Turkey Stuffing / Dressing

[awbrig]

I am going between Charlie Trotters Chestnut Sage dressing and Williams Sonoma's Pear, Chestnut and Sage dressing. Obviously, they are very similar, however CT's recipe uses heavy cream and a little less stock than WS...I cant decide...cream usually makes things taste better...whaddya think?!

[Suzanne F]

I think I want to come to your house!

[Stone]

Cream, butter -- good.

I tend not to like fruits and other sweets stuff in dressing (or anywhere near the main course).

[mb7o]

Question: should the bird be stuffed? I keep hearing things about how you shouldn't eat the stuffing out of the bird because it'll be full of unhealthy bacteria or something. Then again, I've seen cooking to 180° suggested.

[tommy]

Question: should the bird be stuffed? I keep hearing things about how you shouldn't eat the stuffing out of the bird because it'll be full of unhealthy bacteria or something. Then again, I've seen cooking to 180° suggested.

i should persue this on another thread, but...

just because the meat is 180 doesn't necessarily mean the cavity and by extension the stuffing is 180, or so says alton brown.

but, i'm of the thought that people have been stuffing birds for quite some time and i haven't read of any huge outbreak of sickness because of it. i'd imagine you could always nuke the stuffing from the bird after you take it out to be sure. you've got a better chance of getting in a serious care accident going to dinner on thanksgiving than you do getting sick from stuffing in the bird, or so says tommy.

[Varmint]

I think Cooks Illustrated actually recommended nuking the stuffing before putting it in the bird. That gives it a head start.

[bushey]

Part of the fun I have in making stuffing throwing away the recipe and improvising. I'll start with Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing Mix and jazz it up with some leftover homemade cornbread that I stashed in the freezer. Sauteed portabellos, celery, carrots, onions and garlic. Some fresh corn off the cob if I can find it or a can of Niblets. Lots of chicken broth and butter.......and cream sounds wonderful. But every time I try to get too fancy with the stuffing (dried fruit, chestnuts, sage) my family and friends they beg for the "usual" stuffing. (Except for my husband, who sometimes remembers fondly his ex's sausage and apple stuffing. I throw him the dagger eyes )

I prefer to bake the stuffing in a separate casserole and baste frequently with the juices from the turkey -- partly because I like the crusty parts of the stuffing best and partly because a stuffed turkey takes longer to cook and I'm usually running a bit behind schedule.

Here's a question: what's the difference between stuffing and dressing? Is it just regional differences in nomenclature or is there a substantive difference?

[haunted_chef]

Bushey,

The difference here in Texas on stuffing vs. dressing would be in the bread. Southerners I know use cornbread in their stuffing. As for myself I like good ole bread crumbs. You know the kind with the bacon in it.

Then again I was raised in NYC. I personally don't like cornbread stuffing.

john

Edited November 25, 2002 by haunted_chef (log)

[Dave the Cook]

Here's a question: what's the difference between stuffing and dressing? Is it just regional differences in nomenclature or is there a substantive difference?

According to The Joy of Cooking, there is no culinary difference. It was called "stuffing" until Victorian times, when the vulgarity of the term led to the less coarse "dressing." This explains, to me, why you can't get a straightforward answer as to which is which, even within a single region, or among a single cultural gathering.

Then again, my mother-in-law called it "filling."?!?

[Suzanne F]

I was taught that if it's cooked inside the bird, it's stuffing. If it's cooked outside the bird, it's dressing. Wherever it's cooked, and whatever bread is used, and whatever extras go into it, it's my favorite part of the meal!

I always add mushrooms, celery, onion (pre-cooked), fennel, sometimes water chestnuts (preferably fresh) or other crunchy stuff. And extra thyme and sage.

[bushey]

Then again, my mother-in-law called it "filling."?!?

LOL! Sounds as pleasant as a visit to the dentist.

Suzanne, it's my favorite part of the meal too, and my husband's. For the past week or so he's been dropping hints like "I hope you make enough stuffing this year." I have to watch him like a hawk though, when he cleans up after dinner.....he tends to toss the leftover gravy (pan drippings, actually, I've never been able to do a "real" gravy) and I wanna know how you can have great day-after snacks of reheated stuffing without the gravy?

[Dave the Cook]

he tends to toss the leftover gravy (pan drippings, actually, I've never been able to do a "real" gravy) and I wanna know how you can have great day-after snacks of reheated stuffing without the gravy?

This is grounds for divorce. Tell him I said so.

[Suzanne F]

he tends to toss the leftover gravy (pan drippings, actually, I've never been able to do a "real" gravy) and I wanna know how you can have great day-after snacks of reheated stuffing without the gravy?

This is grounds for divorce. Tell him I said so.

What he said.

[Ravyn]

I prefer to bake the stuffing in a separate casserole and baste frequently with the juices from the turkey -- partly because I like the crusty parts of the stuffing best and partly because a stuffed turkey takes longer to cook and I'm usually running a bit behind schedule.

I like the idea of basting the dressing/stuffing. I'm thinking of setting it up on Wednesday, partially cooking it, then doing the baste while finish.

Thoughts?

I've settled on my own. I love my mothers cornbread dressing, but since we don't speak, that recipe (such as it is from 3 generations that don't measure) won't be coming my way.

Rav

[Dave the Cook]

I like the idea of basting the dressing/stuffing.  I'm thinking of setting it up on Wednesday, partially cooking it, then doing the baste while finish.  

Thoughts?

