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Post by brownrexx on Nov 6, 2018 15:28:15 GMT -5
Do you call it stuffing, dressing or maybe filling?
Do you have a favorite type?
Inside the turkey or not?
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Post by brownrexx on Nov 6, 2018 15:40:53 GMT -5
I live in PA Dutch country and they call it filling around here and they make a regular bread stuffing but with the addition of mashed potatoes. It tastes pretty good but it is a bit heavy for my taste.
I have always called it stuffing and Mom always made it with white bread cubes, sauteed onions and celery,eggs, poultry seasoning, S&P and broth. She cooked it inside the turkey and I love that taste but now I worry about food safety and the temperature of the stuffing so I cook it in the oven in a dish but sometimes I feel that it tastes too dry cooking it this way.
I also love cornbread stuffing and I have made that for years but this year I tried something different and in my opinion it is the best of both worlds because it is made with both white bread and cornbread. I made a practice run today to go with lemon chicken leftovers for dinner.
I made stuffing in the crockpot! I sprayed the pot with cooking spray first and then I mixed white bread cubes and cornbread cubes together with eggs, sauteed onions and celery, poultry seasoning, rubbed sage, S&P and chicken broth. It only took 3 hours to cook to a temperature of 170°
Hubby and I just took a taste and I really like it. I will be doing it this way for the Thanksgiving dinner and saving space in the oven.
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Post by paquebot on Nov 6, 2018 16:39:16 GMT -5
Aisle 10, local WalMart Super Center, it's Stove Top Stuffing but still called dressing. Never knew it by any other name. Turkey was always stuffed or filled with dressing. Also isn't real dressing without the diced giblets.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Nov 6, 2018 17:00:11 GMT -5
Dressing is what we call it and it is made on the side in a pyrex casserole pan. Usually has cornbread,, rice, green onions, may be giblets, and chicken in it though Mom doesn't really follow a recipe per se. The last 3 or 4 years I have done the turkey spatchcocked on the grill so it isn't like it could be stuffed any way.
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Post by Gianna on Nov 6, 2018 17:21:21 GMT -5
'Dressing' and 'stuffing', interchangeable. I prefer traditional bread stuffing cooked inside the turkey, with an extra casserole for extra. The one in the casserole is never as good. Apparently the health problem with cooking dressing inside the turkey can be avoided if you prepare the dressing ahead of time (adding broth, etc), but cool it down to the same temp as the cold turkey before stuffing it, and putting the bird into the oven.
Mom used to also make a vegetable stuffing of ground celery, carrot, onion, parsley, a wee bit of bread or oatmeal, an egg or two, and seasonings (poultry, etc). Mix it all together, and it makes a really good dressing. If I recall, the ground celery, carrots, onions in the dressing cook better if they are mildly nuked/steamed (and cooled) before being added to the rest of the dressing mix. This stuff (stuffing? lol) is really good roasted with chicken the rest of the year. And great as a layer in post TG turkey sandwiches, with mayo of course. I'm salivating now.
One year I made a stuffing of rice (basmati), wild rice, pork sausage, onions... maybe mushrooms.. that was amazing. Unfortunately I did not write down the recipe.
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Post by spike on Nov 6, 2018 18:05:08 GMT -5
Well I always thought it was "stuffing" inside the bird and "dressing" in a casserole. These days we have "dressing" as I don't buy a whole turkey just for the two of us. But it has to have cornbread, shallots, mushrooms, eggs, turkey stock, fresh herbs and spices. Have never used the prepackaged bag of grossness, hidden inside the turkey,that is all prebagged to be tossed in the refuse!
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Post by paulf on Nov 6, 2018 18:39:19 GMT -5
Most of the time dressing but sometimes stuffing especially when I need to buy some Stove Top Stuffing, but then I like Pepperridge Farms better. Please don't put onions in mine. Giblets are OK and oyster dressing is best.
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Post by Gianna on Nov 6, 2018 18:54:12 GMT -5
Well I always thought it was "stuffing" inside the bird and "dressing" in a casserole. That makes too much sense.
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Post by spike on Nov 6, 2018 19:05:11 GMT -5
Well I always thought it was "stuffing" inside the bird and "dressing" in a casserole. That makes too much sense.
Not sure if I should be flattered or insulted? Never been accused of making sense before!
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Post by pondgardener on Nov 6, 2018 19:38:36 GMT -5
My aunt passed down her recipe and that's what we make every time we roast a turkey. Below is the list of ingredients and cooking directions.
2 quarts bread crumbs 2 cups chopped celery and onion(if used) 1 1/2 cups neck/giblet broth 1/2 cup butter 2 eggs 1 1/2 tsp rubbed sage 1/2 tsp parsley 1/4 tsp pepper 1 tsp of either onion salt or garlic powder
Cover neck/giblets with about 2" of salted water, bring to a boil and then cook at a strong simmer until thoroughly cooked (about an hour). Remove meat from giblets and cut into small pieces. Combine chopped meat, celery/onion, spices, eggs and bread crumbs in a large bowl. Add butter to measured giblet broth to melt and combine with bread crumb mixture. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes. Put into a greased casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for at least 30 minutes or golden brown.
You can substitute an onion for part of the celery or add/increase/delete certain spices to make your own unique dish. I have never actually stuffed the bird with this mixture, but it should be great if cooked safely. Like mgulfcoastguy, I have been spatchcocking our turkey for the last few years, so cooking on the side is a must.
