Why do people insist on stuffing their turkeys?
I have never made a turkey with stuffing inside of it. I always make the stuffing the day before and then re-heat, and add some dripping to it. I just feel like it isn't as safe, and when I have had it, I don't think it tastes as good. Seems mushy to me, but that could be the cook. My daughters husband insists on stuffing the turkey, as I mentioned in another post. He says that being inside the turkey it "bastes" the stuffing with turkey juices. Huh? We are trying to merge 2 different families traditions, and man is it hard! So we are taking a turkey to fry, cajun style, with a smoky gravy, and my stuffing (that my family much prefers) and they are having the turkey stuffed and making the gravy from the drippings.
Please, if you can, explain the logic behind stuffing the bird. If it's reasonable I might even give it a try . . . but not with a fried turkey!
danhole
Nov 20, 2007 08:54AM
Your daughter's husband is right. The fat and other liquid from the bird gets soaked up by the stuffing. I've had the same "dressing" side by side: one from a stuffed bird and one cooked outside. The difference was dramatic. The one from the bird was far more flavorful than the other.
If it's too mushy for you, you could always heat it in the oven for a while. That's probably a safer way to do it anyway.
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This is not about logic, it's about taste and memories of liminal moments. You cannot argue with those, period. HOwever, you are not supposed to deep fry a stuffed turkey - it must have the hot oil circulating through the core of the bird. Stuffed turkeys get roasted.
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I agree! Besides, if you don't stuff the turkey you don't get the very very best part of the whole turkey-stuffing experience: the skin that covers the neck cavity, which has crisped and rendered the fat into the stuffing, which gets stuck to the inside. It's worth cooking a whole turkey just for that part.
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And, as the cook, I get to snag the skin from the neck cavity. Makes cooking the dinner entirely worthwhile!
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<vbg>
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what does vbg mean?
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very big grin!
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2VBG's
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I get that piece too - cook's privilege. I stuff the neck cavity but not the main cavity. since I carve in the kitchen, there's never any argument about this precious titbit!
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This year was really great- as we had two turkeys, so two times the fun- but I did share the delicious morsels with my mom!
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What a GOOD child! I hide mine from my mother on the grounds that it's not healthy for her.
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LOL- Will remember that for next year!! And next year, we may have to go with three turkeys~ there was not one piece of white meat left. I am find with the dark meat, I actually prefer it, but it is nice to have some white meat left for sandwhiches.
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I KNOW better than to stuff a deep fried bird! That would just be stupid!
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Yeah, but when it comes to deep-frying turkeys, a lot of people are stupid, so it's better not to assume they aren't.
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True, but I had in the original post that I wasn't going to do that. Even so it's good to point out for someone who is reading between the lines and might think that is okay to do! I'll bet the fire dept. gets pretty busy with the ding dongs that don't know what they are doing!
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I think the fire houses get pretty busy, full stop. MY GOD the amount of smoke coming out of my turkey today - AND I cooked the thing on the grill, not in the house!
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"So we are taking a turkey to fry, cajun style, with a smoky gravy, and my stuffing (that my family much prefers) and they are having the turkey stuffed and making the gravy from the drippings."
Your use of the definite article in the second instance of "turkey" made me assume that they were stuffing the turkey you were bringing to fry even though I thought the "drippings" from a fried bird might be nasty... So, there will be two turkeys it seems.
Anyway, were we to distinguish between "stuffing" and "dressing", southern style, I love any well made version of either camp. Stuffing tends to be more moist and infused with meat flavor (contact with bones gives a different flavor and texture than regular broth would in a dressing). I don't use a stuffing normally in large birds because it encourages overcooking of the bird. But not because I think it's unsafe or undelicious.
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Yeah - my understanding is that "stuffing" is cooked inside the bird, and "dressing" is cooked in a separate pan. I do dressing. It's delish, and a plus is that it's veggie-friendly if you have guests who don't eat meat.
I grew up on stuffing, though, and I have no strong feelings about it. IMO it's inconvenient, leads to mishandling of the turkey, and, in the wrong hands, even dangerous. All the raw poultry T'giving disasters I've suffered through involved stuffing.
