An Easy Guide to Buying Premium Whole Duck

Whole duck is a versatile product that fits a variety of cuisines and cooking methods. It is great slow roasted and served as the focal point at holiday gatherings or you can break it down into breast and leg portions to expand options for cooking methods and recipes. Either way, you want to make sure you purchase a premium quality duck that can serve with confidence.

Selecting Whole Duck

There are many factors to consider when choosing what duck to purchase. The first among these is breed. White Pekin is the predominant duck breed grown in the United States because of its mild flavor and tender texture. Muscovy, Moulard and other specialty breeds are also available, but not preferred by many consumers due to their gamey, greasier flavor.

To ensure an enjoyable eating experience, you will want to choose a high-quality duck. Maple Leaf Farms offers a USDA Grade A duck that is minimally processed with all natural ingredients. You can also be confident in how Maple Leaf Farms ducks are farmed. Through our Trident Stewardship and sustainability programs, we provide a transparent view of our farm to fork process and the care we take to properly care for our animals, people and the environment.

Sourcing Whole Duck

If you are a home cook, you can find Maple Leaf Farms duck at grocery and club stores throughout the United States. While availability of fresh or frozen whole duck varies depending on where you live, come holiday time you can find them in almost any grocery store. Often whole ducks are stocked in the bunker freezers found in the outer aisles of the store. In some stores, you can also find whole ducks in enclosed upright coolers.

Having trouble buying duck in your area? Purchase it online and have it shipped directly to your door. The Maple Leaf Farms online store carries a variety of duck products including whole duck. What's more, our website offers a wide range of recipes and instructional videos that take the guesswork out of cooking whole duck.

You can also enjoy duck at a local restaurant. Once reserved for fine dining, duck is now available at more and more casual restaurants and pubs that want to offer customers unique eating experiences.

For Chefs

If you are a professional chef and want to wow your customers with duck, you can source it through several avenues.

• Work with your distributor
• Purchase it from a wholesaler or restaurant warehouse store
• Buy it online from the Maple Leaf Farms Business-to-Business site

You can also reach out to the Maple Leaf Farms regional sales manager for your area to discover more options.

Whether roasted whole or cut up for separate breast and leg dishes, whole duck is a great product that allows home cooks and professional chefs to utilize their culinary creativity. To explore menu ideas or recipes, be sure to check out our tips on how to cook duck.