How to Baste a Turkey: A Breakdown of Basting Tools

While basting a Thanksgiving turkey is not a required step (even a disputed one), some home cooks believe it can reduce the chances of the meat drying out and lead to crisp, golden-brown turkey skin.

The tools you use to baste mostly depend on your basting liquid. If it’s olive oil, for example, there’s no need for any special tools at all: Simply remove the bird from the oven, quickly drizzle olive oil over the selected areas, replace, and close the oven door. Basting with pan juices, however, may require specialized equipment. Here are a few of the most common choices:

• Ladle: For those who prefer a controlled cascade of drippings, a small ladle with an extra-long handle is ideal for scooping out the corners of a deep roasting pan.
• Silicone brush: A flexible brush can be especially useful when applying a light, even layer to specific areas, like wings or turkey breasts. Use a silicone brush—or a brand-new, large paintbrush—to apply oil or evenly distribute drippings.
• Turkey baster: A turkey baster, shaped like an oversized bulb syringe, is useful for concentrated applications of hot liquid pulled from hard-to-reach places, like pan juices from the bottom of the pan underneath the bird.

You have a few options when it comes to basting a roast turkey: olive oil, melted butter, or drippings. While basting has little effect on the finished roast’s overall moisture content or the skin’s crispiness, it will affect its flavor and fat content. (If you’re after juicy turkey meat, try dry-brining your bird with salt. For crispy skin, give it time to dry out in the refrigerator.)

For fat content and mild flavor, olive oil is the best option, and it also leaves the drippings free for use in gravy. Instead of melted butter, try clarified butter, or ghee, which has the same rich flavor as butter but without the high water content that leads to sogginess or splotchiness.

To baste a turkey, carefully slide the oven rack partially out of the oven to allow for easier access. Use a baster, brush, or spoon to quickly distribute the drippings from the corners of the pan onto the surface of the turkey, then return the roast to the oven. Speed is key—letting too much heat escape means an altered oven temperature and increased cooking time.