Shopping Tip: Confit is a cooking method where meat is cooked in its own fat with herbs and spices over low heat until very tender. It’s cooled and stored in a container completely submerged in fat. To eat, the fat is removed and the meat is placed in a hot pan until it’s warmed through and the skin is crisp. Some supermarkets (like Longo’s) carry duck confit.
All about cooking pasta! Italians cook pasta in lots of boiling water seasoned very generously with salt. It’s important to use a large pot so the pasta can cook without sticking to itself. Never add oil to the pasta water. At Chatelaine, we always test recipes and perform nutritional analyses without salting the water (in order to cut down on overall sodium). If you are watching your sodium intake, omit salt; if not, feel free to salt the cooking water!
