15 Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipes That Will Make You Forget About Turkey (2024)

FAQs

What is stuffing called when it's not in a turkey? ›

Some people insist that it should be called dressing when it hasn't actually been stuffed inside a bird. But many people insist on one term or the other regardless of how it's prepared or what's in it. The term dressing is most commonly used in the South, but it's popular in pockets throughout the US.

Make the stuffing, melt butter in a large frying pan and gently sauté onion and garlic for five minutes until soft. Stir in the herbs for one minute then add breadcrumbs to absorb butter. Mix in zest, pine nuts and seasoning and cook over medium heat for about seven minutes until crumbs start to brown and crisp.

If you don't plan on stuffing the bird, but preparing the dressing as a side dish, you can prepare uncooked stuffing ahead of time as long as you freeze the stuffing immediately after mixing the wet and dry ingredients. USDA recommends that you never refrigerate uncooked stuffing.

Most people stuff the turkey with dressing so that it can absorb the flavorful juices of the turkey as it cooks, and while we agree that the turkey can lend a lot of flavor to the dressing, it can also make it mushy. The dressing essentially steams inside the bird and can become oversaturated in juices.

So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish. Additionally, dressing, especially in the American South, is often made with cornbread instead of pieces of a baguette or plain ol' white bread.

But for the Thanksgiving side dish in the South, the term dressing was adopted in place of stuffing, which was viewed as a crude term, during the Victorian era. Although dressing and stuffing are interchangeable terms, the signature ingredient of this Thanksgiving side dish in the South is cornbread.

Stuffing a turkey

The stuffing must be cool before use to prevent bacteria from developing. Spoon stuffing into neck. Don't pack in too tight as it will expand. Secure with a poultry skewer, tie legs together at the top of the drumstick.

Fully cook raw meat, poultry, or seafood ingredients before adding to stuffing. Combine the ingredients and place them in your bird immediately before cooking. Don't stuff whole poultry with cooked stuffing. In addition to the turkey, the stuffing's center needs to reach 165 F.

Do not refrigerate uncooked stuffing. If stuffing is prepared ahead of time, it must be either frozen or cooked immediately. To use cooked stuffing later, cool in shallow containers and refrigerate it within 2 hours. Use it within 3 to 4 days.

The verdict: It's often said that we eat with our eyes first, and Stove Top's Traditional Sage stuffing was far and away the most visually appealing. Tasters appreciated that there was a a decent crunch in each bite, but we were most impressed by its seasoning.

Is it better to stuff the turkey or make the stuffing on the side? ›

If you cook the stuffing outside the turkey, first of all, it's no longer "stuffing" — it's "dressing." Both it and the turkey will cook more reliably, and you can fill the inside of the turkey (loosely) with aromatics if you're going for that Thanksgiving-y turkey-cornucopia look.

Besides stuffing, you can put aromatic ingredients like onions, garlic, herbs (such as rosemary, thyme, or sage), citrus slices (lemon or orange), and vegetables (carrots, celery) inside your turkey to add flavor during roasting. Remember to remove these ingredients before serving.

Stuff a bundle of fresh herbs right into the cavity. The flavor and aroma of these greens will permeate the poultry as it cooks. Try using any combination of the following for delicious results: thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon, marjoram, parsley and oregano.

Should I stuff my turkey? Stuffing cooked inside the turkey cavities is delicious, but it does slow down the cooking time and could be a potential health hazard if done incorrectly. For perfect no-worry results, opt for "dressing" instead – stuffing cooked alongside the bird instead of inside.

The word “stuffing” dates back to 14th Century English, when it was used synonymously with the more uncomfortable sounding forcemeat. Soon after, Anglos borrowed the slicker French word, farce (from the Latin verb facire or “to stuff”).

Names for stuffing include "farce" (~1390), "stuffing" (1538), "forcemeat" (1688), and relatively more recently in the United States; "dressing" (1850).

To understand the difference between the two, all you have to do is look at the cooking method. Stuffing is stuffed (literally) inside the cavity of the turkey, while dressing is roasted in a separate casserole dish.