The Best Way to Baste Your Thanksgiving Turkey

If you’re looking to get schooled on the correct way to baste your turkey this Thanksgiving, it’s hard to find a better teacher than chef Emeril Lagasse.

“One of my favorite things to [cook] is a roast chicken,” Emeril says. “I like to baste the chicken. We don’t baste enough!”

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Why even bother to baste? Among the benefits, according to Emeril: It gets the turkey’s skin nice and crisp. Plus, it really brings out the turkey’s color, which will go a long way towards impressing your guests when it’s finally put out on the table.

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And it's easy—just make sure you close your oven door.

“That’s where people make a big mistake,” he says. “They leave the oven open when they’re going do the basting, and then they have to wait another 15-20 minutes [because the heat escapes].”