# (cooking) goose- as fatty as duck? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2011, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778 "2011-12-10T22:58:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/1 "2011-12-10T22:58:49Z")
planning on roasting a goose for dinner on Christmas Eve. Last year I roasted a few ducks which turned out well; did the recommended “score the skin on the breast, thighs and legs” to render out excess fat. Is the same thing necessary for a goose? **ETA:** also, any recommendations for a sauce, glaze, or something to accompany would be welcome too 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/2 "2011-12-10T23:26:31Z")
I’ve done a few ducks and one goose. IME, goose is even fattier than duck. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/3 "2011-12-10T23:26:50Z")
An older [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=489848)… seems to indicate some issues with grease. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/4 "2011-12-10T23:33:38Z")
MUCH more fatty. You’ll likely need to drain the roasting pan a few times. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/5 "2011-12-10T23:36:44Z")
Yeah, goose is really greasy. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/6 "2011-12-10T23:45:06Z")
My grandmother used to prick the skin all over with a fork and rub it with salt, then put a cut-up apple and onion in the cavity (adds flavor and helps absorb some of the fat, you throw them away after the goose is roasted.) A hell of a lot of fat would render out of it, but the cooked goose wasn’t any fattier than duck that way. She served hers with some kind of fruit compote. I had it in a restaurant with citrus glaze. The meat is very rich so fruit or sweet/sour flavor goes nicely with it. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/7 "2011-12-11T01:33:33Z")
Yeah, the one time I cooked goose I was stunned by how much fat rendered out. It felt like equal parts meat and fat, by volume. Tasty, though. Not the moistest meat, though – gravy is a necessity. ---
**Author:** ![UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/46a35a/32.png) [@UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UFC_Is_Sux)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/8 "2011-12-11T02:51:54Z")
Goose grease used to be the go-to remedy for cough, colds and sore throats. And yes, you will have to drain your roasting pan at least once while you cook your goose. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/9 "2011-12-11T02:52:19Z")
You’ll find a LOT of old fashioned home remedies which call for goose grease. Cook one goose, and apparently you’ll have buckets of grease left over! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/10 "2011-12-11T04:54:29Z")
The best thing about goose, aside from its low fat content, is the fact that it’s _extremely_ low in fat. It’s a lean meat, similar to chicken. It’s heart healthy, with minimal saturated fat. It cooks quickly because it is so incredibly lean; the skin doesn’t even need to be removed. If I remember correctly, a twelve-ounce serving of goose breast has about half a gram of saturated fat and 40 calories. It’s greasy though. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/11 "2011-12-11T05:11:53Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > The best thing about goose, aside from its **low fat content** , is the fact that it’s _extremely_ low in fat. It’s a lean meat, similar to chicken. It’s heart healthy, with minimal saturated fat. It cooks quickly because it is so incredibly lean; the skin doesn’t even need to be removed. If I remember correctly, a twelve-ounce serving of goose breast has about half a gram of saturated fat and 40 calories. > > It’s **greasy** though. my brain is full of fuck ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/12 "2011-12-11T05:22:38Z")
geese are much fattier. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/13 "2011-12-11T19:04:19Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > my brain is full of fuck But is your ear full of whoosh? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/14 "2011-12-11T22:33:32Z")
maybe, but if I’m being whooshed, I’m still not getting it… ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/15 "2011-12-11T22:53:17Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > maybe, but if I’m being whooshed, I’m still not getting it… Just be assured you are being whooshed. You will be amazed at how much fat renders out when roasting a goose. Before roasting remove all of the loose fat from around the neck and from the body cavity. You also want to be sure the fat deposits on the back near the base of the tail have been removed. If there is any yellowish stuff there it is fat and you want to get it out. Someone up above said their grandmother would prick the skin with a fork to allow the fat to escape during cooking - you absolutely want to do this. Julia Child recommends basting the bird during cooking every 15 to 20 minutes with boiling water to help the fat render out. She says it will “help in the dissolution of its subcutaneous fat, which **is more copious for goose than for duck.** ” She also says prunes and foie gras make a great stuffing for goose. I’m sure they do. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/16 "2011-12-11T23:06:52Z")
Save the fat. Roast potatoes. Have joy. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/17 "2011-12-11T23:15:09Z")
> [@Sierra\_Indigo](#): > > Save the fat. Roast potatoes. Have joy. What I was about to say. Also parsnips — delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-goose-as-fatty-as-duck/605778/18 "2011-12-12T11:06:43Z")
Hasn’t anyone here heard of _schmaltz_? That fat has a use.