How long will duck fat last?

Okay, I saved my duck fat like you told me to. Now how long will it last in a glass jar in the refrigerator? Also, I wonder how much I need to make confit. This could be never-ending, a perpetual duckfat machine.

LOL Jeanne...I was actually going to post a similar question regarding bacon fat! I am wondering how long it can last in the fridge.

Okay, I saved my duck fat like you told me to. Now how long will it last in a glass jar in the refrigerator? Also, I wonder how much I need to make confit. This could be never-ending, a perpetual duckfat machine.

Oxygen is the enemy of any fat, so if you put your duck fat in a tightly sealed container (ideally with little to no headspace filled with air) it will be practically immortal in the fridge. I take it that you rendered this fat? For a confit, you'll need enough fat to fully cover the meat that you're cooking. When I make confit from two humungous Moulard duck legs, I use enough fat to fill a medium-sized sauce pan to about 4 inches of depth, which requires about a quart of rendered fat. Since I store my confit in the fat I used to poach it (after boiling off all the water) I generally don't reuse it afterward. I suspect, though, that the fat that you'd recover would be a bit less than what you started with.

Mark Lipton

I keep about 2 litres of duck fat in Mason jars in the fridge for confit . I put the jars through the dishwasher before filling them almost to the top. I then cover them with the Mason jar lids, but not vacuum sealed. They keep almost indefinitely.
Since I marinade the duck for 24-36 hours with a mixture of herbs and spices before cooking, some of the marinade finishes up in the fat. I filter it through about 6 layers of cheese cloth before putting it back into clean jars. This seems to be effective in removing all the residue.
The only disadvantage in using the marinade is that some of the flavour always remains in the fat, even though there is no visual residue. After about the third use, the residual flavours become too strong and the fat has to be replaced.
By then I have usually managed to accumulate a second batch of duck fat for replacement.
Incidentally, if you are a bit short of duck fat, you can top up with up to 25% lard, without affecting the end result.

I generally keep mine in the freezer. lasts longer that way.

Okay, I saved my duck fat like you told me to. Now how long will it last in a glass jar in the refrigerator? Also, I wonder how much I need to make confit. This could be never-ending, a perpetual duckfat machine.

Put it in a well-sealed container (one that will not leak) and turn the container upside down. This will prevent oxygen from entering. It's a good idea to put the container on a plate or something that will rein in any unforeseen events.

(You can increase the life of things like sour cream almost indefinitely with this same technique).

Interesting Chef...I will definitely do this. Thanks for the tip!