Any minute now it will be Thanksgiving Day. I have a piece of smoked
turkey in the freezer I'd like to prepare for my meal that day. However,
I love dressing (or stuffing if you prefer) and usually roast a whole
chicken for that reason.

In spite of several attempts, I've never been able to prepare decent
stuffing without putting it in a bird. I find the stovetop brands
inedible. I know the ingredients, but can anyone tell me a surefire
technique from preparing stuffing outside the bird? I'd certainly make it
more often if I knew how.

TIA


--
I got used to my arthritis
To my denture I'm resigned
I can manage my bifocals
But Lord I miss my mind

Ken Knecht > wrote:

>In spite of several attempts, I've never been able to prepare decent
>stuffing without putting it in a bird. I find the stovetop brands
>inedible. I know the ingredients, but can anyone tell me a surefire
>technique from preparing stuffing outside the bird? I'd certainly make it
>more often if I knew how.

I don't have too much to add to what everyone else will say, other
than avoiding stovetop brands, and making such the ingredents (bread,
celery, onion, sage, vegetable stock, olive oil or butter) are good
quality and fresh. Avoid things like stale powdered sage, canned
chicken broth, low quality bread -- I use half each of sourdough
french bread and whole wheat loaf bread from a good bakery.
Do not purposefully use stale bread, and do not use bread crumbs --
bread should be lightly toasted then diced, not crumbed.

If you have homemade chicken stock, you could try using that --
I'd dilute it -- but homemade vegetable stock is by far the best.
Anything out of a can could ruin your stuffing.

The optional ingredients are mushrooms, oysters, and/or pork sausage,
but far more important is that the baseline stuffing be good quality.

Steve

Ken Knecht wrote:
> Any minute now it will be Thanksgiving Day. I have a piece of smoked
> turkey in the freezer I'd like to prepare for my meal that day.
> However, I love dressing (or stuffing if you prefer) and usually
> roast a whole chicken for that reason.
>
> In spite of several attempts, I've never been able to prepare decent
> stuffing without putting it in a bird. I find the stovetop brands
> inedible. I know the ingredients, but can anyone tell me a surefire
> technique from preparing stuffing outside the bird? I'd certainly
> make it more often if I knew how.

Well, I just make up the stuffing and cook it in the oven in a seperate pan

On Oct 26, 9:16 am, Ken Knecht > wrote:
> [snip]
> In spite of several attempts, I've never been able to prepare decent
> stuffing without putting it in a bird. I find the stovetop brands
> inedible. I know the ingredients, but can anyone tell me a surefire
> technique from preparing stuffing outside the bird? I'd certainly make it
> more often if I knew how.

When I make stuffing I always make more than will fit in the bird, so
I put the excess into a casserole dish. Since there will be no bird
juices dripping into the casserole I mix it with a little more chicken/
turkey stock than the portion I put in the bird. How much moister is
to your taste and from your experience. In all other ways it is the
same. Bake it covered for about 40 minutes, uncover (because I like
to dry the top somewhat) for another 10 minutes or so.

Since you don't say what you are doing, and you don't say what is
wrong with your results, I have no way to know whether this would work
for you. -aem

"Ken Knecht" > wrote:>
> In spite of several attempts, I've never been able to prepare decent
> stuffing without putting it in a bird. I find the stovetop brands
> inedible. I know the ingredients, but can anyone tell me a surefire
> technique from preparing stuffing outside the bird? I'd certainly make it
> more often if I knew how.
>

What kind of stuffing do you like? My mother prepared stuffing in the bird,
but also extra in a covered casserole. Hers was moist and savory, with lots
of butter, bread crumbs, and celery.

When I made this for my husband's family they looked at it and one of them
actually said, "whut is that?" lol

Because they were used to cornbread stuffing done in a shallow pan, kind
of crispy, cut in squares. Ick, I say.

"Ophelia" > wrote in message
...
> Ken Knecht wrote:
>> Any minute now it will be Thanksgiving Day. I have a piece of smoked
>> turkey in the freezer I'd like to prepare for my meal that day.
>> However, I love dressing (or stuffing if you prefer) and usually
>> roast a whole chicken for that reason.
>>
>> In spite of several attempts, I've never been able to prepare decent
>> stuffing without putting it in a bird. I find the stovetop brands
>> inedible. I know the ingredients, but can anyone tell me a surefire
>> technique from preparing stuffing outside the bird? I'd certainly
>> make it more often if I knew how.
>
> Well, I just make up the stuffing and cook it in the oven in a seperate
> pan

I put it in a corning ware dish, buttered, toss seasoned bread crumbs with
melted butter and a bit of stock and sauteed celery, bake on 325 F. until
the top is brownish, and the inside hot but moist.