Please be careful about partial cooking of anything that has eggs in it, as many dressings do. You might cook the eggs just long enough to get them into the danger zone (40°F to 140°F), but not long enough to kill any nasties that might be lingering. Then overnight, fully awakened, they multiply like crazy little bunnies in that moist, warm environment you've created for them. It's an unlikely scenario, but why take chances?

[bleachboy]

This year is my first year hosting Thanksgiving for two families and special friends at my house. I have already committed to making three dishes: The turkey (which I'll buy and brine, then another couple of guys are gonna fry it), the mashed potatoes (with tater tots, if my experiment proves suitably decadent) and the stuffing.

My sister-in-law has already committed to bring a vegetarian wild mushroom stuffing. Therefore, I want mine to be chock full of pork fat, sausages, oysters, and everything else that kills you. Hell, they have an alternative option, let's throw health out the window!

Any suggestions? Even more specifically, any favorite tried-and-true-and-unhealthy recipes?

p.s. What's the difference between "dressing" and "stuffing"? Discuss amongst yourselves.

[Gifted Gourmet]

some cool recipes

and there is essentially no real difference between dressing and stuffing .. just a regional preference for the name, I believe ...

[chezcherie]

my take on the "stuffing vs. dressing" thing is that it all depends on where it's cooked. stuffing is inside the boid, dressing is in a dish. crispy skin and stuffing is IT for me--keep the turkey, just gimme the crackling skin.

(my best tip, if you are going to stuff the bird---line the cavity with (butter-soaked!) cheesecloth, then stuff that. sooo easy to remove the stuffing in one tug, rather that pulling and spooning it out.)

[Basilgirl]

Well, you need at least a pound of butter - melt it and add your celery and onions and herbs and let them cook until they're all soft and buttery. Also, Jimmy Dean sausage with sage is great in stuffing/dressing.

[bleachboy]

Is there a favorite recipe, though? The almighty GG sent a link to a page of stuffings, but who knows who's tried what. The other suggestions involved a ton of butter -- totally cool -- but not much else to recommend. I definitely want to involve some andouille sausage or something in there, but what is the ULTIMATE RECIPE?!

[Really Nice!]

This is a recipe I've had every Thanksgiving for over 40 years (except one when I spent Thanksgiving in Italy). It comes from my grandma who, according to my mom, had been making it for 40+ years herself before I came into the world. Those of you who are interested in lowering your cholesterol, consuming less fat, dieting through Atkins or South Beach, or counting calories can stop reading now.

In my grandma's words:

Cube two large loaves of bread for stuffing. Cook, drain and crumble 1 pound of bacon; save drippings. Add two large onions, chopped, to bacon drippings. Cook on medium-low heat until opaque and tender. Add bacon and onions to stuffing bread. Cook 1 pound of mild pork sausage. Do not drain. Pour over stuffing mixture. Add 1/2 jar or more of poultry seasoning, to taste, and 2 tablespoons of sage (optional). Add salt and pepper as desired. Slowly pour 1 cup of water over mixture and stir with a fork until moist. (I usually add one or two finely diced ribs of celery with leafy tops to the dressing. Other items may be added, such as water chestnuts, mushrooms, and so forth.)

[Suzanne F]

my take on the "stuffing vs. dressing" thing is that it all depends on where it's cooked. stuffing is inside the boid, dressing is in a dish.  crispy skin and stuffing is IT for me--keep the turkey, just gimme the crackling skin.

(my best tip, if  you are going to stuff the bird---line the cavity with (butter-soaked!) cheesecloth, then stuff that. sooo easy to remove the stuffing in one tug, rather that pulling and spooning it out.)

←

Wow! Best thing I've learned today, the cheesecloth trick. Thanks!!! And yes, it's stuffing inside, dressing outside. I've always got to have it both ways.

The thing about it, though, is some of us -- like me -- never make it the same way twice. Yeah, I'll always start with the packaged Pepperidge Farm or Arnold stuff, and add sauteed onions and celery and the chopped giblets, and use turkey giblet-enriched chicken stock, but from there on it's purely on a whim. Sometimes mushrooms (well, almost always ); maybe a little garlic; water chestnuts; chopped fennel; lemon zest or chopped preserved lemon; cooked crumbled sausage of some type; carrots; bell pepper; cranberries (fresh or dried); and I can't even get started on the herbs. The only thing I'll never, ever add is oysters; seems like a desecration of the bivalve to me.

This is one of those items for which there is no ULTIMATE recipe; just have lots of fun finding what you like!

[StudentChefEclipse]

We always do a bit of each, stuffing and dressing. The "plain" (bread cubes, seasonings, veg and gizzard-bits) goes into the bird. The rest is what contains oysters, more gizzard-bits and different veg. One year it was oysters and artichoke hearts. I LOVED that.

[bleachboy]

So far, my current winner is this recipe, an andouille and cornbread stuffing. I would probably make my own cornbread, from my sainted grandmothers perfect recipe, rather than use the "cornbread mix" (huh?) called for in the recipe. But this recipe seems to be damn near 50 percent pork product, 50 percent filling, which sounds good to me.

[phaelon56]

The best one I ever made was done by winging it on the fly with the stuff that happend to be on hand.

- Store bought (Pepperidge Farm) seasoned stuffing croutons

- onions and garlic and celery

- chicken stock

- chopped pecans

- Jiffy cornbread mix

- chopped pears

- home style pork pan sausage

Can't recall the proportiosn btu it was more or less just saute the O, G & P in butter, throwin the stuffing mix/Jiffy mix, add chicken stock and assorted other herbs until it's kinda wet and put the pears, pecans and sausage in at the last minute. Then bake until done.