Stuffing Your Turkey Is So Overrated—Here Are 6 Reasons To Never Do It Again
There are a lot of choices to be made when it comes to Thanksgiving, and few dishes require as many decisions as stuffing does. Are you going with cornbread, sourdough, or another carb entirely? Are you adding sausage or keeping it vegetarian friendly? And, most importantly, are you cooking the stuffing inside or outside the bird?
The last question invites some polarizing answers. Some people prefer to stick to tradition and the recipe's namesake by stuffing their side in the turkey's cavity. We're all for honoring grandma's recipes, but we draw the line at shoving sourdough inside a turkey.
Before you call fowl (pun intended), hear us out. Cooking your stuffing separately is the best option in terms of flavor, texture, practicality, and food safety. We're breaking down the six main reasons why you should never stuff your turkey. So if any of the skeptics and traditionalists at your Thanksgiving dinner want to keep things old school, ignore their complaints and direct them to this article.
1. You Risk The Spread Of Salmonella
This seems like an empty threat to anyone who routinely takes the risk by licking cookie dough off the spatula, but hear us out. Stuffing is pretty porous with all that bread, so as the turkey cooks, juices containing salmonella could seep into it. If the stuffing doesn't reach 165 degrees F, the bacteria won't be killed off, meaning you're passing it on to your guests.
2. It's The Reason Your Turkey's So Dry
And scorched. Cooking the stuffing to 165 degrees F comes at a cost: It often means overcooking the bird, explains Alton Brown. Nobody wants that.
3. It Turns Gummy
Since those turkey juices seep into the stuffing as the bird cooks—and because the stuffing itself is ensconced within the poultry, acting like SPF 10,000—the side dish tends to get extra juicy, giving it a mushy, borderline gummy texture.
4. You Could Overstuff the Turkey
Your turkey won't explode in the oven. It will, however, make it even harder to get the stuffing to cook evenly, meaning you're even more likely to get a scorched bird—or wind up with salmonella-susceptible pockets of undercooked stuffing.
5. It Can Be a Huge Time Suck
You think you're saving time by cooking the stuffing as you roast the turkey, but a stuffed bird can be so dense that it takes longer to cook overall. You're better off prepping and cooking the stuffing the day before, then warming it up in the slow cooker. Or adjusting the racks in your oven before putting the bird in so you can warm the stuffing as the turkey finishes its tanning session.
6. It Keeps You From Getting Your Aromatics On
Turkey is one of the most maligned holiday dishes because of its mild flavor, so making sure it's seasoned from the inside out is essential. On top of brining it ahead of time, we prefer to stuff the cavity with aromatics that'll impart some flavor. Since stuffing is mostly bread, it's not going to be as effective.
Bake your stuffing in a casserole dish—or, if you prefer those crispy edges, in a muffin tin. The texture will be chewy, not gooey, and you won't have to worry as much about whether you've cooked it all the way.
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