Confit

Duck confit

Confit (/kɒnfi/, French pronunciation: [kɔ̃fi]) (from the French word confire, literally "to preserve")[1][2] is any type of food that is cooked slowly over a long period as a method of preservation.[1]

Confit, as a cooking term, describes the process of cooking food in fat, whether it be grease or oil, at a lower temperature compared to deep frying. While deep frying typically takes place at temperatures of 160–230 °C (325–450 °F), confit preparations are done at a much lower temperature, such as an oil temperature of around 90 °C (200 °F), or sometimes even cooler. The term is usually used in modern cuisine to mean long, slow cooking in fat at low temperatures, many having no element of preservation, such as in dishes like confit potatoes.[citation needed]

For meat, this method requires the meat to be salted as part of the preservation process. After salting and cooking in fat, confit can last for several months or years when sealed and stored in a cool, dark place. Confit is a specialty of southwestern France.[citation needed]

  1. ^ a b McMeel, Noel (2013). Irish Pantry: Traditional Breads, Preserves, and Goodies to Feed the Ones You Love. Orange-Onion Confit: Running Press of the Perseus Books Group. p. 44. ISBN 978-0762445523.
  2. ^ Skeat, Walter William (1923). Chaucer: The tale of the Man of Lawe, The Pardoneres Tale, The Second Nones Tale, The Chanouns Yemannes Tale. Macmiillan and Co. p. 222. ISBN 1330317475.