- How to Cook
Learn why you shouldn't add water to turkey roasting pans, plus better ways to score a moist roast turkey.
By
Karla Walsh
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Karla Walsh
Karla Walsh began her career at FITNESS magazine in 2010. Since, she's worked at a wide variety of publications full-time, including BHG.com, Recipe.com and as a cross-brand social media specialist. From search engine optimization to features for print to video strategy, she has a diverse background in all things magazines. At the start of 2019, Karla chose to pursue full-time freelance writing and has contributed to more than 3 dozen brands.
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Updated on November 14, 2022
Fact checked by
Marcus Reeves
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Fact checked byMarcus Reeves
Marcus Reeves is an experienced writer, publisher, and fact-checker. He began his writing career reporting for The Source magazine. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Playboy, The Washington Post, and Rolling Stone, among other publications. His book Somebody Scream: Rap Music's Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power was nominated for a Zora Neale Hurston Award. He is an adjunct instructor at New York University, where he teaches writing and communications. Marcus received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
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From the looks of the happy family in Norman Rockwell's iconic "Freedom From Want" painting, you might have grown up believing that whipping up a classic roast turkey is simple and stress-free. That is until you got around to hosting Thanksgiving yourself and realized the bird brings up many questions. Do I stuff or bake that separately? How long do I cook a turkey for juicy meat? What's the deal with brine? Do I put water in the roasting pan for turkey? That last question is what we're here to discuss. Read on to learn more about cooking turkey with water in a pan, including answers from Butterball Turkey Talk-Line pros who field all those queries and thousands more each holiday season.
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Should I Put Water in the Roasting Pan for Turkey?
"You can imagine all the turkey cooking methods we've tested over our 39 years at the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line," says Nicole Johnson, the director of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line located in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. "Often, consumers will inquire about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey."
While it likely won't hurt—unless you don't cook the turkey to a safe temp—there are five main reasons Johnson advises against cooking turkey with water in the pan:
- This will create spotty browning and may look underdone—even when the meat is fully cooked.
- The meat may separate from the bones, meaning you won't have those emblematic handheld drumsticks to devour.
- The meat will be less flavorful by cooking via steam instead of roasting.
- The drippings will be less flavorful and not as concentrated as roast turkey drippings. As a result, your turkey gravy may taste lackluster.
- Adding water to the turkey roasting pan can lead to spattering or popping during the roasting process as the turkey fat begins to melt and drips into the water. This may cause a mess in your oven that you'll have to clean up later. (No, thank you!)
When roasting a turkey without water, it will produce its flavorful juices. After cooking, you can extend the turkey's juices with broth or wine, then add it to your gravy for extra flavor.
"The quantity of juices is influenced by whether the turkey is basted or unbasted. Pre-basted turkeys will have enhanced tenderness and juiciness and will contribute to flavorful drippings," Johnson says.
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So What Should I Do Instead of Cooking Turkey with Water in the Pan?
Johnson and her Butterball pros have found the most foolproof method (which our Test Kitchen also abides by) to be the flat rack roast, meaning roasting on a flat rack in a roasting pan, so the turkey is lifted off the bottom of the pan.
"The purpose of the flat rack is to allow heat circulation and expose more of the pan surface to heat. Ideally, a flat rack or a v-rack with a stable base should be used," Johnson says. "No rack? No problem. Crush a long length of foil into a 'rope' and form a ring which we like to refer to as our 'coil of foil.' You can also substitute out a rack by using whole raw vegetables like carrots and celery on the bottom of your roasting pan."
The open pan, flat rack method is much more likely to produce an excellent golden-brown turkey, a rich roasted flavor, with tender and juicy results than if you add water to the turkey roasting pan.
Here are a few more turkey tips from the Talk-Line pros to ace this water-free strategy:
- Opt for a shallow open roasting pan, no more than 2½ -3 inches deep.
- Spray the turkey rack with nonstick cooking spray to prevent the turkey from sticking to the bottom of the hot pan and eliminate the need to add water to the turkey roasting pan.
- Thaw your turkey in advance, keeping in mind that it takes 24 hours for every 4 pounds of turkey meat to thaw in your refrigerator. (But if you're in a crunch, we've got some turkey-thawing hacks for that.)
- Place a piece of foil (about the size of a notebook sheet of paper) over the breast about two-thirds through the roast time to prevent over-browning.
So skip the H2O and stop cooking turkey with water in a pan if you want a succulent, gorgeous, and delicious turkey this Thanksgiving.
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