All About Basters

Infuse the flavor

A baster is an essential for a busy holiday kitchen, or any time you want to ensure moist and succulent meat. Use a baster to vacuum up pan liquids or melted butter or a special sauce to moisten your favorite roast turkey, beef, or pork dishes.

Baster styles

Typically priced under ten dollars, the main difference between basters is the kind of material they are made out of and the way the bulb suctions the juice. Following are examples of various basters and their main features:

Stainless steel baster. You don't have to worry about melting your baster with hot cooking juices when you purchase a stainless steel baster. The stainless steel composition makes it easier to clean with the handy cleaning brush that is included. You'll pay a little more for the quality of this baster.

Silicone bulb baster. The flexible silicone bulb baster is a popular style. It creates great suction and is heat-resistant, so you don't have to worry about sucking up any kind of basting juice. The tube offers great clarity, with easy to read markings and is not bothered by hot liquids. To thoroughly clean this baster, a nylon bristle cleaning brush is included.

Non-slip grip baster. The unique bulb shape and collar make the non-slip baster easy to grip. The suction tube fits into a plastic collar, which attaches to a squeeze bulb. The collar and bulb design allows for both a firm and comfortable grip. The unique flat shape of the bulb prevents the baster from rolling around on the countertop. The clear suction tube has clearly printed measurement markings in both standard and metric units. Made from crack and heat resistant plastic, the baster disassembles for easy cleaning by hand or in the top rack of the dishwasher.

Dripless baster. A special valve inside the tip of a dripless baster holds in the juice until you squeeze, preventing drips. This is especially helpful in preventing oven drips when you baste hard to reach areas of a turkey or roast inside your oven. A removable angled tip makes it easier to siphon drippings, and allows you to keep your hands low and away from oven walls. The silicone bulb is heat resistant to 800 degrees.

When buying a baster, check to make sure that it is dishwasher safe, and that it comes with a cleaning brush for easy cleaning.

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