The Turkey Baster Tip For Evenly Portioned Breakfast Batters

Turkey basters may have been designed specifically for basting turkeys, but that is not all that they can be used for. Believe it or not, they're actually great for easily and cleanly portioning breakfast batters, too. That's because turkey basters will suck up and spit back out the same amount of liquid each and every time. This little tip comes in super handy for ensuring that all of your muffins, pancakes, crepes, and the like, end up being the same uniform size, which will make those breakfast items look like they were made by a professional chef. Uniform sizing will also ensure that the cooking time is consistent for each one. And as an added bonus, if you're making those goodies for young children there will be no way they can fight over who got the biggest piece when they are all exactly the same size.

You'll also get to say goodbye to batter dripping from a measuring cup or off of a spoon with this hack. Turkey basters will get the job done much more cleanly than any of the usual methods of pouring or transferring batter. Once the batter is sucked up into the turkey baster it isn't going anywhere until you squeeze the bulb to release it, keeping your stove and counters nice and clean.

Assuming you have a regular-sized turkey baster and not an oversized one, it should have a capacity of between an ounce to an ounce and a half. A turkey baster that holds an ounce and a half will be perfect for standard muffin recipes that call for three tablespoons of batter each. If your baster only holds an ounce of liquid, you'll want to add one full baster-worth to each muffin slot and then split the difference between two slots with subsequent turkey baster refills. Ultimately, this method should consistently fill your tins the recommended three-quarters of the way up.

Keep in mind that this trick will only work with breakfast muffin recipes that are on the thinner side since super thick batter has the potential to get stuck. It also won't work if your muffin recipe has blueberries, nuts, or any other ingredients that will clog the opening — those will have to be added after the batter is already portioned in the muffin tin. Just use a skewer to push them down into the mix.

Portioning perfect pancakes is also super easy with a turkey baster. And since pancake batter is naturally thinner, there's no risk of it being so thick it will clog up the baster. As with muffins, if you want to add any additional ingredients like blueberries or chocolate chips you will have to wait until after you've portioned the individual pancakes out. Then just drop them right into the batter after squirting it onto the griddle.

The best part about using this tip for pancakes is the mess that will be eliminated. If you thought it helped keep your countertops clean while making muffins, you will be even more amazed by the difference it makes with pancakes (or crepes). That thinner batter tends to drip everywhere, including the stovetop where it often ends up cooking on the warm surface, making an even harder-to-clean mess. But now you won't have to worry about any of that. 

This method is also great for when you've got little ones helping you in the kitchen. A turkey baster is much easier for little hands to wield than an awkward ladle is, so they'll be much more successful at getting all of the batter right where it belongs. Not to mention all the fun they'll have sucking up the batter and squeezing it out. Meanwhile, you won't have to worry about your kitchen becoming a disaster zone of spilled batter.