This seems like a good place to ask.

[justgamma]

I'm a cooking show junkie. I've been wondering for a while, why won't the judges taste chicken that is not completely done, but they will eat raw duck tartar? Seems a little weird to me.
Thanks

[Warpy]

1. Duck has usually been frozen solid unless someone has shot it himself

or raised it in the back yard pond with frequent health checks. Freezing kills most parasites and some bacteria.

I think they're still taking a chance, but that's what makes me a cook and not a chef.

Chickens, on the other hand, are chilled near freezing but not ordinarily frozen so they can be labeled "fresh." Parasites and bacteria have to be killed by cooking to at least 165 F for 5 minutes.

I'm pretty much over the cooking shows these days, celebrity chefs with bad cases of restaurantitis don't appeal to me. I find that good ingredients prepared simply yield the best results. Unfortunately, you can no longer find that sort of thing on either of the cooking channels.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Chicken can carry salmonella. It's dangerous to eat undercooked chicken

because the way it's processed can transfer the bacteria to the meat. Duck isn't as likely to carry salmonella because ducks are not so often factory farmed like chicken.

[Sophiegirl]

3. Found this in an online reliable publication

As with any poultry, there’s always the chance that duck harbors harmful bacteria. But cooking duck is different than cooking chicken and turkey because it’s actually a red meat. As with other red meats, some people prefer to eat duck that's cooked medium or medium rare so it’s still pink inside.

[justgamma]

4. Thanks everyone!

I knew I could get the answers here.

[pansypoo53219]

5. i once got chicken fingers w/ pink juice. luckily i cut it 1st. sent it back.

i know pink is bad. only time i ever sent anything back.