Julia tells how to roast chichen with roast rack
Julia gives you options depending on your roasting pan set-up. Mine has a flat rack, which meant I was to the fold the wings akimbo (a move I've always felt made for a rather sassy-looking chicken). If I had a v-shaped rack, I would have tied the drumsticks together instead. Not having a v-shaped rack I'm not entirely sure how that would work but with a flat rack and only a spoon for basting, I can tell you that basting is, in my estimation, a bit of a giant pain. I quickly realized that there's a reason people buy basters and why some cooks don't believe in basting at all. In this particular recipe, there's not that much liquid for basting and with the very hot pan and equally hot rack, it's hard to get a spoon in there to get the liquid and then drizzle it over the chicken.
I did manage to baste nearly as much as Julia calls for, and got only one tiny burn, but I probably won't be joining Team Baste anytime soon. I prefer the technique I usually use for chicken and turkey, simply rubbing an herb butter under and over the skin, no basting required. Of course, once I ate Julia's simple and perfect chicken, I started to reconsider: Maybe I should buy a baster.
