Sacrebleu

Can it be? From NYT:

[T]he French technique of cooking slowly in fat, is supposed to impart a unique taste and texture as the fat penetrates the meat.

But Dr. Myhrvold said: “There’s no way it could penetrate. The molecules are too big.”

He said double-blind taste tests proved that the same tasty results could be achieved by steaming and then rubbing some of the fat on the outside.

Double-blind you say? I've had some pretty good steamed tough cuts of meat (pig head tacos, in particular), so maybe there's something to it. Still, I'm skeptical. And the way things are right now, I can't imagine confit departing from the restaurant menu lexicon.