Just Cook It! — Stuffing vs. dressing
Welcome to November.
Not only are we officially beginning the holiday season, but also nestled within these 30 days is the biggest food holiday of the year.
With Thanksgiving being such a momentous food occasion, this column will be dedicated to a different food aspect of Thanksgiving up until and including the big day itself on Nov. 28, 2013.
For our first Thanksgiving food discussion, I would like to delve into one of my favorite traditional Thanksgiving dishes – stuffing, or as I prefer dressing!
Turkey stuffing usually consists of cubes of dried bread or croutons, with onion, celery, stock or pan drippings, spices, herbs, sometimes an egg or two, and salt and pepper.
There is a major technical difference between stuffing and dressing. Stuffing is actually stuffed into and cooked inside the cavity of the bird, while dressing can be prepared the same way but cooked in a buttered pan or dish.
There is some controversy between the two terms and the National Turkey Federation (there is actually such an organization) in fact states “both terms are used interchangeably.” Just because they are used interchangeably doesn’t make it correct. I was always taught to differentiate between stuffing and dressing as explained above, and at least for the purposes of this column, we will do so.
I prefer, and always make, dressing as opposed to stuffing. One of the major reasons I prefer dressing is because the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tells us that cooking animals with a body cavity filled with stuffing can present potential food safety issues.
For a turkey, or any whole bird, to be fully cooked it must reach an internal temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit. For stuffing to be fully cooked it must reach a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The major issue is that when the meat reaches a safe temperature, the stuffing inside can still harbor bacteria.
Conversely, if you cook the meat until the stuffing reaches a safe temperature it can result in the meat being overcooked and dry.
For turkeys, the USDA, and myself, recommend cooking your stuffing/dressing separately from your turkey and not buying birds that have been pre-stuffed.
If you are worried about the flavor of your dressing lacking when being cooked outside of your bird, fear not.
The great thing with making a dressing is that the sky is the limit when it comes to flavors and seasonings.
For example, you can always add some of the pan drippings from your cooked turkey to your dressing mix before baking it and voila — you have that added turkey flavor! You can also add different nuts, fruit, rice, sausage, liqueurs, herbs, spices, etc. to your dressing to boost the flavor.
When making your dressing you can use any bread that you like.
My recommendation is that you dice your bread into relatively uniform cubes and either dry it out over night or lightly crisp it in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes before mixing it with other ingredients.
Dried bread works better because it will absorb more liquid (aka flavor) and will also hold its shape without getting soggy or mushy.
A good dressing should be crispy and toasted on the outside while soft and flavorful in the center.
This textural contrast is key for both mouth feel and also contributes to the delicious flavor in the final product.
Another key to combating a soggy or mushy dressing is to mix your dry and wet ingredients just before baking.
A lot of people mix their dressing ahead of time, but if you want to achieve the proper texture as described above you should save your mixing for later.
If you MUST stuff the cavity of your bird, here are a few tips to help you do it correctly.
Again, I don’t recommend this method but if you insist on doing it I would rather have you doing it the safer route.
Always mix your stuffing right before stuffing your turkey and always stuff your bird right before putting it into the oven.
The correct ratio of stuffing is three quarters of a cup of stuffing per pound of turkey.
Your stuffing should also be on the moist side because heat destroys bacteria faster in a moist environment.
The most important tip, whether you are making stuffing or dressing, is to ALWAYS use a thermometer. Always make sure the center of your stuffing or dressing reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit before removing it from the oven.
If your turkey reaches 180 degrees and your stuffing is still not yet at 165 degrees, you should remove the turkey from the oven, scoop the stuffing from the cavity of the turkey, and finish baking your stuffing in a separate pan until it reaches the safe temperature of 165 degrees.
Here’s to kicking off a fantastic and delicious Thanksgiving season. Until next week — Just Cook It!
Send me all of your food/cooking related questions by e-mail to hsfeatures@heraldstandard.com.
Mario J. Porreca of Belle Vernon is a food personality, author, and the host of Just Cook It on WMBS Radio 590 AM. His website is www.JustCookIt.net.