California Central Coast Wine and Food Guide.

One thing you can do to really improve the looks and uniform cooking of a chicken or turkey is to truss the bird with cotton kitchen string. Trussing does two important functions. First it pulls in the wings and legs against the body so they cook uniformly at the same rate as the rest of the bird. And second, it neatly and quickly closes off the cavity to hold in any stuffing or aromatics you have stuffed in the bird.

Here is a trussing method which makes short work of closing off the cavity, as well as improving the presentation of the roasted bird. This method works equally well for turkeys, ducks, chickens, and with a little care even on smaller birds like Rock Cornish game hens (if you are roasting them).

When trussed, the bird will cook much more uniformly and when served, instead of the typical "Death Sprawl" on a plate look, the bird will look sleek and appetizing.