Eggs in stuffing/dressing?

[MaryIsobel]

Not a thing in these parts. Our dressing/stuffing is dried out bread, butter, celery, onions, chicken broth. What do the eggs bring to the party?

 

[ElsieD]

I don't think I have ever heard of eggs in dressing/stuffing.  Mine has the same ingredients as yours along with savory, sage and poultry seasoning.

[lemniscate]

Mom did egg in her stuffing, she ground the boiled giblets in a hand crank grinder, mixed with the bagged seasoned stuffing croutons, chopped celery/onion, egg and milk. 

Stuffed it in the bird.  It was dense, but I remember liking it.

 

I can't remember the last time stuffing was cooked in a bird though.  Went out of style pretty hard years ago.

[BeeZee]

I’ve seen some recipes using egg mixed with the bread, I have to assume to make it more of a bread pudding kind of consistencey? Nobody in my extended family uses them.

[MaryIsobel]

52 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

I don't think I have ever heard of eggs in dressing/stuffing.  Mine has the same ingredients as yours along with savory, sage and poultry seasoning.

Yes, I forgot the seasonings, our is pretty sage/thyme heavy. Still no eggs. I put a bit in the bird for my husband who considers that the only way. The majority gets baked in a coule of pans in the oven,  doused with turkey drippings, now and then.

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by MaryIsobel (log)

[blue_dolphin]

My understanding is that some cornbread stuffing can be crumbly and eggs can serve as a binder. 

[MaryIsobel]

2 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

My understanding is that some cornbread stuffing can be crumbly and eggs can serve as a binder. 

That would make sense if one were using cornbread.

[JAZ]

I found, when I was developing a recipe for Instant Pot stuffing, that an egg together with broth made for dressing that was more moist. It seemed to me that the consistency was more like stuffing that was cooked inside a turkey, which is what I was aiming for. Over the years, I've used several different recipes for dressing/stuffing; some use eggs, some don't. 

[MetsFan5]

I would personally pass on eggs in stuffing and or dressing unless they serve a purpose in the consistency due to the method of cooking, as @JAZ mentioned. 
 

 But I prefer a “looser” stuffing. 

[AlaMoi]

I insist on stuffing the bird.  and since I'm the cook, that's how it happens around here . . .

[rotuts]

the key difference to these meals is really the stuffing

 

so , both ways are fine .

 

just make lots .

 

breakfast the next day ?

 

micro some stuffing in a bowl , place a poached egg or two on top .

 

save your eggs for that treat

Edited November 25, 2023 by rotuts (log)

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

breakfast the next day ?

 

micro some stuffing in a bowl , place a poached egg or two on top .

 

save your eggs for that treat

 

I'm on board with that although my favorite leftover stuffing breakfast dishes are stuffing waffles (just smashed down in the waffle iron) and stuffing muffins - add any chopped leftovers you desire. 

The muffins absolutely benefit from an egg binder and the waffles wouldn't mind it either!

[AlaMoi]

I'm a smidge confused . . . "eggs in stuffing" in my childhood-family-realm meant chopped-hard-boiled-bits mixed in with the stale bread / et.al. stuff.

 

my fav is Pepperidge Farm - with diced onion + celery + mushroom added - using a not-specified stick/115g butter melted in the (usually) chicken broth liquid add.

it is pretty 'sticky' - not sure how an egg binder would help....

Edited November 25, 2023 by AlaMoi (log)

[lemniscate]

1 hour ago, AlaMoi said:

I'm a smidge confused . . . "eggs in stuffing" in my childhood-family-realm meant chopped-hard-boiled-bits mixed in with the stale bread / et.al. stuff.

 

my fav is Pepperidge Farm - with diced onion + celery + mushroom added - using a not-specified stick/115g butter melted in the (usually) chicken broth liquid add.

it is pretty 'sticky' - not sure how an egg binder would help....

 

In our house it was raw egg used in the mix.   I would imagine this type of stuffing might be akin to the European bread dumpling consistency.  It is sliceable and dense.  A stuffing that could be dunked into a puddle of gravy.  I loved it with an over easy egg for breakfast in place of hash browns.

 

 

[AlaMoi]

indeed - raw egg as a stuffing binder seems would produce something bordering on a bread custard.

"my stuffing" is more frangible - it does not combine to a solid mass.

[btbyrd]

It's usually a mix of egg and stock (mostly stock). It's not like you're bringing a batch of stuffing together with 12 eggs.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I believe that egg was the norm mid-Century but went out of favor due to food-safety concerns.   Eg in bird contamination, being held at a room temperature, etc

[Kerry Beal]

Mine has eggs, a bit of stock and some sherry. 

[paulraphael]

12 minutes ago, Enchant3ress said:

Eggs make the stuffing moist and help bind everything together. They also add flavor and create a fluffy texture. So, they bring a lot to the party! 🍳🍞

I don't use enough eggs to taste them (I don't like the flavor) but definitely use for binding and moisture. The stuffings I make are basically forcemeats with bread and a bit of egg binder. I use the duck meat left over from making duck coulis for the sauce, and a bit of pork shoulder. Then something for character (wild mushrooms, chestnuts, dried fruit, etc.)

[Katie Meadow]

My mother never used eggs in her stuffing and I've never done it either. I know the idea is't uncommon, but I can't see the reason for it. Does it come out like savory bread pudding? I guess I never felt the need for a binder, preferring my stuffing to be a bit jumbly. If it's moisture that is needed try an apple cut into small squares mixed in. If you carefully sew up the front and main openings that provides plenty of moisture. 

[Duvel]

19 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

Does it come out like savory bread pudding?

It comes out like a Semmelknödel …

 

Until I read this thread I would not have imagined to have a loose bread filling in a roasted bird …

[rotuts]

stuffing w/o egg is not necessarily loose .

 

it clumps together from the moisture : stock and butter.  

 

Ive never made stuffing w an egg mixture .   

 

simply because it wasn't made that way growing up..

 

but it clumped nicely.

 

nothing wrong w adding a beaten egg for more clumping.

 

but to get ' bread pudding '  like consistency , you would have to add

 

several more eggs .

 

nothing wrong w either rendition Id say .

 

just that you make plenty so that there will be considerable leftovers .

[TdeV]

We had two different stuffings growing up. I have sent out a query to my siblings. Will report back.