[Tips] 11 Unusual DIY Ways You Never Thought To Use A Turkey Baster

Degrease Meat

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Taco night? After cooking meat (say, ground beef), use a turkey baster to remove the extra grease at the bottom of the pan. Faster than ladling with a spoon, this trick lowers the likelihood of searing grease spills.

Change Plant Water

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Remove dirty water without disturbing your plants. Use a turkey baster to absorb the old water and replace with fresh water, whether your greens are in a vase or potted plant. This trick is especially handy for high-hanging plants.

Separate Eggs

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To cleanly divide egg yolks from egg whites, unscrew the bulb of the turkey baster. Squeeze it to slurp the egg yolk away from the whites. Squeeze again to release into a separate bowl.

Save Wine

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Can’t find a wine stopper? To preserve an open bottle of wine, drop the thin end of a turkey baster into the bottleneck.

Entertain Children

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For a tech-free way to keep young kids busy, hand them Pom-Poms and a turkey baster. Watch them race the balls across the floor by squeezing puffs of air out of the basters. It’s cheap entertainment for you and them alike.

Touch Up a Paint Job

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For small paint sprucing jobs, use a turkey baster to transfer a small amount of paint from the pail to a disposable cup. You’ll have the exact portion you need and avoid drips.

Change Brake Fluid

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If you do this job yourself, you know the first step is removing the old, dirty fluid from the master cylinder reservoir. Get it done quickly with an inexpensive turkey baster. (We recommend keeping this particular baster in the garage, not the kitchen.)

Wind Yarn

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To wind a pull ball of yarn, remove the bulb from a turkey baster. Thread yarn through the baster, and secure to the thin end of the baster with a piece of tape. Wrap the yarn horizontally around the wide end of the baster. After there is about an inch of wrapped yarn, begin winding diagonally to create a crisscross pattern. Continue until a ball is formed. Tuck the end of the yarn into the ball. Remove tape from the other end. Slide the ball off the baster.

Feed Fish

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Use an extra turkey baster to directly feed pet fish that struggle to compete for their share of food. The tool is also handy for feeding invertebrates such as clams, corals, and anemones. Have a gunky tank? Use the baster to remove small bugs that fall into the aquarium or unwanted algae.

Create Artwork

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Fill turkey basters with paint for creative crafts with tots. Create colorful paper plates or cover blank frames with splats of paint. For an adult project, use a baster to transfer paint into a clear glass bottle. Roll the bottle until the paint is evenly distributed. Dry upside down. Use the painted bottles as bright vases.

Fill Muffin Tins

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To add an equal amount of batter to each muffin cup (without a mess!) swap a spoon for a turkey baster. Turkey basters also come in handy for drawing creative pancake shapes on the griddle.