Scoring skin
Skill level
Easy
Equipment you will need for this technique
Sharp knife
Scoring duck breasts aids the release (or 'rendering') of the layer of fat between the skin and the flesh. When the meat is cooked, the melted fat can be poured off and stored for other culinary uses, such as cooking roast potatoes.
-Run the knife down the skin of the duck at 5mm intervals, then run it across the skin to form a cross-hatch pattern. The cut needs to be deep enough to cut the skin but should not cut the meat below.