Sous-Vide Duck Breast (Sous-Vide series Ep. 4)

[@sandracasteran-pesch9567]

Omg Helen!! I followed your duck breast instructions tonight, you know what my husband said after the first bite?......,,,“ I love you more than ever!!!” Thank you so much!!

[@StanfordMack-le6cg]

Only used about 6 times so far but food turning out great. kzbin.infoUgkxK2YRU9uBOXzuIEV660Qo3sX7dJDJLg72 Nice tender roasts. You do want to get a lid to go over your stock pot to keep water from evaporating. I've used it for 6-48 hours with lots of luck. A lot is trial and error to figure out since thickness and cut help determine the best time. 135 always gives a perfect med (pink all the way through). I cooked frozen solid 3 1/2" roast for 48 hours ... it was so tender its almost falling apart. Nice to put it in and just forget about it, with silicone lid I didn't have to add water at all during 48 hours.

[@cookingondarock9061]

I followed this recipe once and the results were great! Also used the methods here to do a smoked duck breast with crispy skin...low temp smoke at 150F for ~2 hours...sous side cook for 1 hour at 150F...pat dry with additional rest in fridge over night to cool and continue to air dry...seared in pan, short rest, cut, serve...this will be a definite repeat. Thanks Helen!!!

[@jetlaggedchef6806]

This is the most important video I've ever seen in my life! I specifically bought my Sous Vid Supreme to make perfect duck breasts and while I've had a lot of success with other things, it wasn't until your video that I got it right. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

[@helenrennie]

I am so glad you gave the sous-vide duck a try! Thank you so much for your feedback :)

[@bonedrykneecaps]

left-handed cooking instructions - rare and awesome!!

[@johnnymash9092]

Did a 3 pound Prime Rib of Beef for my wife and I for her Birthday last weekend. 6 hours at 137 degrees, a quick dry off and put on a rack over a cookie sheet for 15 minutes in a 475 degree oven. Absolute perfection!!

[@s.m.s.m.630]

Johnny Mash, you have to try 72h as well. Made some this Christmas and this prime short ribs were a revelation. You can reheat them in sous vide at the same temperature (137° F / 58° C) for 30 minutes as well and cover with some sauce (like a home made smoky BBQ sauce) when you serve them. Goes superb with potato puree and some pickles, especially something like Kimchi.

[@pachabele]

While I did not use your method to sous-vide my moulard duck breast, I did use your recipe for the Port Sauce. I used a Ruby Port, which was expensive but worth it, and that sauce was NEXT LEVEL. Thank you!

[@elizabethblackwell6242]

I'm not a competent technical cook so have found Helen's videos incredibly helpful. I tip I learned from a chef, because I used to cut my skin too deep, was to use a jacquard tool. This helps really well with rendering and is easy and fool proof. I use it straight from the fridge when the fat is firm. I found mine on Amazon Australia.

[@Rhiannonlee3]

I made duck following this method on the weekend and it was perfect! Thank you so much!

[@jackbrown8289]

Wonderful video! Thank you for your in depth description. I will be trying this tonight for my family!

[@jkrumpz]

Made this recipe yesterday with curry green beans tomatoes and onions and grilled nectarines it was so delicious thank you Helene! 🙏🏾

[@johnthomas1978]

Your suggestion to cool the cooked breast is brilliant! I either had over cooked meat to achieve a crispy skin, or underdone skin to keep the meat rare. Bravo!

[@rogerc6893]

My first Sous Vide recipe was with a brisket and was sold on this method from there, just 2 weeks ago!!

[@bluejesper]

My favorite sous vide meat is duck breast. I fry the duck skin briefly before adding to the sous vide bag, getting a slight golden colour. After sous vide I fry again to get the full golden crispy skin. I believe doing it in two stages avoids the perfectly pink duck meat being cooked beyond the target temperature. If skin is only fried post sous vide, the time it needs to get golden will inevitably also cook the red meat part.

[@MarkSchuster-ym3iy]

I love duck. But I’ve never known how to cook it. I’m from around the Chicago and later WISCONSIN area so I used to go to Slavic type restaurants otherwise I just never ate it. I can’t wait to try it. Also I’ve never eaten duck red. So this will be a new experience for me. I’ll have to find duck on line since living in rural WISCONSIN it’s rare to find it in the stores. Thank you for your wonderful videos

[@waiyinchung4242]

Been looking for a good guide to cook Duck Confit using sous vide. This is a very great detailed guide. Thank you!

