Thanksgiving Stuffing Tips

Five foolproof tips for perfect Thanksgiving stuffing—plus two of our favorite dressing recipes your family will gobble-gobble down.

 

When Thanksgiving dinner comes around, we find ourselves stuffing our plates and stomachs chuck full of holiday favorites—so it’s no wonder one of the most steadfast and savory holiday staples was named “stuffing”. Here's a few tips to make yours plate-perfect.

• Shy away from fresh or soft bread—it will be too moist and make the mix mushy. Instead use a stale and highly dense variety or bread that has been pre-dried in the oven.
• Get your ratios right—for every pound of turkey, you'll need a little less than a cup of stuffing. Loosely pack it in to ensure that the stuffing safely cooks through as the bird roasts.
• Stuff your turkey immediately before baking (no earlier) to avoid bacterial growth. Once the bird is out of the oven, remove all stuffing before carving.
• If you are using any type of meat or vegetables mixed in with your dressing, be sure to cook them thoroughly before stuffing the turkey.
• Try new ingredients to liven up your old stand-by stuffing recipe—oysters, shrimp, raisins, fresh chestnuts, winter greens, dried apricots, dried figs, basil, walnuts, or pecans.
• If you have more stuffing than you do space, cook the extra mix in a low-sided baking dish at 350F until done.

—By Emily Arno