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I stuff my turkey, and also have to cook some of it separately.I cook two 17 poiund birds- but my family is fanatical about their stuffing, and I use 10 loaves of bread for the stuffing. I will say that there is lots of jockeying at the table to get their hands on the stuffing from the bird.
I grew up with stuffing in the bird, and I do think it is tastier. Have heard all the food safety issues with stuffing a bird, but have never experienced a problem.
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I'm a street cooking Thanksgiving guy and nobody, and I mean nobody tells me how to cook the turkey and dressing. The dressing from the turkey DEFINITELY tastes better and no matter what, it is NEVER dry. As the cook, I know non-turkey dressing and I never eat it.
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Well, now I will have to try that - next year! I guess he either overstuffs, or just doesn't have a good stuffing recipe. Those of us that are accustomed to the oven baked didn't like his at all. Hopefully it will be better this year.
Now I wonder if I should still bring my stuffing. Maybe not! If his isn't so good, I'll just make my own the next day to have with leftovers!
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We always had two types of stuffing. The mushy stuff from the inside of the bird and a pan of crunchy stuffing that Mom would drizzle turkey drippings over in a hot oven. I love both.
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I used to be a die hard stuff the bird guy because I thought it tasted better and it was traditional in my family.
Then I met my MIL, who refused to stuff the bird and the difference was dramatic.
Stuffing in the bird can be done safely, but it increases the overall cooking time resulting in a dry bird. All of those years, I didn't realize I was eating dry turkey because it tasted fine to me.
I also discovered that "side" dressing can taste just as good if not better than stuffing. Of course, this is subjective, but what's the difference if you add the same flavors separately or if you get them directly from the roasting bird? If it's done properly, none.
Some dear friends of mine insist that birds must be stuffed and that stuffing is more important that the turkey. We have the same friendly argument each year. We still haven't found an opportunity to share eachother's results.
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Good point about the turkey being dry, which it was. Stuffing is such a touchy subject with folks, isn't it? My best friend has raved for years about hers, and last year actually brought me a bowl the day after Tday. I didn't like it at all! Of course I didn't tell her that, but I also didn't ask for the recipe. I like my stuffing with a lot of herbs and fresh parsley, but a lot of people just want the bread, celery and onion. To each his own.
My big problem in this is that you don't get a lot of drippings from a fried turkey, and I'm sure he isn't going to want to share his drippings. So, what to do?
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You could buy a few turkey wings, and cook in a slow cooker with some root vegatables. Will make a nice stock, and you can use some of the stock as you make the stuffing. I do this to make extra gravy, too.
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That's exactly what I do, but just low and slow on the stovetop. In fact, since I don't stuff, roasting the bird really doesn't take that long, so I end up making stock early in the morning, mixing the dressing by 10 or so so the flavors can hang out for a few hours before baking. Then the bird doesn't go in until noon. We eat before 4.
As other people are saying on this thread - there is a definite difference between stuffing and dressing. But if you think casserole dressing can't have the same amount of flavor, then you've just never had a good example. People are also arguing that their birds are moist. I always thought my stuffed turkeys were moist as well, until I started brining and not stuffing. Then I learned just how moist it can be.
But, if someone is satisfied with their bird, it's all a matter of taste/opinion. Maybe there is some method that will keep the bird just as moist while full of bread - but it just doesn't seem possible.
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Dh is a stuffer. I am not. Last year he was on the DL with the flu and so I got to make the turkey and dressing for the first time in our years together. Everyone raved. My turkey was better. My dressing was better. But Dh insists he is the King of Thanksgiving and so this year he is back with his overcooked, stuffed turkey with it's mushy stuffing on the inside and his too dry, croutony side dish of the stuffing that wouldn't fit in the bird.
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"Stuffing is Evil" (Alton Brown reference)
It's alright for a small bird like a quail or spatchcock, but for a turkey you need to overcook the meat to get the stuffing to reach a safe temperature.
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I know that this is probably true in theory, but I've made every Thanksgiving and Xmas dinner for my family for the last 15 years, and no one's ever gotten sick from stuffing from inside a turkey cooked to the optimal temperature. I'm not saying that it isn't possible; it just seems, from my experience, that it's unlikely to happen, so I'm not that concerned about it.
