1. Once roasted, remove the turkey from the pan, cover to keep warm and set aside to rest before carving. Roast turkey should be allowed to rest up to 45 minutes giving you time to make gravy. You can also remove the drippings from the roasting pan near the end of cooking time by either using a bulb baster (looks like an oversized eye dropper) to suck drippings from pan or by pouring drippings off into container. (It’s advisable to have someone help you by holding the turkey in the pan while you pour off the juices.)

2. Pour the drippings from the pan into a separate container to degrease. Drippings from a roasted turkey should yield 2 to 3 cups liquid depending on size.

3. The easiest way to degrease drippings and other fatty liquids is to use a fat separator. A fat separator is a large measuring cup with a spout at the bottom that allows you to pour off the juices leaving the fat in the bottom of the cup.

4. If you don’t have a fat separator, cool the drippings to room temperature and place in the refrigerator until the fat hardens and you can remove it from the surface. You can speed this process up by adding ice cubes to the drippings and placing them in the freezer. After a few minutes, the fat will harden and stick to the ice cubes. If you don’t have a fat separator, I recommend you purchase one. You can find fat separators at any store that carries cooking supplies, e.g., Bed, Bath and Beyond, Target, etc.