Poultry: Basting a Turkey

(bright pop music)

[Narrator] Basting.

Begin by removing the turkey from the oven.

This makes basting much safer.

Using a bulb baster or deep spoon,

pour the juice from the bottom of the roasting pan

over the top of the bird.

You'll probably end up doing this two or three times

during the roasting process.

When you do, do remember that you wanna close the oven door

as you work so you don't lose too much heat.

That's one of the reasons that turkeys

end up taking a long time to cook.

Basting a turkey not only enriches its flavor and color,

but keeps the bird moist.

If the bottom of the pan seems dry

after a couple of hours of cooking,

add some broth or water to it.

You can baste the turkey one last time

after it comes out of the oven.