I have also done corn bread stuffing with onion and sausage the same way. I
like that a bit drier, in a more shallow pan, but still not hard enough to
(ugh) cut in squares.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

"cybercat" > wrote in :

> What kind of stuffing do you like?

I make it plain, as my mother did, and the way I ate it during my early
years. Moist bread, chicken stock, egg, margarine/butter, and... I think
that's it - recipe not handy to check.

--
I got used to my arthritis
To my denture I'm resigned
I can manage my bifocals
But Lord I miss my mind

"Ken Knecht" > wrote in message
...
> "cybercat" > wrote in :
>
>> What kind of stuffing do you like?
>
> I make it plain, as my mother did, and the way I ate it during my early
> years. Moist bread, chicken stock, egg, margarine/butter, and... I think
> that's it - recipe not handy to check.
>

Then I can help! Do you have a covered glass casserole dish, kind of deep,
like maybe corning ware? Just butter it well and toss your ingredients
lightly in a mixing bowl (you know, a lot of handling can make dressing
heavy/soggy) and preheat oven to 325F, for maybe 1/2 hour? You can peek and
when you see the sides and top browning just a bit, it's perfect. The butter
browns it. This is making me hungry.

On Oct 26, 1:17 pm, "cybercat" > wrote:
> "Ken Knecht" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > "cybercat" > wrote :
>
> >> What kind of stuffing do you like?
>
> > I make it plain, as my mother did, and the way I ate it during my early
> > years. Moist bread, chicken stock, egg, margarine/butter, and... I think
> > that's it - recipe not handy to check.
>
> Then I can help! Do you have a covered glass casserole dish, kind of deep,
> like maybe corning ware? Just butter it well and toss your ingredients
> lightly in a mixing bowl (you know, a lot of handling can make dressing
> heavy/soggy) and preheat oven to 325F, for maybe 1/2 hour? You can peek and
> when you see the sides and top browning just a bit, it's perfect. The butter
> browns it. This is making me hungry.

LOL - me, too. I love stuffing, but it always gives me heartburn, so
I don't eat very much of it.

Bite me, I use Pepperidge Farm croutettes, and find them seasoned just
fine. I use diced celery, onion, turkey broth (made from simmering
the neck, gizzard, liver and heart with miripoix in water - sometimes
I add some Better than Bouillon poultry base -- until the liquid has
reduced), diced bits of the cooked liver and heart - and butter. No
egg (what's the egg for, anyway?). I mix it all so it's just a tad on
the moist side - put it in a greased casserole dish with thin pats of
butter on the top - and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. I use my
otherwise unused microwave to keep it until I'm ready to serve - the
small "cave" of the microwave keeps the dish very hot.

N.

On Oct 26, 2:33 pm, Nancy2 > wrote:

> I don't eat very much of it.
>
> Bite me, I use Pepperidge Farm croutettes, and find them seasoned just
> fine. I use diced celery, onion, turkey broth (made from simmering
> the neck, gizzard, liver and heart with miripoix in water - sometimes
> I add some Better than Bouillon poultry base -- until the liquid has
> reduced), diced bits of the cooked liver and heart - and butter. No
> egg (what's the egg for, anyway?). I mix it all so it's just a tad on
> the moist side - put it in a greased casserole dish with thin pats of
> butter on the top - and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. I use my
> otherwise unused microwave to keep it until I'm ready to serve - the
> small "cave" of the microwave keeps the dish very hot.
>
> N.--

I make mine this way as well. Except for the liver bits and heart.
My husband likes them. I do like to add fresh sage and some of that
seasoning blend that I can't remember the name of right now - yellow
box with a turkey on it...

-Tracy

Steve Pope wrote:

> I don't have too much to add to what everyone else will say, other
> than avoiding stovetop brands, and making such the ingredents (bread,
> celery, onion, sage, vegetable stock, olive oil or butter) are good
> quality and fresh. Avoid things like stale powdered sage, canned
> chicken broth, low quality bread -- I use half each of sourdough
> french bread and whole wheat loaf bread from a good bakery.
> Do not purposefully use stale bread, and do not use bread crumbs --
> bread should be lightly toasted then diced, not crumbed.
>
I always cube my bread the night before and let sit in a large bowl or
pan covered by a tea towel to stale up a bit.

