Confit (pronounced kohn-fee).
It was originally a preservation method from the southwest of France to reduce oxidation and preserve food.
Fortunately, it also turned out to be delicious.
Other old preservation methods include drying, curing, and smoking.
These days, confit refers more to the cooking method than its original preservation intent.
It’s like frying but at a lower temperature. You can also think of it like poaching in oil, and it is a fundamental cooking technique that is well worth knowing.
What is confit?
Traditionally, confit in France referred to any method of preserving meat, fruits, or vegetables, which extended into slow cooking food in fat for preservation purposes [*].
Confit literally translates to preserve [*]. Meats were preserved by curing them in advance with salt and herbs, cooking them in their own fat, and then fully submerging, cooling, and storing them in the fat to create a seal that prevents oxidation. Fruits were preserved by creating and submerging fruit in a concentrated syrup.
Most bacteria need oxygen to survive (aerobic bacteria), so by creating an environment with limited oxygen, meat could be stored for weeks or months — fruit for years.
And since the ingredients are cooked right before storing them, there is limited exposure to bacteria before removing the oxygen.
Apart from confit’s preservation benefits, it is also delicious. Once the meat is stored it begins to age, continuing to break down toughness and yielding a melting and delicious result. To serve traditional confit, you have to dig the meat out!
These days, confit is most often used to refer to the slow cooking of food in fat — before the storage. Frying, which submerges ingredients in oil with temperatures over 300º, causes moisture to rapidly evaporate into steam, helping create fried food’s signature texture.
Confit cooks food in oil at a much lower temperature, typically between 175-225º. Food is typically covered in liquid fat and placed into an oven at low temperatures. Then the food is cooked for hours until tender.
What is so special about confit?
Fat transfers energy better than water or air, which makes it a wonderfully thorough way to ensure the piece of meat you are cooking evenly distributes the heat. This ensures a similar texture throughout a cut and reduces the likelihood of blubbery fat or dry meat [*].
It’s also a great way to preserve meat, vegetables, and fruits — making them wonderful to make ahead of time and use to elevate dishes in your kitchen.
How do you confit something?
The process changes a bit depending on whether you are making meat, vegetables, or fruit. So we’ve simplified a recipe for each below!
Duck confit recipe via Chef Jean-Pierre
- Thaw and remove neck or giblets.
- Don’t use the breasts. They are already tender.
- Take the legs and let them thaw completely.
- Trim any major pieces of fat and skin because you are cooking it in fat anyway.
- Salt them overnight on a rack to extract the water since fat is hydrophobic. This will cause the water to drip out.
- Pat with a paper towel.
- Combine duck fat with any other kinds of fat if desired, but it’s best with duck fat.
- Cover the duck in liquid fat.
- Add some seasonings like juniper, bay leaves, and pepper.
- Bake at 250º for three hours or so. If the oil is bubbling a lot, reduce the heat.
- Place in a skillet or broiler with additional duck fat and sear them skin side down.
- Strain the duck fat to reuse the fat. You can use it 2-3x.
- Add some chives or other freshly chopped herbs on top.
Garlic confit example via Chef Studio
- Peel as much garlic as you want. Two to three heads is plenty.
- Trim the tough ends with a knife.
- Place cloves in a baking dish.
- Use a neutral oil like canola or peanut to completely submerge the garlic.
- Bake at 250º for two hours.
- You can strain the oil to save as a garlic oil.
- Place them in a jar and once cooled, pour olive oil over.
- Use them however you like for up to two weeks in the fridge!
Tomato confit example via Fontana Forni USA
- Buy fresh cherry tomatoes.
- Cover in olive oil.
- Salt liberally.
- Add garlic cloves and cayenne peppers (optional).
- Add a pinch of brown sugar.
- Add olives.
- Add a bit of balsamic vinegar.
- Add a few sprigs of thyme.
- Serve with bread or pasta.
- Strain oil and reuse 2-3x.
Red onion confit via Chef Clayton Chapman
- Toast up some peppercorns, red pepper, and bay leaves in an oven-safe skillet.
- Add some thyme and garlic cloves to the skillet.
- Add a few inches of oil.
- Add peeled and halved onions.
- Transfer to oven and roast at 250º for an hour.
