Canned Duck Confit and other food to prepare at home

I have found supermarkets in Europe to be well-stocked with tasty prepared fresh food, and frozen. I would be surprised if confit duck wasn't available "fresh". That would certainly be my choice over canned.

Rotisserie chicken (and potatoes roasted in their drippings), are widely available in small shops, as is other takeout. You will not need to cook unless you want to.

In my somewhat vast experience of duck confit the superior product is canned. We can also buy it frozen in the US and it is okay but not as good as the canned. We usually bring it back after a trip. I often go to specialty stores on side streets near Rue Montorguielle -- there are several vendors there -- but frankly it doesn't seem much different than the cans I can buy in the supermarket in Paris. Duck confit is a heavily processed product so 'fresh'? eh?

Rotisserie chicken is tasty and easy to find.

And here goes the problem with personal tastes......

I've found canned (and jarred) duck confit that I've bought in France to be quite mediocre and I was realy quite surprised considering it's one of France's famous dishes and because I've heard rave reviews about the canned variety. There may be some truth in the difference between brands but I've tried several and none of them were any good.

Most French supermarkets have a large section devoted to pre-made foods and there's a lot of variety, from roasted chicken, trays of lasagne, parmentier potatoes, dauphinoise potatoes, roasted vegetables, curries and so on. I would choose from that counter rather than a can of duck confit. I don't recall seeing duck confit on the ready meal counter but that's not to suggest that it's not available somewhere.

You will find takeaways (takeouts) such as Chinese, Indian, Thai etc as you'll find anywhere. You'll probably not find yourself asking for a doggy bag in a restaurant as undoubtedly there won't be anything left to bag up as portions are adequately sized.

Whenever I've stayed in France it's been self catering, the majority of our restaurant meals were lunches therefore dinner was usually a light affair or something that didn't require much effort (or even a Chinese takeaway, it's interesting to see the differences in a cuisine between various countries) and there's not a lot that can beat a good baguette, some cheese, charcuterie, pate and an excellently priced bottle of wine which requires pretty much zero effort to prepare.

To all the above suggestions add the wonderful frozen food selection at Picard, France's favorite brand name.

For me, the problem with duck confit is getting rid of all that fat. Yes it's wonderful for frying sauteeing etcetcetc. but there's so much of it. Also, there are usually 4 to 5 pieces in a can, 3 too many. I've found little difference in the brands I find at my local grocery.

The secret with canned, bottled and preserved meats is not to buy anything that is cheaper than you can buy the raw ingredients. You can buy cans of Confit for 2€ - it's really not that good. Good stuff is available, but you will have to pay not much less than you would for the same item in a cheap restaurant. The reason is that you are buying the same item as most restaurants use: confit is preserved meat, you can't make it to serve fresh.

People keep praising Picard which I consider mediocre airplane food. But this year we arrived in Paris on a Monday and planned to do a rotisserie chicken forgetting that Monday is the closed day for butcher shops in our area (perhaps most areas) so we decided to give Picard another try and each choose a meal. It was mediocre airplane food; I am continually amazed that so many people think this is great food. It is good for freeze dried herbs; it is okay for things like frozen unseasoned raw fish fillets or vegetables when you want the convenience of having those things on hand -- we used up a big bag of harricort vert this trip -- BUT it is IMHO really third rate for any prepared dish. Airplane food. Acceptable compared to the cafe on the corner which is also serving food prepared and re=heated (many French restaurants do this as well) but just acceptable -- not good.

Confit means slowly cooked in it's own fat, I wouldn't call this ancient method of preservation highly processed.

I can buy a confit duck leg in the chilled meat section of my grocery store. Fully cooked, not frozen, not canned. Not sure what word would apply, so "fresh."

there's not a lot that can beat a good baguette, some cheese, charcuterie, pate and an excellently priced bottle of wine

THIS!

(Maybe throw in a handful of rocket (arugula) and a squeeze of lemon so you can say you had a veg.)

I suspect that if you order confit at most restaurants in France, it will have come from a jar or can. I almost never order confit in France anymore, especially since I make it so often at home. Like last night.

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful replies! It's very helpful, despite some "mixed reviews." The baguette, cheese, wine, etc., are definitely our go-to travel food, but the "old man" in the party feels ill-used if he doesn't get a real meal from time to time, so we look for a balance.

You've given me a lot to go on. Thanks again!

Was just in Paris this last week, and noticed that there are many options for "ready to go" foods, from small stores, to Markets, to Large supermarkets.

As for Duck Confit specifically, you will find it at both butchers and prepared food market vendors. What I saw was vacuum packed or heat sealed bags, refrigerated, not frozen or canned. Also saw it at least one place just covered in fat, not packaged. Market St Germain and the Marché d'Aligre both had it, as well as a great variety of items.

Another place worth a look is the "La Grande Epicerie" a large food hall, higher end, but might have some tempting things.

Thanks, Paul! That's super encouraging. I'm sure our host can recommend some local markets. Thanks for taking time to reply!

(Maybe throw in a handful of rocket (arugula) and a squeeze of lemon so you can say you had a veg.)

Ughhh, anything but rocket! I sometimes wonder whether I'm the only person in the world who doesn't like it. It's ubiquitous but only in the last few years. When and why did it become so popular?