Goomba38 > wrote:

>Steve Pope wrote:

>> I don't have too much to add to what everyone else will say, other
>> than avoiding stovetop brands, and making such the ingredents (bread,
>> celery, onion, sage, vegetable stock, olive oil or butter) are good
>> quality and fresh. Avoid things like stale powdered sage, canned
>> chicken broth, low quality bread -- I use half each of sourdough
>> french bread and whole wheat loaf bread from a good bakery.
>> Do not purposefully use stale bread, and do not use bread crumbs --
>> bread should be lightly toasted then diced, not crumbed.

>I always cube my bread the night before and let sit in a large bowl or
>pan covered by a tea towel to stale up a bit.

Overnight would not be a problem (and gets some of the prep out of
the way). Bread that is many days stale is I think unappetizing,
even made into stuffing.

Steve

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:17:21 -0400, "cybercat" >
wrote:


>>
>
>Then I can help! Do you have a covered glass casserole dish, kind of deep,
>like maybe corning ware? Just butter it well and toss your ingredients
>lightly in a mixing bowl (you know, a lot of handling can make dressing
>heavy/soggy) and preheat oven to 325F, for maybe 1/2 hour? You can peek and
>when you see the sides and top browning just a bit, it's perfect. The butter
>browns it. This is making me hungry.
>

Maybe I can finally learn from you folks how to fix stuffing/dressing
outside the turkey. I keep on trying it, every year, and it fails
dismally.

However, my stuffing is not much more than breadcrumbs, seasonings,
onion and celery. I save chicken fat all year for this, to saute the
onions and celery. I don't add any broth or eggs to it. Inside the
bird, it turns out moist and wonderful. In a casserole, well...it's
pretty dismal. I have tried a lot of what folks have suggested, and
I must not have the stuffing in a casserole gene. But maybe there is
hope..maybe you all can teach me a few tricks.

Christine

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:53:44 -0600, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:17:21 -0400, "cybercat" >
>wrote:
>
>
>>>
>>
>>Then I can help! Do you have a covered glass casserole dish, kind of deep,
>>like maybe corning ware? Just butter it well and toss your ingredients
>>lightly in a mixing bowl (you know, a lot of handling can make dressing
>>heavy/soggy) and preheat oven to 325F, for maybe 1/2 hour? You can peek and
>>when you see the sides and top browning just a bit, it's perfect. The butter
>>browns it. This is making me hungry.
>>
>
>Maybe I can finally learn from you folks how to fix stuffing/dressing
>outside the turkey. I keep on trying it, every year, and it fails
>dismally.
>
>However, my stuffing is not much more than breadcrumbs, seasonings,
>onion and celery. I save chicken fat all year for this, to saute the
>onions and celery. I don't add any broth or eggs to it. Inside the
>bird, it turns out moist and wonderful. In a casserole, well...it's
>pretty dismal. I have tried a lot of what folks have suggested, and
>I must not have the stuffing in a casserole gene. But maybe there is
>hope..maybe you all can teach me a few tricks.
>
>Christine


Use a sort of savory bread pudding for stuffing...I posted it here 2
years ago....
I have no recipe, but I will describe what I do below. This is a rich
dressing, almost a savory bread pudding that is cooked in the bird.

Trim most crust from a large challah. If you can find loaf shaped
challah, rather than a twist, that is even better, but don't drive
yourself nuts removing every drop of crust. Tear off small
apple-sized chunks and run them quickly under cold water, moistening
the bread, but being sure to squeeze any excess out. Tear up the
chunks into small pieces and place in large bowl.

Gently saute one large Spanish or Bermuda onion until translucent. If
you like a lot of onion, by all means, add more. Add to bread. Lightly
beat 4 - 6 (start with 4) eggs with 1/2 cup Wishbone Italian
Dressing. Add to bread & onion mixture.

Wash your hands, take your rings off and get your hands into that
bowl, mixing all the ingredients well. The consistency should be eggy,
but not liquidy. Add more beaten eggs, if needed. Salt and pepper to
taste.

Stuff into the bird, as well as into the neck cavity under the skin
flap. Pin the neck skin to the underside of the turkey. I do not
truss the turkey legs, but leave them open. For me, this allows the
stuffing and dark meat to cook, without making the breast meat
overdone.

