Stuff the turkey or don't stuff the turkey?

Stuffing is the same as dressing, isn't it? Yes and no. It may taste the same, but technically, there is a difference. It's all in the way you make it — not the way you prepare it, but the way you bake it. The easiest way to remember the rule is to simply ask, is it stuffed into the bird? Then it's stuffing. If it's baked in a separate dish, it's dressing. Advertisement Now that we've got that down, don't make stuffing. I can't tell you to break tradition in your family and tell you to stop stuffing your bird. If you're a rookie, however, and you've always thought about stuffing the cavity of the bird to make it look like turkey on the cover of the magazine you see at the grocery store checkout counter, think again. First of all, those pictures are doctored to look good. The chances that bird came out of the oven like that without any doctoring whatsoever are the same chances that we'll go all winter without snow. Not only is it messy, but it's also dangerous. Remember that the very center of the stuffing inside the bird must reach a safe temperature of at least 175 degrees. If that temperature is reached, the meat is probably at a chewy 190 or so. I don't know if you've eaten turkey that's been cooked to 190 degrees, but let me tell you I'd rather chew on my son's gym shoe. Not the new pair he got for basketball this year — I'm talkin' about the pair he uses for gym that sits in his locker all year. If you want the meat tender, the dark should be at 175 degrees and the white, 165 degrees. If you pull the turkey out of the oven at this time, the stuffing, which has come in contact with raw juices, will not be a safe temperature. Mix the raw juices with an egg or two, undercook that, and find yourself with a severe case of a really bad day. Eliminate any worry, and let the bird cook on its own, and the dressing can be dressed any way you want without worry. If you want to stuff the turkey, fill the cavity with aromatics like onions, carrots, celery, oranges and cloves. This will give the bird a wonderful infusion of flavors. Just remember to discard the vegetables before carving, while the bird rests. A few tricks to make a great stuffing are only a few. If you use toasted or dry bread crumbs, add more liquid, or it will be dry. Fresh bread crumbs will yield a dense, spongy consistency. The liquid you use greatly affects the consistency of the dressing. Butter will not evaporate like water or stock, so adding a goodly amount of Wisconsin's finest will not only make it taste good, but it will also keep it moist. If you want to avoid butter, you can use pan drippings (fat from the bird), or rendered bacon drippings for a smoky infusion. I like to use the drippings from the sausage I cook before adding it to the bread crumbs, along with just enough light chicken stock to moisten the bread crumbs, then a little butter at the end to take it to the next level. Every year, I like to make stuffing a little different, and hopefully, a little better than the year before. I can easily do this by thinking outside the box — or the bird, as the case may be. One year, it's ground giblets as the meat; the next, it's seasoned beef; maybe the next, I'll use chorizo (spicy Spanish sausage) for a flair. The only meat to be careful of is if you use too much, or only ground pork. Pork can be fully cooked, but when mixed with bread and liquids then baked, it gives off a pinkish color. Try convincing everyone that the pork really is cooked. It may well be, but if pork looks pink, people squirm. You know it's safe, I know it's safe, but Aunt Betty and her "cook pork for two days" attitude will win, and the dressing will be untouched. A good ratio of beef to pork is 8-1. If you use a pound of beef, add 2 ounces of pork. Get creative with the addition of dried berries, toasted nuts, different spices and have a great sidedish to help dress your bird this Thanksgiving!

I agree, do both. I know when I make stuffing, I put some in the turkey but more in the over since the turkey only holds so much. If you are making your own stuffing, the one in the turkey will be more moist. I think it gives it better flavor. And it's definitely safe. Just make sure you take everything out of the turkey, rinse, drain and lightly dry out the inside. Then sprinke it with salt and pepper.

Yes, stuff the turkey! It is a million times better that way and perfectly safe as long as turkey is cooked all the way (when the red thing pops out). Bacteria die when food is cooked thoroughly. I mean the thing is gonna be baking for hours so it will be safe. The stuffing will taste so good because it'll get a turkey flavor. All the flavors and aromas will just combine to make a piece of art. Please trust your husband on this one. My mom ALWAYS stuffed the turkey and one day I had my boyfriend's dad's stuffing and it tasted bland to me because he did not cook it in the turkey. Happy Thanksgiving either way!!

i don't stuff my turkey all the time but i am tomorrow . & i do have stuffing to the side (:

Do both!

we stuff the turkey every year. but we always have stuffing on the side, if some people dont like to eat stuffing from the bird.

I don't know what I do wrong but, every time I stuff the turkey the stuffing always comes out too moist. So, I have chosen not to stuff the turkey. It is just as easy to use a Stouffer's low salt chicken stuffing and it takes a minute to make, too.

I prefer unstuffed with baking a dish of stuffing on the side, but my grandson is here this year. He requested stuffing in the turkey, I am pleased to comply. I don't get many holidays with him because of distance