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Is Basting a Turkey Necessary?

Sarah Jenkins • • 7 min read
Is Basting a Turkey Necessary?

Do Not Baste.
Basting the skin is not necessary to flavor the meat. You'll flavor the skin, but you'll also let heat out of the oven each time you open it to baste. "That means the bird is going to be in there for a longer time cooking, which means it's going to dry out more," Brown says.

Should you baste your turkey or not?

Basting is optional when roasting a turkey. To ensure a moist turkey, the key is to not overcook it. ... If you choose to baste the bird, do so every 30 minutes. Be sure to check out a few other ideas on adding flavor and moisture to your holiday turkey.

How often do you need to baste a turkey?

Most recipes will tell you to baste your turkey every thirty minutes. But our rule of thumb is actually every forty minutes, and here's why. You don't want to open the oven too many times, or else the whole bird will take much long to cook, and that's a huge inconvenience.

Sarah Jenkins
Author

Sarah Jenkins

Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.