- Large birds such as turkey, duck, or goose: Baste every 30 to 45 minutes.
- A whole pig on a spit: Baste once every hour.
- Chicken parts: Baste every 15 to 20 minutes.
- Barbecuing meat: Baste every 15 minutes.
What does it mean to baste food?
In short, to baste means to moisten foods such as turkey or chicken during specific intervals with a liquid. Interestingly, the basting liquid can be the pan juices rendered while the meat is cooking, a marinade, melted butter, or another sauce. The basting liquid is usually applied with a brush, ladle, or turkey baster.
What is the best way to baste meat?
You can use several liquids for basting your meats. Melted butter, pan drippings, broth or a combination of these ingredients make a great basting medium and are frequently used. If you want to get creative, add some seasoning or flavorings to your base liquid before basting.
What is Basting and why do you need it?
In addition to contributing moisture, basting adds flavor (as long as the basting liquid is flavorful) to the surface of the meat. There are a few different ways to baste, from simply using a spoon to utilizing a pastry or basting brush. There are also different perspectives on the benefits of basting and whether it is worth the trouble.
Can you use a basting bulb to baste meat?
There are really no additional uses for a basting bulb. However, if you find that the basting liquid isn't really adhering to the brush, the bulb may be a better tool for you. Of course, you can also use a large spoon to distribute the liquid on top of the roast.
When should you baste food?
0:040:49How to Baste - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipOne of the most important techniques that we use in the kitchen when pan sauteing or praying fine isMoreOne of the most important techniques that we use in the kitchen when pan sauteing or praying fine is tasting. Important way to remember how to do this is that you're going to tilt your pan. Just going
What meats do you baste?
The types of foods that should be pan-basted are quick-cooking. Think seared scallops, pan-roasted pork chops, or fish. In this instance, you're basting with an independent fat—or, in other words, one that's introduced to the pan, rather than rendered from the meat.
What does it mean to baste food?
basted; basting. Definition of baste (Entry 2 of 3) transitive verb. : to moisten (foods, especially meat) at intervals with a liquid (such as melted butter, fat, or pan drippings) especially during the cooking process to prevent drying and add flavor baste a roast every half hour.
What would make good basting liquids?
You can use several liquids for basting your meats. Melted butter, pan drippings, broth or a combination of these ingredients make a great basting medium and are frequently used.
Should you baste chicken?
DO baste the chicken every 15 to 20 minutes. Basting is the real secret to roast chicken success. DON'T carve the chicken immediately after removing it from the oven. Just like a roast turkey, it needs time to rest so the juices collect and the chicken remains moist.
Can you baste fish?
Tilt the skillet toward you to pool the fat, and use a deep spoon to pour the butter over the fish for 15 seconds. There's no need to rush; just baste until the time is up. Now, take a break: Put the skillet flat on the burner and let the fish cook for 30 seconds. Baste again, and then take the temperature of the fish.
Do you baste roast beef?
While the beef is cooking, lift it out of the oven from time to time, tilt the tin and baste the meat really well with its own juices - this ensures that the flavour that is concentrated in the fat keeps permeating the meat, and at the same time the fat keeps everything moist and succulent.
What can I use to baste a chicken?
0:511:35How to Baste a Chicken | Tesco Food - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipUsing a baster makes things quick and simple and these are relatively cheap to buy too alternativelyMoreUsing a baster makes things quick and simple and these are relatively cheap to buy too alternatively. You could use a large spoon pour the meat juices over the top of the chicken three or four times.
Should you baste a roast?
Reserve a small amount of butter to rub on the outside of the skin and then roast it as normal. The butter under the skin helps keep the meat moist. Baste it once about halfway through the cooking time for added flavor, if possible.
Can you baste with olive oil?
Second, slather the outside of the skin with olive oil and sprinkle with salt before placing in the oven to roast. Continue to baste throughout the roasting process.
How often should you baste?
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. Basting every forty-five minutes is just the right balance between reaping the benefits of basting but not cooling the bird down too much.
Do you have to baste steak?
2:225:39How to Butter-Baste a Steak | Serious Eats - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd very importantly for butter basting. I have a nice big spoon to baste with you just want thatMoreAnd very importantly for butter basting. I have a nice big spoon to baste with you just want that oil as hot as it can get flirting with the smoke. Point all right we're soil smoking ready steak.
Do you baste roast beef?
While the beef is cooking, lift it out of the oven from time to time, tilt the tin and baste the meat really well with its own juices - this ensures that the flavour that is concentrated in the fat keeps permeating the meat, and at the same time the fat keeps everything moist and succulent.
Do you need to baste a steak?