For a really large turkey, I have used 2-3 challahs, depending on loaf
size. Any extra, I cook separately and it puffs up like bread
pudding..

This was my grandmother's and mother's way of making stuffing and I
have never used exact measurements, as I leaned by sight and feel as I
grew up. I hope it can be "translated" this way. I do believe in the
early years, my grandmother used schmaltz instead of Wishbone!

Boron Elgar > wrote:

>Trim most crust from a large challah. If you can find loaf shaped
>challah, rather than a twist, that is even better, but don't drive
>yourself nuts removing every drop of crust. Tear off small
>apple-sized chunks and run them quickly under cold water, moistening
>the bread, but being sure to squeeze any excess out. Tear up the
>chunks into small pieces and place in large bowl.

>Gently saute one large Spanish or Bermuda onion until translucent. If
>you like a lot of onion, by all means, add more. Add to bread. Lightly
>beat 4 - 6 (start with 4) eggs with 1/2 cup Wishbone Italian
>Dressing. Add to bread & onion mixture.

>Wash your hands, take your rings off and get your hands into that
>bowl, mixing all the ingredients well. The consistency should be eggy,
>but not liquidy. Add more beaten eggs, if needed. Salt and pepper to
>taste.

That has to be one of the most unusual stuffing recipes I've
yet seen!

Steve

Christine Dabney > wrote in
:

> Maybe I can finally learn from you folks how to fix stuffing/dressing
> outside the turkey. I keep on trying it, every year, and it fails
> dismally.
>

Have you tried the Basic James beard stuffing recipe? I used that for a few
years then followed it kinda to a more involved dressing with wild rice and
sausage added. Just involves the use of chicken stock or turkey stock made
from chicken stock to help moisten the stuff. It sure does cut down on the
cooking time if the dressing is cooked outside of the bird.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 22:28:08 GMT, hahabogus > wrote:

>Christine Dabney > wrote in
:
>
>> Maybe I can finally learn from you folks how to fix stuffing/dressing
>> outside the turkey. I keep on trying it, every year, and it fails
>> dismally.
>>
>
>Have you tried the Basic James beard stuffing recipe? I used that for a few
>years then followed it kinda to a more involved dressing with wild rice and
>sausage added. Just involves the use of chicken stock or turkey stock made
>from chicken stock to help moisten the stuff. It sure does cut down on the
>cooking time if the dressing is cooked outside of the bird.

The thing is, I like my stuffing a lot. I don't want to mess with it,
other than to get it to cook right outside the bird, inside a
casserole.

Christine

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:20:30 -0400, Boron Elgar
> wrote:

>
>Use a sort of savory bread pudding for stuffing...I posted it here 2
>years ago....

>This was my grandmother's and mother's way of making stuffing and I
>have never used exact measurements, as I leaned by sight and feel as I
>grew up. I hope it can be "translated" this way. I do believe in the
>early years, my grandmother used schmaltz instead of Wishbone!

The thing is, while yours sounds really good too, I really do like my
stuffing. I just want to be able to make a larger portion of it, and
have it cooked nicely outside the bird, in a casserole.

Is there a way to do that, without tampering with it too much? I
don't want eggs in my stuffing, and I prefer not to add much broth...
I really have always liked the flavor of this one.... Plus, it just
says home and memories to me.

Christine

Christine Dabney > wrote in
:

> The thing is, I like my stuffing a lot.

Ok then.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

Steve Pope schrieb
> Goomba38 > wrote:
>
>>Steve Pope wrote:
>
>>> I don't have too much to add to what everyone else will say, other
>>> than avoiding stovetop brands, and making such the ingredents (bread,
>>> celery, onion, sage, vegetable stock, olive oil or butter) are good
>>> quality and fresh. Avoid things like stale powdered sage, canned
>>> chicken broth, low quality bread -- I use half each of sourdough
>>> french bread and whole wheat loaf bread from a good bakery.
>>> Do not purposefully use stale bread, and do not use bread crumbs --
>>> bread should be lightly toasted then diced, not crumbed.
>
>>I always cube my bread the night before and let sit in a large bowl or
>>pan covered by a tea towel to stale up a bit.
>
> Overnight would not be a problem (and gets some of the prep out of
> the way). Bread that is many days stale is I think unappetizing,
> even made into stuffing.
>
Interesting misunderstanding of "stale bread" on your side of the pond.
You let the rolls (or bread) get stale enough for easy cubing without
creating a lot of crumbs.
Then you dry the cubes in the oven.

