roasted chicken

Preparing the chicken is my least favorite part of the whole equation. It is not that I don’t like trussing chickens, because bending back chicken wings so they fit behind the shoulder is a secret joy.

But when I go to truss the bird, I can never find the string in the drawer, mostly because my kids abscond with it for their own little projects. So when I saw The Food Loop, I was excited. Imagine, trussing the chicken quickly and easily, with cute pink silicone strings. This could be fun!

Sadly, all has not worked out the way I had hoped. The Loops slip off the chicken legs, or don’t stay put once I slide the bird in the oven. The little grippers on the side don’t hold well and the chicken legs end up flopping apart, allowing the cavity contents to spill out into the pan. Once, I tried using the Loops on a trussed chicken I was putting on my rotisserie, and ended up with a huge mess.

The best application for these Loops is probably a stuffed tenderloin of some sort, or a stuffed whole fish, as they show on their website. Maybe it is not suited for chicken use.

In any case, I recommend this product with reservations. For everyday chicken trussing, I am going to stick with kitchen twine and girl scout knots. If I have the occasion to stuff a pork or beef tenderloin, or an entire fish, I will pull the loops out and give them a go.

Have you tried The Food Loop? What did you think?

Photo courtesy of Barcex.