Thanksgiving Recipes

While many of us would argue that the sides are the best part of Thanksgiving, turkey is undeniably a Thanksgiving icon. And each year, it seems as though there are more and more tips and tricks for cooking your best bird yet, from brining and trussing to roasting, smoking and frying to even using a pillowcase. But one crucial turkey tip involves what not to do. Since roasting is the most common method for cooking turkey, many recipes will instruct you to baste your Thanksgiving turkey, continually adding cooking liquid to the bird as it roasts. But if tender, juicy turkey with crispy, golden skin is what you’re after, the BHG Test Kitchen says to avoid basting your bird. Here’s why. What Is Basting? First things first: what does it mean to baste food? Basting is a cooking technique that involves moistening the surface of food, often meat and seafood, with cooking liquid—such as broth, butter, or pan juices—as it roasts. “The act of basting meat/fish means that cooking liquid is occasionally spooned or brushed over a cut of meat/fish as it roasts,” says Sarah Brekke, M.S., Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen brand manager. “Cooks use this technique to help keep the cut of meat moist and tender as it cooks at a high temperature.” Why You Shouldn’t Baste Turkey While basting can be a great technique for adding moisture and flavor to scallops, pork chops, chicken, and more, our BHG Test Kitchen does not recommend basting turkey. There are several reasons to skip the technique this Thanksgiving. “First of all, we have found that not much flavor or moisture can penetrate through the skin on a turkey,” Brekke says. “Secondly, every time you open the door and spend a few moments basting the bird, the internal temperature of the oven can drop about 100 degrees, which just slows down the entire roasting process and there’s nothing worse than waiting on a sluggish turkey on Thanksgiving. Finally, the turkey skin doesn’t get a good chance to crisp up as it roasts due to all of that added moisture.” Coren Hayes, a Butterball Turkey Talk-Line expert, agrees, noting that basting a turkey does not add flavor or moisture to the meat and can prolong the turkey’s cooking time. “The liquid used to baste the turkey only penetrates about ¼ of an inch beneath the skin,” Hayes says. “Most of the juices will run off back into the pan. Pouring juices over the turkey’s skin while it roasts will not make the meat juicier.” Basting Turkey Food Safety Concerns In addition to extending the cooking time and preventing the skin from crisping up, basting turkey can also run the risk of cross-contamination as you continue to spoon or brush liquid over the meat. “Initially, the cooking liquid that gets spooned or brushed over the meat will become contaminated with any bacteria on the surface of the meat,” Brekke says. “If this liquid hasn’t reached at least 165°F by the next time you go to baste the bird, the spoon, baster, or brush will then become contaminated when you dip it into the roasting pan. That utensil, if continually used, will just continue to add raw meat juices/bacteria back onto the turkey.” How to Cook the Best Thanksgiving Turkey Luckily, you don’t need to rely on basting to achieve a perfect Thanksgiving turkey. For a moist and flavorful bird, the BHG Test Kitchen recommends rubbing butter under the skin of the turkey’s breast and thighs before roasting so that it can slowly penetrate into the meat as it roasts. To amp up the flavor even more, Brekke says you can try stirring up a garlic and herb butter mixture to rub under the skin. Instead of basting, Hayes recommends brushing the turkey with vegetable oil right before you put it in the oven and covering the turkey breast with foil two-thirds of the way through the cook time to prevent the meat from drying out. For more tips and tricks, see our ultimate turkey roasting guide.