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

In article >,
Christine Dabney > wrote:

> Maybe I can finally learn from you folks how to fix stuffing/dressing
> outside the turkey. I keep on trying it, every year, and it fails
> dismally.

I'm with you. My wife includes casserole dressing during the holidays
for a large group. We can't give it away when dinner is over if the
original recipient had in-bird dressing beforehand. Neither the texture
nor the taste is close to the same as the Real McCoy.

leo

"Christine Dabney" > wrote
>
> Maybe I can finally learn from you folks how to fix stuffing/dressing
> outside the turkey. I keep on trying it, every year, and it fails
> dismally.
>
> However, my stuffing is not much more than breadcrumbs, seasonings,
> onion and celery. I save chicken fat all year for this, to saute the
> onions and celery. I don't add any broth or eggs to it. Inside the
> bird, it turns out moist and wonderful. In a casserole, well...it's
> pretty dismal. I have tried a lot of what folks have suggested, and
> I must not have the stuffing in a casserole gene. But maybe there is
> hope..maybe you all can teach me a few tricks.
>

Christine--it is the bird juice you are missing outside the bird! Try
a bit of your homemade stock. You don't need a lot. I definitely
can't see eggs in stuffing. Cover the casserole, and it will be moist
and great.

"Steve Pope" > wrote
> That has to be one of the most unusual stuffing recipes I've
> yet seen!
>
Yeah, I think it sounds good, too.

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:45:49 -0400, "cybercat" >
wrote:


>Christine--it is the bird juice you are missing outside the bird! Try
>a bit of your homemade stock. You don't need a lot. I definitely
>can't see eggs in stuffing. Cover the casserole, and it will be moist
>and great.
>

This is what I have tried before.. what others suggested. It is either
pasty, gummy, or too dry...or the top gets hard, and the inside stays
TOO soggy, or a whole range of things. I usually use turkey broth,
that I have made before the big day.

Maybe I will get a small bag of stuffing mix and try it before
Thanksgiving...just to finally get it right.

Christine

Christine Dabney > wrote:

>On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 22:28:08 GMT, hahabogus > wrote:

>> Have you tried the Basic James beard stuffing recipe? I used
>> that for a few years then followed it kinda to a more involved
>> dressing with wild rice and sausage added. Just involves the
>> use of chicken stock or turkey stock made from chicken stock
>> to help moisten the stuff. It sure does cut down on the cooking
>> time if the dressing is cooked outside of the bird.

>The thing is, I like my stuffing a lot. I don't want to mess with it,
>other than to get it to cook right outside the bird, inside a
>casserole.

In what way is it "not right"? There must be something
(moisture, fat content, stock/dripping content) that can be
adjusted to get it closer to the from-bird version.

BTW, the James Beard recipe I have says to use only butter
for moisture. Classic Beard.

Steve

Michael Kuettner > wrote:

>Steve Pope schrieb

>> Goomba38 > wrote:

>>>I always cube my bread the night before and let sit in a large bowl or
>>>pan covered by a tea towel to stale up a bit.

>> Overnight would not be a problem (and gets some of the prep out of
>> the way). Bread that is many days stale is I think unappetizing,
>> even made into stuffing.

>Interesting misunderstanding of "stale bread" on your side of the pond.
>You let the rolls (or bread) get stale enough for easy cubing without
>creating a lot of crumbs.
>Then you dry the cubes in the oven.

Not sure how you define staleness, but it's not merely dryness.
It's a change (I would say a decline) in quality that usually takes
many days to occur, but can happen faster with some bread
(French breads in particular).

Steve

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 22:54:20 +0000 (UTC),
(Steve Pope) wrote:


>BTW, the James Beard recipe I have says to use only butter
>for moisture. Classic Beard.
>
>Steve

Yeah, in mine it is either schmaltz or butter. The only moisture.
Inside the bird, it picks up the fat and juices from the bird.

Christine

Christine Dabney > wrote:

>On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:45:49 -0400, "cybercat" >

>>Christine--it is the bird juice you are missing outside the bird! Try
>>a bit of your homemade stock. You don't need a lot. I definitely
>>can't see eggs in stuffing. Cover the casserole, and it will be moist
>>and great.

