Turkey Baster FAIL

We bought a generic Walmart-grade baster perhaps two years ago to replace a much older one with a failed rubber bulb. We use it intermittently throughout the year and had a turkey in the oven when we discovered this:

Cracked Baster - overview
Cracked Baster – overview

A closer look at the business end:

Cracked Baster - tip detail
Cracked Baster – tip detail

Yes, those cracks go all the way through, there’s a loose spear running the length of the thing, and it definitely doesn’t work as a baster.

Contrary to what you might think from the general fogging and stress cracking, I haven’t used it for gasoline or brake fluid, nor do we put it away without washing it.

The rubber bulb still works fine, though, so there’s that.

We’ll up our spend for an OXO baster and see what happens.

5 thoughts on “Turkey Baster FAIL

  1. I perform a limited amount of 3D printing and it does fill a gap for getting prototype complicated parts “quickly”, but I digress. I have not had the opportunity to try any of the flexible filaments yet but will eventually. I would hope that these at least are bonded well enough they could create a replacement bulb for a baster. Although probably not food grade, if the liquid is not allowed to reach the bulb it might be a good short term solution for the old model. I’ve actually have two of those old style basters that still partially work and are failing for the same reasons, “dry rot”. I suppose that an occasional immersing or even storage in mineral oil would prolong this … who has the time or the will to write such a procedure? Baster rejuvenation! Upon closer inspection I see that my failing baster (collection) seems to be more due to lack of a good seal around the bulb/tube junction, but they do still work!

    1. Ordinary rubber, at least of the kind used for kitchen utensils, definitely doesn’t last forever! Based on the results for hard filament, though, I doubt bendy filament would produce an airtight bulb. Maybe you could get close enough by covering it (inside?) with silicone snot?

  2. I miss the glass basters.

    One decent kitchen baster went out with a failed bulb, and the first replacement was too hard to clean. (Unusual nozzle, too. Hard to use for de-fatting roasting pans in cleanup, and the plastic isn’t willing to give up that coating of grease without major help. (OTOH, I found a skinny/very skinny double-ended bottle brush at the restaurant supply store. With some Dawn and the brush, it’s merely a pain, rather than impossible.) Some of the plastic formulations are questionable. (I wonder if it’s the “BPA free” fad that’s causing this.)

    1. To my astonishment, Amazon does show some glass basters!

      The metal basters, which I’d otherwise prefer, all include an injector needle we’d never use, which means the baster tip has an impossible-to-clean threaded socket.

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