- Remove from heat and store in jars with the remaining oil once cooled.
- Store in the fridge for two weeks or so, but onions will not keep as long as other vegetables due to having a higher PH (without advanced canning procedures).
The best confit recipes (beginner and advanced)
Here is a collection of confit recipes covering a few different kinds of meat and vegetables. Every option is amazing, so choose your own adventure.
1. Traditional duck confit
Serious Eats is a mainstay in the culinary world for good reason. These recipes aren’t for the faint of heart, but if you want to make duck confit the way the pros do, this is the recipe for you.
2. Traditional carnitas
Carnitas, while not typically described as confit, is confit! You are cooking the pork down in its own lard. This recipe from Stellanspice is rich in taste and tradition. Enjoy.
3. Garlic confit mashed potatoes
Garlic confit mashed potatoes are something everyone should try at some point. The garlic flavor is so full and rich, you won’t go back! The Kitchn shows you just how easy this is, too.
4. Traditional french cassoulet
Cassoulet is a meaty French country stew with beans, sausage, poultry, and pork. It’s a sort of throw-it-all-in slow cooker recipe that is incredible on a cold night. Serious Eats breaks it down!
5. Mock duck confit
If you’re feeling like making something a bit faster but still want some of that confit deliciousness, use this recipe from the U.S. Wellness cooking blog. It’s a fantastic weeknight option that still feels fancy!
6. Beef heart confit with sous vide beets
Beef heart, and other offal, are full of nutritious benefits and flavor. This recipe demonstrates a simple beef heart confit paired with perfectly tender sous vide beets. Pair this with something tangy and acidic like a blueberry vinaigrette salad!
7. Fruit confit
Fruit confit is essentially “candying” fruit. You can do it with just about anything, and you cook the fruit down with a heaping amount of sugar. This recipe from Taste.Co shows you a method that works for any fruit!
Confit FAQ
Here are a few common questions and answers about confit!
Why is duck so popular for confit?
Duck is high in fat, meaning there is more to render. Their skin is full of it to help keep them warm when they are wet and to help them float [*]. This fat makes it easier to confit duck because you don’t need to introduce additional fat. Duck is also a popular meat in France, where the technique was popularized in Western culture.
Can vegetables and fruits be cooked confit?
Yes! Anything can be cooked low in slow in fat and then stored. Fruits were traditionally cooked confit by creating a high concentration of sugar, penetrating the entirety of the fruit. Meats are cooked in fat at a low temperature and then allowed to cool, submerging the meat entirely in the fat to limit oxidation. You can confit garlic too — anything is possible.
Is confit the same as deep frying?
No! The difference is temperature and sometimes preservation intent. Deep frying occurs at higher temperatures, typically 300º+. Confit occurs a hundred degrees lower or more, typically around 200º. Then once it is cooked, the confit can be served or stored.
What oil should I use for confit?
Any oil is okay! In general, it’s best to cook meat in the same fat it has to maximize flavor. Duck in duck fat. Pork in pork fat. Olive oil can taste bitter when cooked for a long time, so many chefs opt for neutral oils when adding to meat but still use olive oil when cooking vegetables confit since those don’t take as long to cook.
What is the difference between sous vide and confit?
Sous Vide is cooking things in hot water with a seal (bag). Confit is cooking things at low temperatures in fat.
How long does confit last in the fridge?
That depends on what you made and how well you’ve sealed it. But generally speaking confit foods last weeks to months in the fridge, and almost indefinitely in the freezer.
The best duck confit starts with the best duck
Why go through all the trouble making a confit with meat that is raised in poor conditions? The best duck and meat for confit is raised in conditions as close to the wild as possible, which is why we exclusively partner with farmers who prioritize regenerative farming methods and never compromise with GMO feed and poor living conditions.
See for yourself how good our pasture-raised duck legs are.
Nathan Phelps
Nathan Phelps owns and writes for Crafted Copy, a boutique copywriting shop that finds the perfect words for interesting products. He is also an ethical foodie, outdoors-aficionado, and hails from Nashville, TN. He splits his time between helping sustainable businesses find new customers and managing his ever-increasing list of hobbies, which include playing guitar, baking bread, and creating board games.
