Trussing String

A kitchen string or a similar material made for oven baking that is used to weave through poultry in order to form a more compact shape around the body of the bird. Typically, the wings and legs of poultry are tied or trussed securely with a trussing thread (string) drawing the wings and legs against the body in order for the bird to be evenly cooked. A thick, large stainless steel needle is threaded with the string to sew (truss) the loose parts of meat or poultry together. Other trussing utensils may also include skewers or pins that are used instead of string to hold the bird parts together. Common, inexpensive trussing strings are made of non-edible string that must be removed before the meat is eaten. However, there are edible strings made of collagen ribbon that is strong and very flexible for use in trussing. Generally more common for commercial use, this type of string allows meat to be eaten if it contains any part of a trussing string.