Cooking a duck breast

[Renee Profile]

I know that chicken has to be thoroughly cooked, but I've noticed that on food programmes the duck is served pink in the middle. How safe is this? It's still poultry.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Unless duck - or for that matter chicken - is actually rotten, any bacteria will only be on the surface, so as long as the surface is good and hot then the inside of a solid piece of meat like a breast should be pretty safe.

As duck breast is more dense than chicken, and a darker meat, it’s quite easy to get the outside nicely golden and crisp while the centre stays pink

[karadekoolaid Profile]

If they cook it on Masterchef every 5 minutes and it´s pink inside, I imagine it must be all right!
I´ve never cooked it, but I watched a chef friend cook it once and he said that it´s horrible if it´s not pink inside.

[Pampy Profile]

From the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/meat-nutrition/
About 2/3 of the way down the article, it lists meats that should be cooked through - it includes duck in the list.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Pampy, do you think cook all the way through can still mean pink in the middle - which is still cooked, just not well done?
I'm only asking, as I can be interpreted 2 ways, but it probably means well done in fact.

I don't cook duck - can't get Tony to eat it.
But have had it cooked well done in restaurants (not asked for it that way), and it's still tender.

I do think you can have it cooked all the way through, yes.
And still have a lovely result.

A thermometer helps. I use it for meat on the bbq, or chateaubriand, to ensure doneness (rare for me).

[Suffs Profile]

Pink inside isn't the same as raw. I don't know at what temperature the change happens ... but I know it when I see it.

Edited to add: If it's of any interest, Googling on Sous vide sites reveals that meat/game is pasteurized at 52C (for sous vide cooking there are maths formulae given to ensure that you're holding the meat at that temperature for long enough)

https://stefangourmet.com/2018/04/01/ho ... sous-vide/

https://www.theisva.org/advanced-food-safety

[Badger's Mate Profile]

I posted about this in another place and got jumped on, so I shall first put on my tin hat.

Studies have shown that duck meat in the UK can be contaminated with microorganisms associated with food poisoning.

https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wile ... 11.00265.x

The incidence might be more or less prevalent in other poultry, there might be other bugs in ducks or other poultry, but the piece of meat you buy will be a risk regardless of species. there is no good scientific evidence that poultry other than chicken might not be contaminated. It must be true of turkeys, Guinea fowls, game birds and at least prudent to assume it might be.

Therefore the instruction to cook one species differently from another is not based upon fact. Obviously there will be more food poisoning incidents associated with chicken, but that is because chicken is over 90% of the poultry market, duck is about 2%

https://www.wattagnet.com/articles/2326 ... er%20foods.


The majority of Campylobacter poisonings seem to come from liver pate.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... 08-to-2017


Luckily, as the link from Suffs suggests, it doesn't take much heat to kill bugs and make it safe. However, if you cooked a pink chicken breast on Masterchef, they would theatrically reject it as inedible. If you cooked duck to the same doneness as they like their chicken, they would say it was overdone. It's just fashion. You can look at the data, or take the word of an ex-greengrocer. Your choice.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Because I can’t necessarily see what’s happening, I use an instant reading digital thermometer for pretty much all meat; mine’s a Thermapen which is quite expensive, but you can get good cheaper copies now

Duck will still be pink at 60°C internal temperature with a thoroughly seared outside, so I really wouldn’t worry about it, as Suffs says it can definitely be pink and “thoroughly cooked”

[Lusciouslush Profile]

I use my Thermapen for large meat pieces too - but for cooking duck breasts etc. I use my eye & instinct - fast & furious is the way to go - my problem is getting nice crispy fat & still have succulent meat, so after scoring I mostly cook fillets skin-side down with a quick flip-over.

I dragged a goose breast out of the freezer in the week - what to do with it - fillet first? In the end I just roasted it - again fast, & then cut the whole fillets off - worked a treat!

[Renee Profile]

Thanks so much for all your informative replies! These have helped me such a lot.

Tee hee KK, I thought the same as you when I saw a duck breast being cooked last night!

Thanks for the links BM! "or take the word of an ex-greengrocer. Your choice." You did make me laugh!! Yes I saw him last night on the Masterchef programme commenting on a duck breast!

Pampy, the duck breast was from Mercers and was nothing like the ones that you see in supermarkets. Mine was still slightly pink in the middle but so delicious and full of flavour.

[Badger's Mate Profile]

We spent a little time in India a few years ago. They quite like their tandoori chicken 'juicy' which is probably not a good idea. I suspect that chicken breast cooked a bit less than fashionable is probably alright for the reasons people have said already. I'll be honest, in India we generally stuck to the vegetables but did have some cracking fish dishes at Bharatpur.

[Renee Profile]

Oh BM! India is well known for the Delhi Belly!

I was served chicken on the bone in Vietnam and it was obviously quite bloody near to the bone. Communication was difficult and the waiter didn't speak any English. In the end he just removed the chicken!