And furthermore, to my family, Thanksgiving is all about my stuffing. Every time I make more than I've ever made before and still we're fighting over the last few servings of it.
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I've never heard of anyone getting sick from it.
AnnieG
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If you microwave the stuffing until it reaches about 140 degrees and stuff it into a room temperature bird, it will be safe and also will help the bird cook a little faster. That said, I don't often do it because it is faster to roast the bird with just a little bit of aromatics in the cavity. Do stuff the neck, though.
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My family has been using the same dressing recipe for literally over 80+ years. It was my great grandmother's recipe, it was used by my grandparents, and my parents, and we have ALWAYS stuffed the bird. We've never had a dry bird, we've never had stuffing undercooked, and not one single soul has every become ill from it.
Without question, the dressing inside the bird has a much better flavor than the leftovers put into a pan. Your SIL is absolutely correct that the bird bastes the dressing. It is the cooking with those turkey juices that make it so much more flavorful.
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I couldn't agree more -- we've always stuffed the turkey, no one has ever gotten ill, we all prefer the stuffing cooked in the bird to the leftover cooked in a casserole, even when basted with turkey stock and drippings, and once again the stuffed turkey came out perfect.
Every year millions of people stuff their turkeys, and only a handful of people get sick. Furthermore, you can't know that the stuffing is the reason they got sick and not some other cross-contamination that took place some time during the food prep: if there's bacteria on your bird it's almost impossible to prepare it without spreading it around. If you're really worried about food poisoning, buy a good quality turkey that's been raised and handled with care and doesn't harbor any bad bacteria in the first place!
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The Christopher Kimball/Cook's Illustrated/Best Recipe solution to this problem is to pre-nuke the stuffing to about 125-130 degrees before placing in the bird and roasting, thus preventing the need to overcook the bird for safety reasons.
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I always like to stuff the bird as the juices that the stuffing soaks up make a huge difference. brining the bird and using plenty of foil can make the white breast meat stay juicy, until the internal temps get to 165° F, plus carry over.
I'm not a big meat eater, but the stuffing is VERY important. It is just not the same in a casserole, even with reduced homemade stock and fresh herbs.
.
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Debone the turkey except for the legs and lay it over the stuffing. Safe, not dried out and yummy with drippings.
It works
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I have done this with roast chicken, its is fantastic.Even had the extra around the bird.
Never thought of doing the same with the turkey... hmmmm I don't have to have mine ready until 6 pm....
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I like to stuff the bird, but with less liquid initially because I like a dryer stuffing. I also bake some on the side and mix the two together. I use a baking bag so I have never experienced a dry turkey. For the last hour or so, I let some of the juices drip out into my roasting pan to brown for gravy. I make sure to scoop out all the stuffing immediately after pulling out the bird, mix it with the baked stuffing and return it to the cooling oven to keep warm. I think it is just traditional for us. Baked stuffing tastes too much like Stove Top, not bad, but not for Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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I have a wonderful baking dish I bought in Ireland . It has a cover, with a little steam hole. It was handmade in Dingle, and I wish I had bought more pieces like it. I love it, and it keeps the stuffing moist- and best of all- nothing EVER sticks to it. It is also my go to dish for baked mac and cheese.
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"handmade in Dingle" is such a pleasing phrase....
I always stuff. But I'm baking in a bag for the first time this year, slightly apprehensively, hoping birdie becomes as brown as it should....
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We have always had great results with the bag and it comes out nice and brown!
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I am a mashed potatoes guy & turkey giblet gravy guy, my plate on Thanksgiving consists of a few pieces of turkey, and probably half the plate filled with mashed potatoes & gravy. I do sample the stuffing since I do make it for others, and I hands down prefer the stuffing I make in the bird vs the stuffing I make in a casserole dish(I make both because some of my guests differ in what they prefer). The stuffing from the bird has much more flavor, and is moist from all the turkey juices it gathers during roasting.
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I stuff a brined bird and the meat stays moist. I also like moist stuffing and love the flavor that comes from the turkey--I guess the flavor is mainly fat but it is good. I know some folks perfer dressing so different strokes for different folks. Hope you all get your type of dressing for Thanksgiving!
