# Stuffing or dressing?



## CarolfromTX (Nov 17, 2019)

Growing up in Pennsylvania, my mother always stuffed our turkey, and I do the same. My daughter and granddaughter are huge fans of the stuffing, a concoction of white bread, mushrooms, celery, and onions.  Now the experts say not to stuff the bird because of a risk of food poisoning. I don't listen to them. I never stuff the bird until right before I put it in the oven, and the stuffing always comes out lava hot. Haven't killed anyone yet! But here in the south, they serve "dressing," a side dish usually made with corn bread and sometimes sausage. It's good, but we all still prefer stuffing. How about you?


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## Marie5656 (Nov 17, 2019)

*I have eaten stuffing all my life. No issues yet. I still make my mom's stuffing. Bread, celery, onion, sage, and the giblets diced up into it. I use broth to wet it before I stuff.  I also buy a couple turkey drumsticks, and make extra in a casserole dish, with the drums on top.  *


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## RadishRose (Nov 17, 2019)

Marie5656 said:


> *I have eaten stuffing all my life. No issues yet. I still make my mom's stuffing. Bread, celery, onion, sage, and the giblets diced up into it. I use broth to wet it before I stuff.  I also buy a couple turkey drumsticks, and make extra in a casserole dish, with the drums on top.  *


Yes, same as mine but I stopped using the giblets.

Here, it's stuffing if stuffed into the bird; dressing if made on the side.


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## RedAlert (Nov 17, 2019)

Have never stuffed a bird of any kind. Our family has always made corn bread dressing... delicious.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Nov 17, 2019)

I call it stuffing. I make it the same way my mom did. Onions and celery cooked in margarine, salt,pepper, parsley and quite a bit of thyme all added to fresh bread cubes.I stuff the bird and also make a big pan of it on the side. I cook the pan of stuffing in the oven uncovered and set aside when it is lightly browned. After the turkey is done I remove the stuffing and add to the pan of stuffing and mix gently. This makes the perfect consistency,not to mushy and not dry and all is flavored with turkey.
I might add that I always put a wet piece of cheese cloth in the bird sort of like a pocket. Then I add the stuffing. When it is time to remove the stuffing I just pull the cheese cloth that has been left hanging out a bit and all the stuffing pops right out. Looks like to poor thing is giving birth  but it works great.


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## terry123 (Nov 17, 2019)

Dressing here. We would never have that white bread stuff on the table.  Dressing takes time and patience and is planned.  We are known by our dressing in this family.


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## Lc jones (Nov 17, 2019)

My mom and dad stuffed the bird, I thought that this was pretty gross when I was a kid, when I had my own family we made cornbread dressing and cooked it in the crockpot, I will also make a casserole of the dressing and bake in the oven, this removes much of the moisture and is a perfect consistency for gravy, oh boy I  cannot wait for thanksgiving next week Yum Yum


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## Llynn (Nov 17, 2019)

Stuffing, in the bird with extra in a bowl  on the side. Dressing is that gloppy stuff you put on salad.


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## Judycat (Nov 17, 2019)

I like stuffing with lots of gravy.


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## jujube (Nov 17, 2019)

I always have to make two pans of dressing.....one with oysters and one without.  I and some others MUST have oysters in the dressing and others would run screaming before they'd eat it, even though they'd probably love it if they didn't know what was in it.


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## AnnieA (Nov 17, 2019)

Celery and onion dressing here as well.  We mince the giblets and a hard boiled egg and put those in the gravy.


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## RadishRose (Nov 17, 2019)

jujube said:


> I always have to make two pans of dressing.....one with oysters and one without.  I and some others MUST have oysters in the dressing and others would run screaming before they'd eat it, even though they'd probably love it if they didn't know what was in it.


Even tho' I live in New England, I have never tasted oyster dressing. I've always wanted to,


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## treeguy64 (Nov 17, 2019)

I stuff my Tofu Turkey. No muss, no fuss, no nasty internal organs of dead birds. Yuck!


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## WheatenLover (Nov 17, 2019)

I like your idea of putting the turkey drumsticks on top.