>This is what I have tried before.. what others suggested. It is either
>pasty, gummy, or too dry...or the top gets hard, and the inside stays
>TOO soggy, or a whole range of things. I usually use turkey broth,
>that I have made before the big day.

What are you baking it in? Something reasonable like a
Le Cruset is necessary. Also the temperature within a roasting
turkey cavity is seldom going to be over 200 F, so that should be
your guide for oven temperature for baking stuffing.

I normally bake stuffing for about an hour, swap it out of
oven for the turkey, and keep the stuffing barely warm on
a burner until the turkey is ready. Obviously, having two
ovens would be ideal, but I don't.

Steve

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 23:04:15 +0000 (UTC),
(Steve Pope) wrote:

>What are you baking it in? Something reasonable like a
>Le Cruset is necessary.
I have used Le Crueset, I have used regular casseroles, such as pyrex,
corning ware, etc. The Le Crueset seems to lean towards the
overcooked type..ie, burning. At least that has been my problem
in the past.

Also the temperature within a roasting
>turkey cavity is seldom going to be over 200 F, so that should be
>your guide for oven temperature for baking stuffing.

Now, that is an idea. I usually put it in the same temp oven as the
turkey...but I will have to try this.... How do you think 250 would
work? I think the oven temp needs to be above boiling...I seem to
have read that somewhere. But then again, 200 degrees here at this
altitude might be above boiling point. LOL.
>
>I normally bake stuffing for about an hour, swap it out of
>oven for the turkey, and keep the stuffing barely warm on
>a burner until the turkey is ready. Obviously, having two
>ovens would be ideal, but I don't.

I only have one oven too.

Christine

"Ken Knecht" > wrote in message
...
> Any minute now it will be Thanksgiving Day. I have a piece of smoked
> turkey in the freezer I'd like to prepare for my meal that day. However,
> I love dressing (or stuffing if you prefer) and usually roast a whole
> chicken for that reason.
>
> In spite of several attempts, I've never been able to prepare decent
> stuffing without putting it in a bird. I find the stovetop brands
> inedible. I know the ingredients, but can anyone tell me a surefire
> technique from preparing stuffing outside the bird? I'd certainly make it
> more often if I knew how.
>
> TIA
>
>

I make a darn good stuffing in a clay pot. I soak the pot in water before
using.

Steve Pope schrieb
> Michael Kuettner wrote:
>
>
>>Interesting misunderstanding of "stale bread" on your side of the pond.
>>You let the rolls (or bread) get stale enough for easy cubing without
>>creating a lot of crumbs.
>>Then you dry the cubes in the oven.
>
> Not sure how you define staleness, but it's not merely dryness.
> It's a change (I would say a decline) in quality that usually takes
> many days to occur, but can happen faster with some bread
> (French breads in particular).
>
Staleness isn't dryness. See above. You want a "spongy" feel to
the rolls (or French bread).
If it would be dry, you'd create a lot of crumbs again.

Dry rolls are made into bread crumbs (by grinding them) over
here. It's called "Semmelbröseln".

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 23:10:05 GMT, "Knit Chic" >
wrote:


>I make a darn good stuffing in a clay pot. I soak the pot in water before
>using.
>

Hmm..another interesting idea. I might have to get a clay
pot/roaster......

Christine

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:20:30 -0400, Boron Elgar
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>Use a sort of savory bread pudding for stuffing...I posted it here 2
>>years ago....
>
>>This was my grandmother's and mother's way of making stuffing and I
>>have never used exact measurements, as I leaned by sight and feel as I
>>grew up. I hope it can be "translated" this way. I do believe in the
>>early years, my grandmother used schmaltz instead of Wishbone!
>
> The thing is, while yours sounds really good too, I really do like my
> stuffing. I just want to be able to make a larger portion of it, and
> have it cooked nicely outside the bird, in a casserole.
>
> Is there a way to do that, without tampering with it too much? I
> don't want eggs in my stuffing, and I prefer not to add much broth...
> I really have always liked the flavor of this one.... Plus, it just
> says home and memories to me.
>
> Christine

How about putting your dressing in the casserole dish and covering the
dressing with turkey neck and some extra bits and pieces that you can pick
up at the grocery store. Maybe a couple wings, more neck and so forth.
Then cover the casserole and bake. That should give almost the same result
as cooking the dressing in the bird. The only issue that I have found with
this method is that you may have to fiddle with the liquid amounts. The
dressing in the casserole dish may be a bit dryer and you may have to add a
little broth along the way. I always pick up more neck and wings just so
that I can have broth to make enough gravy.
Janet

Peter A > wrote:

>For what it's worth, "stuffing" is cooked inside something (stuffed)
>while dressing is cooked on its own.