[@helenrennie]

Duck confit is a completely different dish made with duck legs. I haven't found sous-vide to be particularly helpful with confit or any dishes that require such high temperature (about 180F), though I haven't messed around with sous-vide confit much yet.

[@Osnosis]

The sous confit is just less messy.

[@slopowers1513]

I got my Sous Vide for Christmas and the first dish I made was a Prime Rib roast. I couldn't believe how perfectly it was cooked and it was delicious. Next was Filet's and they were so good you could help moaning with pleasure as you ate it! A believer ever since. This is my first attempt at duck, so we'll see. I have high hopes though!

[@LoganHunter82]

I like duck, but I've never got the hang of how to cook it. This looks simple and good. I'll try this some time. 👍

[@SteakInHouse]

love your style! I am gonna cook duck breasts for my channel and loved your recipe!

[@itawambamingo]

I’m going to try this! Do you have a recipe for sauerkraut?

[@nancyschindler409]

It was great information. It worked perfectly!

[@nosaltiesandrooshere7488]

👍 Danke fürs Hochladen! 👍 Thanks for uploading! 👍 Very good and beautiful, thank you! 👍 Sehr gut und schön, danke!

[@DanielAnchondo]

Hello Helen, I recently saw a video where a 2 Michelin Star chef would basically save the legs for confit and "dry age" the duck breast on the bone in the fridge for 2 weeks before removing the breasts and cooking them in a more traditional manner. Thought it sounded interesting enough for me to experiment with. I'm sure the dryer skin helps a lot with browning.

[@bamage2]

I recently discovered your channel, and I can't wait to try this. I sous vide some Moulard Magret duck breasts about a month ago. The recipe I used involved a pre-sear, and I thought they were terrific. My wife, who previously disliked duck, became a fan but wants me to use your cool-and-sear method next time (as well as for all other proteins). Great channel!

[@bluewrx02fisher]

Salmon in the sous vide is my favorite. I remove the skin and bake it crispy while the salmon is taking a bath. Do you think the duck can be done the same way?

[@helenrennie]

it's worth a try :)

[@jeffreyoneill6439]

Thank you for your kind response. The breasts were frozen when purchased but I will inquire about the breed. The next day I tried it again. I seared them before and after and used your soy sauce and pomegranate mixture. Cooked them at 138 degrees for 1 1/2hr. They were tender and juicy, perfect. BUT they did not taste like duck. In fact quite flavourless. My wife agreed so I know I was not just having an off day. If you have any thoughts on this problem I would love to hear from you again. A bigger learning curve than expected. Thank you very much.

[@helenrennie]

unfortunately, previously frozen duck breasts are hopeless (at least for me). if it wasn't flavorful, maybe it needed more salt? but I don't think it's worth messing around with any more until you can find fresh long island duck breasts.

[@anguswalker104]

Sous Vide bone in ribeye steak. Done the same way: SV 2 hours, chill in iced water 10min, remove from bag and pat dry, then rest in the freezer for 5 mins to really dry the surface. Then sear for only 2 ~ 4 min depending on the size. Its amazing quickly the internal temp "jumps" back up to ~55C after searing it. The chilling & drying after the SV is key to getting a good sear and to not end up overcooking it. Pre-searing, before SV, doesn't work.

[@adamthemute]

Going to make this for Xmas, would you use a tawny or ruby port?

[@lizzyl-k5396]

Amazing!!

[@redbone7040]

Thanks I've wanted to try duck it is a good formula to try 👌

[@tira_]

I appreciate that you have nice clean nails without jewelry in your videos. It makes me cringe to watch people prep food wearing nail polish and jewelries --oh the bacteria :(

[@shegocrazy]

Looks great. Did you not use a vacuum sealer for a reason?

[@helenrennie]

it's a pain to get out and zip locks work just as well, but if you like the vacuum sealer, go for it.

[@StevenBiets]

My god this was amazing - both the how to make the dish as the dish itself. Couldn’t imagine the flavours together but damn that was a nice duck. Also my first sous vide experience! Nailed it 1st time 🎉

[@bryanjensen355]

I'm still not sure what benefit the sous vide confers with only an hour of cooking and such long cool down times-even holding for a day. The pan time - most of it on the skin side-doesn't seem significantly changed from when I pan cook from fresh. Will you explain?

