Confit

Confit (French confit, from confire — “to preserve”) is a classic French technique of slowly cooking a product fully immersed in fat at a low, stable temperature (about 85–90 °C). It is an ancient method that arose from the need to preserve meat and later became a mark of refined cuisine.

The most famous is duck confit (confit de canard): duck legs are salted with spices, and then slowly simmered for hours in their own duck fat. Under such gentle, even heating the meat becomes exceptionally tender, succulent, and aromatic, literally falling off the bone, while the fat protects it from drying out. Historically meat cooked this way was covered with the same fat and kept for months in the cool — the fat hermetically “sealed” the product from air and spoiling. Before serving, confit is usually quickly fried to a crisp golden crust. The technique is applied not only to duck and goose but also to pork, garlic (tender garlic confit), onion, and tomatoes. Despite the use of fat, the finished product does not come out too greasy. Confit is the embodiment of French culinary wisdom, combining preserving with the attainment of unsurpassed tenderness and flavour.