Marie5656 said:


> *I have eaten stuffing all my life. No issues yet. I still make my mom's stuffing. Bread, celery, onion, sage, and the giblets diced up into it. I use broth to wet it before I stuff.  I also buy a couple turkey drumsticks, and make extra in a casserole dish, with the drums on top.  *


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## WheatenLover (Nov 17, 2019)

My mom always used Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing. She added onions and celery and used chicken broth in it. I do the same, except I put Italian sausage and Bell's Seasoning in it, too. That goes in the bird. I make other stuffing in casserole dishes (no onions or sausage) and regular (won't fit in bird).

I check stuffing temp with a Thermapen thermometer.

I like "Thanksgiving Appetizers" (crisp turkey skin wrapped around stuffing -- which no one else likes, thank goodness -- no sharing necessary), and I like turkey, dressing, and gravy sandwiches after Thanksgiving.


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## RadishRose (Nov 17, 2019)

WheatenLover said:


> I like turkey, dressing, and gravy sandwiches after Thanksgiving.


For me it's turkey, dressing and Hellman's mayo next day, then I'm done.


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## WheatenLover (Nov 17, 2019)

My mom was German, so in our family, butter on sandwiches with meat or cheese -- no mayo! My cousin puts butter on all sandwiches - even pb&j. 

All my "not in my usual diet" treats are limited to Thanksgiving and the day after. And Christmas -- cannot give up Yorkshire pudding and gravy.


QUOTE="RadishRose, post: 1175050, member: 1556"]
For me it's turkey, dressing and Hellman's mayo next day, then I'm done.
[/QUOTE]


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## Invictus (Nov 18, 2019)

I was born and raised in NYC so we always had stuffing, and it wasn't white bread crap, it was good stuffing made with good assorted breads and vegetables and spices...When I moved to Oklahoma they all called it dressing, but it's basically the same dam thing...According to most dictionaries, stuffing is defined as “a mixture used to stuff another food, traditionally poultry, before cooking.”..."Whereas _dressing_ is cooked in a pan outside of the turkey cavity."...So really not much of a difference, but the stuffing/dressing debate will never end...It's just like the sauce/gravy debate that Italians have been arguing about for over 100 years now.


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## Aunt Bea (Nov 18, 2019)

I grew up with a bread-based, onion, celery, butter, and turkey broth stuffing seasoned with Bell's poultry seasoning.


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## rkunsaw (Nov 18, 2019)

RedAlert said:


> Have never stuffed a bird of any kind. Our family has always made corn bread dressing... delicious.


Same here. My mother always made the dressing no matter at which family members house we had dinner.


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## toffee (Nov 18, 2019)

always stuffing for us -- garlic sage and onion sausage meat 'little mustard -pepper salt -smells delish '
then stuff the turkey top and inside ...


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## IrisSenior (Nov 18, 2019)

I used to stuff the bird but with cutting calories, I don't bother anymore. It is not a big item on my list anyways; I dislike bread pudding too.


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## Marie5656 (Nov 18, 2019)

WheatenLover said:


> I like your idea of putting the turkey drumsticks on top.


That is something I started a couple years ago. Just to have more for leftovers. Yum.


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## RadishRose (Nov 18, 2019)

WheatenLover said:


> I like "Thanksgiving Appetizers" (crisp turkey skin wrapped around stuffing -- which no one else likes, thank goodness -- no sharing necessary), and I like turkey, dressing, and gravy sandwiches after Thanksgiving.


Yummy!


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## fmdog44 (Nov 18, 2019)

My mom's stuffing was paradise. Nothing has even come close.


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## RadishRose (Nov 18, 2019)

Aunt Bea said:


> I grew up with a bread-based, onion, celery, butter, and turkey broth stuffing seasoned with Bell's poultry seasoning.


Yes Bell's. The perfect blend and big on Sage.

https://newengland.com/today/living/new-england-nostalgia/bells-seasoning/


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## debodun (Nov 18, 2019)

My family always refered to it as stuffing and my mom always put it inside the turkey's body cavity. If it's properly cooked, that should kill any germs. She usualy made traditional bread stuffing, then one year she made it from cornbread. I liked it so much, she started putting cornbread in the neck cavity and the bread in the other end. To her, saucepan stuffing was a travesty. I have no qualms, though about a quick & easy way out. I've made a meal, on occasion, out of a box of saucepan stuffing.


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