[@helenrennie]

The difference is that without sous-vide, the duck sometimes ends up undercooked and chewy. It's such an uneven piece of meat (and cooked in such an uneven way) that measuring its temperature is very difficult. After you sous-vide it, you only have to worry about the skin, not about doneness. It doesn't save you time. It just produces a more consistent product.

[@bryanjensen355]

@@helenrennie thank you. Was given a sous vide appliance for Xmas, but haven't even used it yet because of the long cook times I've seen in videos. Your perspective gives me something to think about.

[@1N2themystic]

Hello Helen, I am going to look for duck at the local food 4 less tomorrow. What I really want to say is. Blue is your color!!! I had a difficult time listening to the intro... too busy trying to put my eyes back in my head.

[@jerrysurowiec5361]

I am in germany and my duck breasts come from france. I cooked 2 hours at 130F in the sous vide and then chilled like you did here and then pan seared. The meat was still tough and chewy even though the skin was perfectly crspy. Do I need more time in the sous vide to let the proteins break down?

[@PredictableEnigma]

I think she only cooked it 1 hour in the sous vide.

[@butopiatoo]

You should smoke a duck breast after salting and seasoning overnight in the fridg. Smoke till breast gets to 130-135, then sear on grill for about 2 min a side. Rest for 5-10min. Slice and serve. If smoker is running 200-225F it will take about and hour+ to get enough smoke on it bringing it's temp up slowly. If the smoker is running too hot, fat wont render as well (before the finishing sear) and you won't get enough smoke flavor on the duck. I've done this with Muscovy breasts (1.8-2.5lbs) and smaller NY duck breasts. The smaller breasts were more tender but the farm raised Muscovy were awesome too, just not as tender. Your sauce looks good I will try.

[@KJ4RMZ]

Oil and butter lets you have the flavor of the butter and a higher temperature to saute with than with butter only.

[@robertwright4220]

Thank you

[@CologneCarter]

Wrong. You can heat that mixture only to the temperature that is low enough not to burn the milk solids, regardless of what the oil could take. The milk solids don't care an will burn at higher temperatures.

[@spyro440]

The part where you cut of and discarded all the wonderfull skin made my heart bleed. But the finished duck looked like heaven.

[@Luke-uv4ri]

Hey Helen, olive oil helps prevent butter from burning, which is a common culinary technique in most commercial kitchens.

[@jonbaum]

How do you keep the first bath at 55°C for all that time?

[@PredictableEnigma]

That's what the immersion circulator is for

[@porkchopspapi5757]

Great cooking. Beautiful results. Having said that, fried prunes & sauerkraut, GAAAK! Hurl! I kid, I kid!....but seriously..

[@10jodeo]

WOW, that looks amazing!! I'm going to need to make this soon!!!!! Thanks for the recipe!

[@luisbravo4008]

#Realcomment Hi, I dont have much experience cooking duck, I was wondering what do you think is the best way to cook one. I have a whole 5.5-6 lbs duck and Im not sure if I should roast it whole or cook every part separate. Id appreciate your input thank you.

[@helenrennie]

cook every part separate. cooking any whole bird (chicken, duck, turkey) is asking for trouble. that's like cooking beef tenderloin and chuck at the same time. you can make an excellent stock out of the carcass. You found my breast video, and I am currently working on the duck legs confit video, but in the meantime, here is my old blog post on confit: www.beyondsalmon.com/2013/03/duck-legs-confit-old-school.html

[@luisbravo4008]

@@helenrennie #RealComment thank you for the response Helen. I ended up roasting it whole and I wasnt happy too much with how it came out, youre right, all the parts are too different to cook at once. I have leftover roast parts that I plan to make stock with. Do you think I could freeze those parts for a few days until i have time to make the stock?

[@noelcleary9839]

Bone in chicken thighs, they come out so amazing. Great vid

[@elenapilin7024]

If I plan to serve the breast right away, is there a need to cool them down? Thank you

[@helenrennie]

yes, you need to cool them or you'll overcook the meat while crisping up the skin

[@RossMyher]

Nice Video. I like the way you sear your skin. The meats that I find unbelievable Sous Vide are pork dishes. Because you can cook them safely at lower than 165F. So, medium rare pork chops give a texture you've never had before with them. Amazing! Also, the long cooks are great. We do pork belly at 155F for 24 hours. They have 4 layers: White meat, red meat, fat and skin. All 4 layers MELT in your mouth done this way. Next time I do it, I will use the technique you used for the duck skin to make the pork skin crispy. I can't wait to try it. Thanks for the vids and I'm looking forward to what you'll do next.