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I've always wondered about stuffing a brined bird. I've read some people on this message board say that you can't stuff a brined bird I guess because the stuffing would be too salty. What has been your experience? I can tolerate a lot of salt, right up to the level just short of a Southern Country Ham, but would wonder how my guests might feel. Anyone?
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I've been wondering the same thing. Since I started brining the turkey, I haven't stuffed it because I assumed it would be too wet or too salty. But I always preferred the "in the bird" stuffing too. Anyone share their experience with stuffing in a brined turkey?
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No problem stuffing a brined bird. Someone else can explain the science-something to do with diffusion. All I know is the stuffing tastes great-not salty at all.
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My mother always stuffed the bird and her turkeys were never dry. Then again, she was always open to new ideas and I recall when she started cooking the bird in a heavyweight paper grocery bag which was supposed to contain juices and keep the bird moist. And the stuffing was always nice and flavorful. (I also remember when we lived on the dark side and didn't know enough to remove all the stuffing out and left it in the turkey for the few days it took us to finish off the turkey.)
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Well I like salt. Since I have been brining, I add none or little to the gravy that I make with the drippings. Before I would add quite a bit. I don't think the dressing is that salty. I actually like the taste of both the dressing and gravy and of couse the turkey.
I think if you didn't like salt or had a low tolerance, it might not be the best method. But I think salt and butter are pretty much the main ingredients in the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. How else do you make some of those ingredients taste good. I mean turkey can be pretty boring and potatoes and sweet potates need some help too.
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The concept that you can't stuff a brined bird is an enormous load. I brine and stuff every year with no adverse effects whatsoever.
I'm starting to suspect that some people are over-brining their birds, producing in effect corned turkey. I can't think of any other situation that would create meat with a "strange, rubbery" texture and a bird that's too salty to stuff or make gravy from.
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I agree the stuffing (vs. dressing) profits from soaking up the juices. It's really a matter of personal preference and tradition of course. When my DH and I started trying to merge traditions we figured out that merging didn't work very well. We now alternate - one year "my" traditional TG complete with Grandma's stuffing recipe, oven roasted turkey, tablecloth and napking rings... the next year "DH's" TG with BBQ turkey, oyster dressing, straight to turkey sandwiches with home made mustard, sweet potato salad etc... This way we each get to enjoy our version of how TG was meant to be - every other year. It might not work for everyone, but has worked well in our merged family.
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I always do my stuffing in a separate casserole, to rave reviews. If all people are carrying on about is the taste of turkey drippings in their in-the-cavity version, there are lots of work-around strategies.
First I made my own stock, both chicken and turkey. Then, I combine the following:
two parts chicken stock to one part turkey stock
1/2 -- 3/4 cup white wine (or to taste)
celery, onion, carrot
I simmer this until reduced by 1/3 or 1/2. (I do this by taste.) Season to taste. Next, I saute about 2--3 (trimmed) pounds of crimini mushrooms in clarified butter.
I use Pepperidge Farms dried herb stuffing. I generally follow the recipe on the bag, substituting my concentrated stock for the water. I think I add more liquid than is called for in the recipe; it has to look moist. I add the sauteed mushrooms and any pan juices from the mushrooms. In the past, I've added simmered diced giblets, both the giblets that come with the bird and additional purchased giblets. One year, I couldn't find extra giblets and I simply skipped the giblets. No one objected so I haven't added giblets in several years.
Besides, I like the crisp shell that develops around the soft center of stuffing when it bakes in a casserole.
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Whoever is doing the cooking gets to decide how it is done. Period.
Anyone who is complaining about how the cooking is done is volunteering to do it his/herself.
Because I maintain the right not to incrimintate myself, I won't say where I have eaten Thanksgiving dinner since I got married ten years ago, but I will tell you that the bird is stuffed. Those of you who say that stuffing cooked inside the bird is "never dry" are right; it is a sopping goo-like mess of seasoned wet bread.
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Obviously, SOMEONE didn't know how to prepare a stuffing for IN the bird. I've never once had a gooey mass of stuffing from inside the bird, of any that I've ever made.
AnnieG
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