Do you stuff your turkey or make stuffing in a separate dish? My sister-in-law refuses to eat stuffing that was in the bird so she makes a whole batch that wasn't.

Personally, my mom always stuffed the turkey and in 35 years I've never gotten sick from it, so I'm still eating it that way.

I do both. Stuff the bird, then make a separate dish, then mix them together- the stuff from the separate dish is crispy and good and the stuff from the bird is extra flavorful and moist, so they're great together. Plus, everyone I cook for loves stuffing, so the more, the better for us.

It's not safe to stuff the bird as most people do not use a meat thermometer. If the bird reaches 180 degrees internally and the stuffing at least 165, it is safe to eat.

Personally, I wouldn't take the chance at someone else's house. Having gotten food poisoning before, it's a not a fun experience.

kk~

I used to stuff the bird and make an additional dish of stuffing to mix with it. Then a few years ago I started stuffing the bird with whole stalks of celery, apples, garlic cloves, whole scallions, sometimes a quartered orange or lemon, and roasting it in a covered pan. (I discard this stuff after it's cooked)I do use a meat thermometer. Always have.

The meat is so much more tender and flavorful and I really don't miss the "cooked in the bird" stuffing much. It is also easier at serving time to just take the pyrex pan out of the oven instead of extracting hot stuffing from inside the turkey when the potatoes need to be mashed and the turkey cooks faster.

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I used to fill the bird with stuffing too but I stopped doing that years ago. I cook the stuffing separately. I stuff the bird with quartered oranges, and squeeze the juice over the skin too. I also add a few stalks of celery.

I do the same as Christine, lots of veggies/fruit in the bird, stuffing cooked separately.

You are all making me so hungry! Stuffing is my favorite thing at Thanksgiving and I'm sooooo looking forward to it.

Having gotten food poisoning before, it's a not a fun experience.

Tell me about it. Worst was on left over turkey at a boyfriend's house in my 20's. The sickest I've ever been on a small small BITE of turkey. Sat on the carcass too long I guess. I've also had food poisoning with shrimp and once a spinach salad.

I've never gotten sick from a potluck, people's baking, or from someone's house. Working in a restaurant I think most people's houses are cleaner. lol. I have a good friend that won't eat anything at parties that people brought unless she knows them really well. She has a major germ phobia that I mostly consider ridiculous. Maybe it is because I just don't get grossed out by a lot of things and haven't ever been sick from people's food. If I did, that might change my perception slightly.

The stuffing mixed from the bird and oven does sound like a great idea. Since I like stuffing so much I really should make it more than just once or twice a year.

It really depends on mood with stuffing the bird I guess. Sometimes we stuff it, sometimes we don't.

We always use a meat therm though.

I have never had stuffing in a turkey before, we always make it separate.

I've gotten food poisoning before and have a sensitive digestive system, so I am paranoid about most things I eat.

My grandma always stuffs the turkey with her stuffing, I don't eat it because I'm vegetarian though. She's recently started making my Mom a separate batch of stuffing though, because she's allergic to turkey and really misses eating stuffing!

I've never had stuffing that was stuffed in the turkey, my mom's always made it separate. I don't like the idea, it seems gross.

Apparently my grandma has always made her stuffing in the turkey and then scooped it out into a dish for dinner, which I didn't know about until tonight, haha. This year we also had an extra batch of non-turkey-made stuffing, though, which I think I liked a little better.

I really like it better made in a separate pan, too. I like when the edges get all crispy and brown. Stuffed stuffing is soggy and kinda bleh.

kk~

Stuffing the turkey makes it MUCH more difficult to produce an evenly cooked bird. But IMO, it's worth it because stuffing from inside the bird tastes SOOOOOO much better. Just take the stuffing out of the cooked bird, put it in a pan, and stick it covered in a 350 oven while you let the bird rest and carve it. The stuffing will EASILY get to 160F in that time. We always stuff the bird AND make an extra pan of stuffing. Because you can never have enough stuffing.

If you're going to put stuffing in the bird always allow for the extra weight you've added otherwise you're asking for a food poisoning issue.

I just want to say a special thank you to Tansey for saving our Thanksgiving. Let me explain... Wednesday night I was sitting at the computer reading DDN at my boyfriend's cousin's house. We got there the night before to help with prepping and decided to put the Turkey in over night since we would be eating early. Well the rest of the family that was showing up in the morning was in charge of stuffing and we quickly realized at midnight we had nothing to stick up the bird and limited items in the fridge. They were standing in the kitchen debating what would be appropriate to use as I was reading this thread and I promptly yelled out "CELERY AND APPLES"... so celery and apples it was, and the turkey came out amazing!

Hehe, turkey fisting.

Mark

I've never stuffed my turkey or had one that was stuffed. For those of you who use celery and apples, what kind of apples do you use?

I put the stuffing in the turkey because I think it tastes better. I do use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of both the turkey and the stuffing before serving.

Mom always stuffed the turkey and no one ever got sick. At least not that I know of anyway. I don't know when she started using a meat thermometer but I don't remember her using when when I was little. Then they said not to cook the stuffing in the bird anymore so she just made a casserole of it instead. That's what she did this year. However, I didn't eat it because we brought New England stuffing and I didn't know that was different that regular. It is. It had Cranberries in it and I hate Cranberries. Next year we won't buy that one again.

My family has always done both. I actually tried stuffing for the first time this year, and I LOVED IT. Now I'm really grateful (I'm vegetarian) for the non-bird pan of stuffing.

tumblebug wrote:

I've never stuffed my turkey or had one that was stuffed. For those of you who use celery and apples, what kind of apples do you use?

I use Macintosh, because I love the really "appley" flavor and aroma of them. I toss the fruit and veggies so the texture isn't an issue. If I don't have Macs, I use whatever I have.

Keep On Dancing*