[@Humlegruvan]

I agree! Chicken and pork at lower temperatures are the greatest thing with sous vide.

[@helenrennie]

oooh -- that pork belly sounds amazing. I'll have to give it a shot. thanks for the time and temp recommendations. do you salt it a day before cooking or if that not really necessary with sous-vide?

[@RossMyher]

Last time, I just did salt and pepper just before bagging it. I don't think it needs more time with the salt, but hey, I've never tried it, so who knows! :)

[@helenrennie]

I used to be a huge fan of salting all proteins a day ahead to help them retain moisture, but with sous-vide that doesn't seem necessary. things just don't dry out the way they do with normal methods.

[@RossMyher]

Well if that's the reason, then definitely no need! You don't need teeth to eat that pork belly, that's how moist it is! LOL!

[@MrQuagmire26]

To be honest, your videos made me a Sous vide believer. Before my Sous vide supreme was just an expensive and space-occupying device that I regret spending money on. Only downside is that I think beef is not that great cooking sous vide. Prefer reverse sear method for steaks or wok tossing tenderized and marinated beef over high heat. One question, do you have any idea how I can please someone who refuses to eat anything pink? My Russian in-laws are terrified of anything that's not cooked through, even If I told them MANY times that duck breast should NOT be well done. My wife even "Knows better" as she studied restaurant business and me who's been cooking for 20 years is wrong.

[@helenrennie]

so glad you are putting your sous-vide supreme to good use. My only way to deal with people like your in-laws is to serve them braises :) fish also seems to be a good option.

[@MrQuagmire26]

Any good braise recipes coming up?

[@helenrennie]

Here are some: pork shoulder braise kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2W4pKN7adGilcU shortribs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4iXdayVm5iGkM0 turkey thighs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIK4gp-QqJakf9k They will probably also like sous-vide chicken breast. It looks completely cooked. not medium rare at the slightest.

[@MrQuagmire26]

Thank you. Will give them a shot. Yup, I fed my wife both sous vide pork and chicken breast. Pssst! I didn't tell her that the internal temp of chicken was not 70 celcius! Only 60.5.

[@jeffreyoneill6439]

I tried this,, following your instructions exactly. The breasts turned out tough and chewy. They were purchased, not homegrown, so probably Long Island duck. Do you have any thoughts on my problem. It was my first use of my new immersion heater.

[@helenrennie]

Don't worry, I don't homegrow my duck either. It's good to find out if these were indeed long island breasts. The company that most stores carry is d'Artagnan and they only sell muscovy duck breasts that are very tough and chewy no matter what you do. If these were definitely long island, I would check with your store to see if they were previously frozen. I find that previously frozen duck legs taste fine, but duck breasts always come out tough. This is very frustrating because this has happened to me even from the most expensive butcher shops in Boston. They put out duck breasts after defrosting them and I am not even aware that they were frozen before, so I started asking.

[@cissyz2]

Omg you are amazing! Why I'm watching this in the night

[@kevincostello1319]

Antonelli Poultry Co Providence, RI You can name it, pet it, then eat it! It does not get any fresher than that! ;)

[@mrkattm]

Awesome job! I love duck but I have never Sous-Vide it, or anything else for that matter, this series has convinced me that I need to take the plunge (pun intended). Duck is also difficult to find where I live too so when I do come across them in the store I usually buy two of them and break them down myself. I confit the four legs and Sautee up the four breasts and make stock out of the bones which brings me t my next questions. Do you have any suggestions what I can do with about 40 gallons of duck stock ?

[@helenrennie]

Did you really mean 40 gallons? That must have been a lot of ducks :) Duck stock is delicious in any soup that could be done with chicken stock (bean, lentil, all sorts of roast veggies, kale, farro, etc). But you can also just drink it. I am guessing that 40 gallons was a typo, but if you are trying to find an easier way to store it, boil it down, so it takes up less space in your freezer. of course, you can also use it for a pan sauce to go with your duck.

[@CologneCarter]

Seriously, no matter how many gallons of stock you have, just use it anywhere where chicken stock is called for. Or make ramen or duck soup (same way you would do chicken soup). Reduce it, freeze in cubes and use those for pan sauces. One has never to much stock, usually it's not enough.

