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Location: Living near our Nation's Capitol since 2010
2,218 posts, read 3,453,206 times
Reputation: 6035
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Recently I have watched a few Food TV/Network shows on cooking the THanksgiving feast. I have been the primary (and very willing) cook for many, many Thanksgivings. My family always stuffed the turkey rather than cook the stuffing outside the bird. Now, many (most?) professional chefs are appalled by stuffing the bird..cooking the stuffing in the turkey.
Yes, I recognize that, in order for the stuffing to achieve the internal temp of 165...a safe, bacteria free product...that the breast meat may overcook. Hmmm. Maybe I just have not noticed that happening in the past? But, confession time...I am a dark meat girl rather than breast meat. To me, white meat is saved for sandwiches and pot pies.
Soooo....how misguided AM I in wanting to continue to stuff the turkey? (I do also cook a separate pan of dressing, one can never have too much of a good thing!)
Making that pretty presentation of the whole bird at the table is the problem.
Breaking it down and roasting the several pieces flat will a) cook faster and b) taste better
There are new recipes to get around this issue. One is cutting up the bird (or buying turkey parts) and roasting it on top of the stuffing. That way the drippings go into the stuffing to keep it moist and flavorful without having to worry about temperature issues. Also you can take the breast out earlier than the rest of the meat to prevent overcooking.
I always stuff the turkey, AND put the rest in a pan and bake it once the bird comes out. Then you have both kinds of stuffing! Moist, from inside the bird, and crispy, from the pan. Win-win!!
Recently I have watched a few Food TV/Network shows on cooking the THanksgiving feast. I have been the primary (and very willing) cook for many, many Thanksgivings. My family always stuffed the turkey rather than cook the stuffing outside the bird. Now, many (most?) professional chefs are appalled by stuffing the bird..cooking the stuffing in the turkey.
Most chefs will NOT stuff a turkey due to liability concerns. The food service company where I worked had firm rules against the practice as it could leadd to food poisoning as it is hard to get the dressing to a safe 165 F and the leftovers seem to be more likely to spoil.
At home, I would have no problems stuffing the bird as long as I had a practice to clear the table and refrigerate the bird within an hour or so. If you live in a family where the bird sits out for several house, cook them separate.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,936 posts, read 36,957,550 times
Reputation: 40635
Damn right stuff that bird
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