Stuffing Material

[Walden]

Grandma always saved up leftover biscuits in the freezer and combined these with cornbread for the stuffing at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

When I was living overseas, as a teenager, we sometimes had Thanksgiving dinner with other Americans. What we found was that two kinds of stuffings had to be made. One with cornbread, for those of us from where cornbread is the custom, and one for those from elsewhere, that was made from, I don't know... brownbread and nuts... or something.

I thought about making this a poll, but I don't really think it's poll-type stuff.

My question, what do you think of as normal, when you think of Thanksgiving or Christmas stuffing?

[emmline]

"Normal" is the kind made of whitish bread cubes, celery, and sage, baked in a casserole until somewhat toasty on top.

I enjoyed some we had today made of quinoa, nuts, fruit, cilantro...and I don't know what all.

[Will O'B]

...and I don't know what all.

Our stuffing is made mainly from that ingredient, too. It is rather delicious, though.

Will O'Ban

[Jerry Freeman]

I cook the turkeys in this household, and I don't stuff them.

I was picking up Natasha at daycare Tuesday, and I chatted with Linda the director, who looked exhausted. I told her I hoped she didn't have a big cooking project to go home to, and she assured me she would get a good rest.

Then she went on to tell me that the first turkey she roasted when she and her husband got married, she cooked upside down. And she said it was the tenderest turkey she'd ever had because the juices drained into the breast meat and made it incredibly good.

Later, thinking about what she'd said, I wondered why she didn't try it again. Has anyone else roasted a turkey this way? I'm tempted to try that with our Christmas turkey.

Comments, please.

(Turkeys, whistles, you name it. I can't leave well enough alone. Try to say turkey tweaker ten times fast.)

Best wishes,
Jerry

[spittin_in_the_wind]

Jerry, I think you could cook it that way, but the breast might not brown well, especially if it's sitting in the juices. Tasty, but unappealing to the eye.

We always use Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing with chopped up chestnuts, celery, and onion. The chestnuts are what really do it.

Ahhh...yummy. Leftovers tomorrow!

Robin

[jkrazy52]

At least 20 "turkeys" were stuffed at our house today -- with turkey, ham, 3 types of potatoes, other veggies galore, homemade rolls, 8 kinds of pie and cake.

Kidding aside, dressing (stuffing) at our home has always been leftover biscuits, onions, sage & celery mix. My grandmother usually added oysters to hers.

Then she went on to tell me that the first turkey she roasted when she and her husband got married, she cooked upside down. And she said it was the tenderest turkey she'd ever had because the juices drained into the breast meat and made it incredibly good.

Later, thinking about what she'd said, I wondered why she didn't try it again. Has anyone else roasted a turkey this way? I'm tempted to try that with our Christmas turkey.

My ex sister-in-law cooks her turkey this way. It makes for very juicy white meat. We've never carved the turkey at the table, so presentation wasn't a problem.

~Judy

[avanutria]

Jerry, I think you could cook it that way, but the breast might not brown well, especially if it's sitting in the juices. Tasty, but unappealing to the eye.

Never cooked a turkey myself (and missing the feast this year ), a question - what would happen if you cooked it upside down for the first half of the cooking period to get the juiciness, and then flipped it over for the second half to get the browning? Would that work?

[Whistlin'Dixie]

A friend at one of the hospitals where I work does this:
Cook turkey for the first hour at 450 (eek) That browns it.
Then turn heat to 350 and cook until it has one hour left ~
Then flip it over, and finish up breast side down (by then, all the juices are in the pan)
She brought one of these for the OR staff lunch, and it wasn't any better than the Butterballs I always make ~ throw an onion and some celery in the bird instead of stuffing, then bake it (covered with foil) for the whole time. Foil off the last hour browns it. Easiest thing you'll ever cook.

My boys prefer Stove Top stuffing, but I add sauteed onion and celery.

Hope everyone had a happy Turkey day.

[rebl_rn]

I cooked my turkey breast side down for the first 45 minutes - then flipped it over (it wasn't too hard to do, but if you had a very large bird I could see it would be. My turkey was about 14 pounds). The skin that way gets crispy still but the breast meat was much juicer. I also brined the turkey (soaked in salt water) for about 4 hours, then let it air dry in the fridge for about 18 hours, before I cooked it. The meat was incredibly juicy!

As far as stuffing, I didn't stuff my turkey because of the increased risk of food-bourne illness with a stuffed turkey. (Because the stuffing doesn't always get thoroughly cooked and that warm moist environment inside the turkey can be a bacteria breeding ground). But I made the traditional bread stuffing that emmline spoke of, I also tried this year a wild rice stuffing with wild and brown rice, pork sausage, chicken stock, herbs and spices, including a little bit of sweet curry powder, and topped with parmesan cheese. It was excellent!

Beth

[Jerry Freeman]

Presentation isn't an issue at our house either, so I think I'll try it.

Dixie, what your friend does sounds like the benefit is gone before she turns the turkey over, since the juices are already drained before the turkey's upside down. It sounds like the juices don't get into the breast meat the way she roasts them because they're already in the pan.

Thanks for the info, friends. What fun.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[aderyn_du]

Then she went on to tell me that the first turkey she roasted when she and her husband got married, she cooked upside down. And she said it was the tenderest turkey she'd ever had because the juices drained into the breast meat and made it incredibly good.

Later, thinking about what she'd said, I wondered why she didn't try it again. Has anyone else roasted a turkey this way? I'm tempted to try that with our Christmas turkey.

I did that too when I did my first Thanksgiving turkey years ago! In addition to leaving the little packet of neck, liver, gizzards inside the bird while it was roasting. It was rather embarrassing when it was discovered while carving the turkey at the table.

[Jerry Freeman]

Rebl_Beth posted while I was writing my post.

Hmmm ...

I've been letting my turkeys roast ("right side" up) until they're golden (maybe a little more than half the total time), then tenting them with foil so they don't dry out.

I'm thinking maybe I should reverse the sequence:

Cook the turkey upside down under a foil tent for the first half, then turn it over and remove the tent for the remainder.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[RonKiley]

We do not stuff the bird but make the dressing separately. Yesterday we had a cranberry sweet potato dressing. We deep fried the turkey which makes for a crispy outside and juicy inside. We fried two 14 pound turkeys and a turkey breast. The second turkey we ignored the advice to never leave the turkey unattended and went in to eat the first one. When we went back for the second one the temperature had climbed to about 450 degrees. It was one crispy critter. It was a wonderful day with lots of family and gave many thanks for how greatly we are blessed.

Hope everyone had a happy day. We sure did.

Ron

[anniemcu]

Try to say turkey tweaker ten times fast...

That wasn't very hard... but I bet if you repeated it a few times....

[Jerry Freeman]

Try to say turkey tweaker ten times fast...

That wasn't very hard... but I bet if you repeated it a few times....

LOL.

Best wishes,
Jerry