[@KJ4RMZ]

These look amazing. This will be one of my next sous vide adventures.

[@Duhfuqful]

great video! what is the purpose of chilling after cooking?

[@helenrennie]

not to overcook the meat during the skin crisping stage.

[@kevincostello1319]

Oh my!

[@lesleychan6511]

pour off the fat? I really hope she didn't toss the duck fat. Can't trust a duck recipe that doesn't keep it for future cooking

[@mariolinic]

You probably oil in combination to butter so the smoke point become higher, but butter taste stays there

[@johtomaster9229]

That was the most mouthwatering duck breast I've ever seen in my life

[@elizabethstock8289]

Agreed!

[@ClaudioVersace]

Love her accent. I'm guessing the use of oil and butter in the cabbage dish is because butter on its own would burn. Oil raises the smoke point of butter.

[@cristianinnameonly6336]

Best duck breast I have ever purchased were from Duckchar.

[@kevincostello1319]

Antonelli Poultry Co Providence, RI You can name it, pet it, then eat it! It does not get any fresher than that! ;)

[@dark4o90]

the oil the burning temperature of the butter

[@trespaul]

Answering the important questions! (Not that eating duck is a common occurrence here in South Africa...)

[@mo_rhec6293]

ya i don’t have a sink that measures the water temp 😂

[@richardwillis3629]

I'm leaving Wimbledon and moving to Boston.

[@owenrichardson1419]

Butter for flavour, oil stops the butter burning.

[@robertwright4220]

Thanks

[@xedjflowx]

I think Kenji Lopez proved that this isn't the case. The oil merely dilutes the burnt butter flavor.

[@CologneCarter]

Wrong. How would that work anyway? The milk solids burn at a certain temperature no matter what they are covered with (oil or no oil). And those black specks are what ruins the taste.

[@frankroche9015]

My mom made a filet for me when I came home from Japan. it was without a doubt, the best filet I had had in my ENTIRE life! My wife quickly got one, and we use it for everything from Chicken to Prime rib! you could say I am an unofficial spokesperson for anova! more and more of my friends buy them. I haven't bought a steak when out to eat in ages! I will most certainly try this soon! What is your theory on using butter insead of oil for searing? sometimes for beef, I will use a little oil in a cast iron and then right before I add the beef, I put a little butter in. could I use that for the duck as well, do you think? Thanks for a great video!

[@helenrennie]

sure, you could always use a little butter, but it burns faster than oil. since the duck fat is so flavorful, I am not sure you need butter, but butter never hurt anyone :)

[@frankroche9015]

Marvalous! Thanks for the clarification! I like your style, butter never hurts! (well, flavor wise)

[@turtlehater2]

HOLY that is a beautiful sear. That perfect shade of golden brown all across the surface is so sexy.

[@alanchochiev3256]

Interesting accent. Where are you from?

[@sirleto1974]

She is Russian.

[@chickensinthemist]

My goodness. I'm desperate to get a sous-vide now.

[@CookingSteps]

Nice #cookingsteps

[@thomasstengel7356]

Any poultry tastes better with sous vide.

[@blex5579]

a french girl cooking Sauerkraut- now ive seen it all...lol

[@CologneCarter]

Helen Rennie is Russian. What video did you watch?

[@blex5579]

@@CologneCarter lol ok- thanks for the heads up.

[@marcinbrodowski7879]

Go to Ukrainie

[@simisup1011]

The bad part of all this so called KZbinr, is that after few months or years, they don't reply to comments. The excuse of Many comments will take over. I'd like to know if the breast was hot since you pan fry it from cold.. If you see this comment in the next few years and remember it, can you please reply?

[@JustiaFiat]

Imagine complaining about people giving free educational content not having time to answer any question, yet being too lazy to actually try it out yourself

[@CologneCarter]

Do some simple math and you may not be surprised that it is impossible to make videos, have a full time job teaching a cooking class, have a life and answer thousands of comments daily just to please the viewers. This video is 3 years old. Helen does 1 video a week on average, which makes about 1000+ videos after this one. Each video creates numerous comments right after release and over time countless new comments are added. I won't even hazard a guess how many notifications she'd get in addition to emails about her cooking classes, sponsors, suppliers, private stuff and what not. Her day, like your's has only 24 hours. Do you realistically expect her to be able to see your comment and have the time to get into it?