2:225:39How to Butter-Baste a Steak | Serious Eats - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd very importantly for butter basting. I have a nice big spoon to baste with you just want thatMoreAnd very importantly for butter basting. I have a nice big spoon to baste with you just want that oil as hot as it can get flirting with the smoke. Point all right we're soil smoking ready steak.
Should you baste a roast?
Reserve a small amount of butter to rub on the outside of the skin and then roast it as normal. The butter under the skin helps keep the meat moist. Baste it once about halfway through the cooking time for added flavor, if possible.
Should you baste a turkey?
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.
Basting a turkey or chicken
Basting poultry does not help to keep the meat moister. The fat you baste a bird with just runs right off, back into the pan. Cooks Illustrated says,
Basting tools
You can baste with a spoon, ladle, brush or a special device called a bulb baster, aka turkey baster.
Cooking Tips
One way to make a joint of meat self-basting is to put it in the oven the correct way. When roasting a joint of meat, such as pork, beef or lamb, that has a layer of fat on one side, cook it fat side up so that as the fat renders it will drop down onto the meat and the meat will baste itself.
Close the oven door while basting
When basting something that is cooking in the oven, take the roasting pan entirely out of the oven, and close the oven door to keep the heat in, do your basting, then replace in the oven. Keeping the oven door open greatly lengthens the cooking time because you are losing all the heat in the oven each time you baste.
Basting with drippings is a modern cooking technique
Historically, basting with drippings is a relatively new cooking habit, not an old one: people just didn’t have ovens in which they could put roasting pans, which let the juices accumulate to be used for basting. Instead, they would have cooked meat on a spit over a fire, or boiled it so as not to lose any goodness of the meat into the fire.
What Is Basting?
Basting simply means to cover the surface of the turkey, chicken, or whatever else you want to baste with a liquid. The liquid can be cooking juices from the pan, melted butter, a marinade, or other sauces. And they can be applied with a brush, ladle, or (of course) a turkey baster. Basting helps to keep the meat moist and juicy.
Is Basting Necessary?
The short answer is no, basting is not strictly necessary. There are other ways to keep meat and poultry moist, including brining, cooking a turkey upside down, and tenting it with foil. Basting is an optional step in our go-to roasted turkey recipe.
What Is a Self-Basting Bird?
A self-basting turkey or chicken has been injected with some combination of salt, water, other liquid, fat (like butter), and spices. The USDA requires bone-in poultry products, such as a whole turkey, that have been treated this way to be labeled as “basted” or “self-basted.”
How to Baste
Gather your tools: A brush is the best tool for basting if you are grilling the meat since it allows you to apply just a small amount of the liquid and avoid flare-ups. But for easy basting when oven roasting, we recommend a ladle or turkey baster. A turkey baster will allow you the most control when basting.
Did you make this recipe?
Use a basting brush. Try using a basting brush to coat your chicken instead of a turkey baster. Dip the bristles of the brush into your melted butter or rendered fat and paint the chicken with the liquid, coating it completely. Perform the baste every 30 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?
Heat the grill. Use a clean grill and bring it to the desired heat for your recipe. You can use either a charcoal or gas grill to baste your chicken.
Tips
Take care when handling the hot basting liquid so you don’t burn yourself.
About This Article
This article was co-authored by JoAnna Minneci. JoAnna Minneci is a Professional Chef based in the Nashville, Tennessee area. With more than 18 years of experience, Chef JoAnna specializes in teaching others how to cook through private cooking lessons, team-building events, and wellness and nutrition classes.
Food safety for basting, sopping up, or serving a marinade
Derrick Riches is a grilling and barbecue expert. He has written two cookbooks.
When Is It Safe to Use a Marinade?
Marinating meat before cooking can add flavor and moisture to a dish. Raw meat and fish have germs on their surfaces that will contaminate a marinade after use. Even if your marinade has acid or alcohol, these ingredients are not strong enough to kill the germs.
How to Boil a Marinade
Pour any marinade or sauce that has been in contact with raw meat into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. This needs to be a complete, rolling boil to ensure that all of the bacteria is killed. Foodborne bacteria die at 165 F (75 C), so this is your target temperature. Once the marinade has reached a boil, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Taste the Boiled Marinade
Not all marinades tolerate boiling well, so taste your boiled marinade before you use it again to make sure that the flavor has not been altered. Most marinades will be unaffected by the heat, but some may develop an unappealing flavor. You might want to adjust the acidity, for example.
The Safest Choice
While you may not feel right about tossing the marinade, that is the safest choice if you're unwilling to boil it properly. It is better to make up a larger volume of the marinade and set aside some you will use for basting or to make a sauce.
