, chicken and duck breast are nestled together with stuffing in between.
• Confit: A method of preserving meat by seasoning it and slowly cooking it in its own fat. Prior to refrigeration, the cooked meat was then packed into a crock and covered with its cooking fat, which acted as a seal and preservative.
• Peking: A popular Chinese preparation recipe for duck. Often confused with the “Pekin” duck breed.
• HOFO: Head On, Feet On duck. This type of duck can also be called Buddhist style.
• Halal: A product that has been certified by Islamic Services to comply with the principles and values of the Muslim community
• Duck à l’Orange: A traditional French dish that combines the rich, delicious flavor of duck with a sweet and tangy orange sauce.

Duck Farming Terms

• Pekin: The most popular breed of duck in the United States and Asia.
• Moulard: A breed that is a cross between a Muscovy duck and a White Pekin, this duck breed has a stronger, gamier taste than the Pekin and is considerably fattier. It is primarily raised for its liver for foie gras.
• Muscovy: A duck breed that has a much stronger flavor than the White Pekin and is generally selected for its breast or liver, which is often used for foie gras.
• ABF: Antibiotic Free - The animal was never given antibiotics for any reason.
• Biosecurity: A series of management practices designed to protect a population of animals from disease.
• Trident Stewardship Program: Maple Leaf Farms program that focuses on three key areas that contribute to the welfare of our animals, the safety of our food products and the success of our operations: duck well-being, biosecurity (disease prevention) and natural resources conservation.