The thought of adding duck to your regular diet can certainly spark a lot of debate among cooks and dieticians. Some say that duck is too extravagant, unhealthy and also impractical to cook all the time. Others say that this type of poultry is often misunderstood and most people believe in misconceptions about it without even giving it a shot.
It can certainly be confusing (especially with all the noise on the internet). So to keep it simple, here are three lifestyle areas to look at that can determine if a piece of duck should be a regular item on your shopping cart.
1. Diet
When it comes to health concerns, duck meat is often criticised because of fat content. But as we’ve stated in many previous posts, the fat in duck is not as threatening with the right preparation. It can be sliced off, or rendered into a substitute for butter oil. It is also a lot healthier than other animal fats due to a better ratio of unsaturated fat.
On the flip side though, perhaps the real health risk in duck meat is not fat but cholesterol. So as always, if you’re at risk of complications from high-cholesterol food, then it is certainly better to limit duck dishes to a few special occasions.
2. Budget
On average, duck meat is certainly more expensive than chicken and other meats. One might also have to factor in the kind of duck dishes you intend to prepare and the additional ingredients they need.
Still, costs aren’t the necessarily the be-all, end-all factor to enjoying it regularly. A whole duck can actually save you a lot of money if you know how to cut it up and extract other ingredients (like the butter). Alternatively, you can keep the dishes simple (like eating the duck in the form of shredded meat for salad). That way, you won’t have to buy too much at a time
3. Cooking
Of course, it seems pretty clear that both your diet and your budget won’t be a proper match if you’re not sure about your ability to prepare duck at all. Many duck recipes found online range from simple pan-grilled breasts to highly luxurious confit.
The good news though is that you can just start by planning and learning one attempt at a time. Schedule a part of your week to try out (and then master) a simple duck dish. There’s no need for you to go to culinary school, but regular study and practice will always be a solid way of adding any ingredient to your cooking arsenal.
So to sum it all up, duck is really just like any ingredient despite what the price tag and the nutrition facts will tell you at first glance. Give it a little more thought on how a piece of duck can really fit into your regular diet but don’t be too intimidated!
