How to Stuff a Turkey

Stuffing, dressing, whatever you call it, here's how to put it in the bird.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Skewers
• Aluminum Foil
• Aluminum Foil
• Turkeys
• Baking Dishes
• Mixing Spoons
• Roasting Pans
• Serving Bowls

1. Prepare your desired stuffing from scratch, or prepare a packaged bread stuffing mix according to box directions. The stuffing should be warm when you are ready to put it in the bird.

2. Plan to use 3/4 c. stuffing for each pound of turkey.

3. Remove the packet of giblets from the main cavity of the bird and set aside if you wish to make gravy. If not, toss it.

4. 

   To stuff the neck, first pack it loosely with stuffing.

5. 

   Pin the neck skin over the exposed stuffing with a skewer.

6. 

   Spoon stuffing loosely in the main body cavity.

7. 

   Cover exposed stuffing with a swatch of aluminum foil or a piece of bread.

8. Roast the turkey according to the recipe of your choice.

9. Place extra stuffing in a baking dish coated with cooking spray, cover and refrigerate until ready to bake, no more than eight hours.

10. Pour 1/2 c. turkey or chicken stock over the extra stuffing and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 60 minutes.

11. After the turkey is done roasting, remove stuffing immediately and place in a bowl. Refrigerate leftovers.

Tips & Warnings

• Always stuff a bird just before roasting. The stuffing should be warm, not cold, when you pack it in the bird; otherwise the roasting time will be off.
• Don't overstuff the turkey, because the stuffing will expand as the bird roasts.

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[ladybugwng]

on 11/22/2007 COLD stuffing for safety - The stuffing should be cold when you put it in the turkey to avoid food poisoning. The turkey cavity is the last place to get hot from the oven, and warm stuffing would just grow bacteria as it sits.

on 11/22/2005 Stuffing bags make taking the stuffing out of the bird a piece of cake. They are cheese cloth sacks with ties. They are available at Sur La Table, among other places. They aren't too expensive and worth every penny. It makes stuffing a lot easier and with virtually no cleanup.

on 11/22/2005 Stuffing increases mass. Mass extends cooking time. By the time enough heat gets into the stuffing to cook it and render it safe, the turkey, or a good portion of it, will be overcooked. You want to cook a turkey as fast as you can to minimize juice loss, and the fastest way is without stuffing it.

on 11/22/2005 Put your turkey stuffing in a knee high, then into the turkey cavity. After it is cooked, pull out the knee high and dump the dressing into a bowl. Your turkey is clean and food-poison-free. Works great. I love it.

on 11/22/2005 When cooking stuffing outside the bird, lay the neck atop the stuffing and cover tightly with your casserole cover of foil. This stuffing tastes as good as that cooked in the bird.