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Post by brownrexx on Nov 7, 2018 8:36:57 GMT -5
Apparently the health problem with cooking dressing inside the turkey can be avoided if you prepare the dressing ahead of time (adding broth, etc), but cool it down to the same temp as the cold turkey before stuffing it, and putting the bird into the oven. I also love stuffing inside of the bird. I think that it has a better flavor and moistness but I don't think that this method will work. The problem is that the heat of the oven does not penetrate to the center of the stuffing before the meat is fully cooked and who wants overcooked meat just to get the stuffing in the center hot enough? Starting with cold stuffing would take even longer to get hot enough. I guess that the raw juices of the turkey penetrating the stuffing and then not being hot enough to kill bacteria is the problem. I made stuffing inside of the bird last year and sure enough it was not hot enough when the bird was done. I use a digital thermometer to check this so I put the stuffing into a bowl and heated it to above 165° in the microwave. I think that it was only about 140° inside of the fully cooked bird and that is not safe to eat.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Nov 7, 2018 12:27:12 GMT -5
The last time I stuffed the bird, some years ago, I had the stuffing HOT when I put it in the bird, and stuck the bird in the oven immediately after. (Hot stuffing made the actual process of stuffing a wee bit uncomfortable, though.) The stuffing was done (well over 165F) by the time the bird was done. The bird cooked a little faster than I expected, too.
If you are going to stuff the bird, DON'T overpack it, and DO use a digital thermometer to verify that the stuffing is at least 165F in the center. You can take the stuffing out and microwave it if you need to, but then you also need to check that the meat nearest the cavity is fully cooked, since the cavity will have been insulated by the stuffing.
Also expect to need to use foil to protect the breast, wings, and the ends of the legs because the bird will need to cook longer when stuffed. That makes it easy to over-brown it.
These days we do dressing in a casserole. I agree that it is not as good in the casserole as when it is cooked in the bird and gets soaked with delicious juices from the bird. But the casserole method is a lot easier and it cuts the cooking time of a big bird by quite a bit.
Also, we usually eat the Thanksgiving meal at lunchtime, so making a big, stuffed bird means getting up EARLY to get the stuffing made, the bird prepped, and get the bird in the oven on time. If I don't stuff the bird, the stuffing can be prepped later - after the bird is in the oven- I save the time of stuffing the bird, and the cooking time is shorter. That adds up to a couple of hours more sleep for me!
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Post by Gianna on Nov 7, 2018 15:35:31 GMT -5
The problem is that the heat of the oven does not penetrate to the center of the stuffing before the meat is fully cooked and who wants overcooked meat just to get the stuffing in the center hot enough? Starting with cold stuffing would take even longer to get hot enough. I guess that the raw juices of the turkey penetrating the stuffing and then not being hot enough to kill bacteria is the problem. Probably the size of the bird matters. A 14 pound bird would cook faster obviously than a 24 pounder. I had heard that the problem with food poisoning arises when warm stuffing is put in a cold bird, and it just sits there going bad as the bird cooks. But that was years ago, and I cant remember the last time I stuffed a bird to roast. So it would behoove anyone to look up what is current. There are probably several ways one can poison your family with a turkey. I am on the look-out for a nice bird this year. One with really good flavor. The cheapo grocery loss leaders are just not worth bothering with. Best bird I ever cooked was last year - a free-range organic one from Trader joe's. But it was expensive at about $5 per pound.
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Post by brownrexx on Nov 7, 2018 15:45:47 GMT -5
I think that the safest thing to do would be to heat your stuffing from the bird in the microwave to 165° before serving. Laura_in_FL , you really should try doing stuffing in the crock pot like I did yesterday (scroll up to read about it). It is so much more moist than in a casserole dish in the oven and it tastes great. Mine was cooked to temperature in just under 3 hours and doesn't take up oven space. You could start it in the morning and it would be ready for lunch.
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Post by paquebot on Nov 7, 2018 15:46:30 GMT -5
A problem with just stuffing a turkey is that there''s never enough to go around if there's a large group. Everyone in our clan want as much or more of that than potatoes and usually covers it with gravy.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by ahntjudy on Nov 8, 2018 9:24:23 GMT -5
Years ago, Mom would stuff the turkey...then there was always more that got baked in a pan... Anymore, I don't stuff the turkey...put a cut up onion in the cavity and just bake the dressing separately...
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Post by bestofour on Nov 9, 2018 19:03:14 GMT -5
I think we called it dressing but neither of us can remember right now. Guess we'll have to wait until we have to say "pass the ……" and see what comes out of our mouths.
One year I made a Rachael Ray recipe - green apple and onion dressing. Worst thing any of us has ever eaten. It's become a Thanksgiving joke.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Nov 10, 2018 10:28:45 GMT -5
I think I saw that recipe, and when I saw green apple in a dressing recipe, I said, "Nope." Call me old-fashioned, but dressing should be savory and rich, with a lovely sage and herb flavor. I'm ambivalent about oysters in dressing - some years I am in the mood for them and others not. But green apple? Ewww. If you want tartness in your dressing, get a little cranberry sauce on your fork when you take a bite.
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Post by paquebot on Nov 10, 2018 14:37:05 GMT -5
I'm with Laura on keeping it simple. I don't recall it every being much more than bread, onions, and the giblets flavored with sage. When served, covered with gravy. We like Stove Top and will often have it without a turkey. For Thanksgiving this year, it will not be from a box. Not certain wich of the clan specializes in dressing but it's always great.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by octave1 on Nov 10, 2018 15:47:36 GMT -5
I have never been crazy about stuffing, maybe because I am not a "bread person". Breaded or bread-stuffed foods never appealed to me much. Turkey is also not at the top of my list of favorite foods. I always find it too bland, except that one time that I brined it for 48 hours following a Martha Stewart's recipe. That was a memorable turkey!... But the amount of work, OMG, not to mention the fridge space it took...
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