--- title: "Kitchen twine: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates" description: "Kitchen twine is plain, food-safe cotton string for tying roasts, trussing poultry and bundling herbs. Here is which string to use and how to tie a roast." url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/kitchen-twine" --- # Kitchen twine Kitchen twine is plain, food-safe cotton string for tying roasts, trussing poultry and bundling herbs. Here is which string to use and how to tie a roast. Also called Butcher's twine, Butcher's string, Cooking string. Kitchen twine is strong, undyed cotton string that is safe to cook with. It holds meat in a tidy, even shape so it cooks evenly, keeps stuffing inside a rolled roast, and ties herbs into a bundle you can lift out of a pot. It is also sold as butcher's twine. Linen twine works the same way. ## How to use it To tie a boneless roast: 1. Cut a piece of twine long enough to wrap around the meat with plenty to spare. 2. Slide it under one end of the roast, about 2 to 3 cm (1 in) from the edge. 3. Tie a firm knot on top. Pull it snug so the meat holds its shape, but not so tight that it bulges. 4. Repeat every 3 to 4 cm (1.5 in) along the roast. 5. Trim the loose ends. You also use it to [truss](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/truss) a chicken so the legs and wings sit close to the body, to tie a [bouquet garni](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bouquet-garni), to hold a [butterflied](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/butterfly) and stuffed piece of meat or a [roulade](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/roulade) closed, and to tie on a layer of fat when you [bard](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bard) lean meat. ## Substitutes Plain, undyed 100 percent cotton string from a craft store works. In a pinch, toothpicks or metal skewers can hold a small rolled piece of meat or a stuffed chicken breast closed. Silicone cooking bands are reusable and do the same job. ## Common mistakes * Using colored, waxed or synthetic string. Dyes can bleed into the food, and nylon or plastic string melts. * Tying too tight. The string cuts into the meat and squeezes out juice as it cooks. * Leaving long loose ends near a gas flame or broiler, where they can burn. * Forgetting to remove it before serving. Cut and pull it off after the meat has rested. ## In recipes "Tie at intervals with twine" means tying separate loops along a roast. "Truss the bird" means tying the legs together and the wings close to the body. ## Recipes made with it 3 recipes from the sites we collect. * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Roast-Chicken-with-Rosemary-_-Lemon-Finals-15.jpg)Roast Chicken with Rosemary and Lemonwww.skinnytaste.com · 80 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/roast-chicken-with-rosemary-and-lemon/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Tomato-Bisque-18.jpg)Tomato Bisquewww.skinnytaste.com · 70 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/tomato-bisque/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/chicken-breast-stuffed-with-pear-and-brie.jpg)Stuffed Chicken Breast with Prosciutto, Pears and Briewww.skinnytaste.com · 45 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/stuffed-chicken-breast-with-prosciutto/) ## Related terms * [TrussTo truss is to tie a bird or a roast with kitchen twine into a compact, even shape, so it holds together, cooks more evenly and is easy to turn and carve.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/truss) * [Bouquet garniA bouquet garni is a small bundle of herbs, usually thyme, bay leaf and parsley stems, tied together to flavor stocks, soups and stews, then removed.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bouquet-garni) * [RoastRoasting cooks meat or vegetables uncovered in a hot oven, so dry heat browns the outside and concentrates flavor while the inside cooks through.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/roast) * [ButterflyTo butterfly is to slice a thick piece of meat, fish or shrimp almost in half and open it like a book, so it is thinner and cooks fast and evenly.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/butterfly) * [RouladeA roulade is a thin sheet of sponge, meat or fish spread with a filling and rolled into a spiral. See how to roll a sponge without it cracking.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/roulade) * [BardBarding is wrapping lean meat or poultry in thin sheets of fat, such as bacon or fatback, so the surface stays moist while it roasts.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bard) [More in equipment](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/equipment)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)