According to Helen Brown, originally "stuffing" was what you
fed the bird *before* killing it, anything cooked afterwards
was "dressing".

Obviously word usage has since changed.

Steve

Christine Dabney > wrote in
:

> On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 23:10:05 GMT, "Knit Chic" >
> wrote:
>
>
>>I make a darn good stuffing in a clay pot. I soak the pot in water
>>before using.
>>
>
> Hmm..another interesting idea. I might have to get a clay
> pot/roaster......
>
> Christine
>

So...how do you cook your stuffing? Covered, uncovered? As long as the
bird or the last 30 minutes or so? What's in your stuffing?

Some additional moisture and fat needs to be added...to replace what
comes from the bird also it's got to be covered at least for some of the
cooking time to help keep it moist.

If you are going to do a test batch out of the bird you need to probably
cut back or reduce the recipe some so you don't get stuck eating too much
dressing in a row.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

Christine Dabney > wrote:

>(Steve Pope) wrote:

> Also the temperature within a roasting
>>turkey cavity is seldom going to be over 200 F, so that should be
>>your guide for oven temperature for baking stuffing.

>Now, that is an idea. I usually put it in the same temp oven as the
>turkey...but I will have to try this.... How do you think 250 would
>work? I think the oven temp needs to be above boiling...I seem to
>have read that somewhere. But then again, 200 degrees here at this
>altitude might be above boiling point. LOL.

I personally think 250 would work better than the 325 that FDA
says to roast a turkey at. And it certainly does not need as many
hours in the oven as does a turkey at 325!

Like others here I like to uncover it 10-15 minutes to make the
top a little crispy, but this does not take a whole lot of heat.

I'm assuming you've completely cooked non-bread ingredients like
onion, celery, and sausage before composing the stuffing; and
that the stuffing before going in the oven is only slightly moister
than the desired final result. I'd say you don't want to endlessly
steam your bread or bread crumbs. In the turkey cavity, I would
guess it does not steam at all.

Steve

Christine Dabney > wrote in
:

> On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 23:04:15 +0000 (UTC),
> (Steve Pope) wrote:
>
>>What are you baking it in? Something reasonable like a
>>Le Cruset is necessary.
> I have used Le Crueset, I have used regular casseroles, such as pyrex,
> corning ware, etc. The Le Crueset seems to lean towards the
> overcooked type..ie, burning. At least that has been my problem
> in the past.
>
> Also the temperature within a roasting
>>turkey cavity is seldom going to be over 200 F, so that should be
>>your guide for oven temperature for baking stuffing.
>
> Now, that is an idea. I usually put it in the same temp oven as the
> turkey...but I will have to try this.... How do you think 250 would
> work? I think the oven temp needs to be above boiling...I seem to
> have read that somewhere. But then again, 200 degrees here at this
> altitude might be above boiling point. LOL.
>>
>>I normally bake stuffing for about an hour, swap it out of
>>oven for the turkey, and keep the stuffing barely warm on
>>a burner until the turkey is ready. Obviously, having two
>>ovens would be ideal, but I don't.
>
> I only have one oven too.
>
> Christine
>

I do mine in my microwave/convection oven at 350F cooking it only about
30 -35 minutes. In a lasagna type pan covered tightly by foil for most of
the cooking time (say 20 minutes).

When mixing up the stuffing I can tell by feel if more liquids are
needed....But it needs to be a touch soupier for outa the bird cooking
than for in the bird cooking, but just a touch.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

Michael Kuettner > wrote:

>Steve Pope schrieb

>> Michael Kuettner wrote:

>>>Interesting misunderstanding of "stale bread" on your side of the pond.
>>>You let the rolls (or bread) get stale enough for easy cubing without
>>>creating a lot of crumbs.
>>>Then you dry the cubes in the oven.

>> Not sure how you define staleness, but it's not merely dryness.
>> It's a change (I would say a decline) in quality that usually takes
>> many days to occur, but can happen faster with some bread
>> (French breads in particular).

>Staleness isn't dryness. See above.

Yes, we've both said that.

>You want a "spongy" feel to
>the rolls (or French bread).
>If it would be dry, you'd create a lot of crumbs again.

When I do this I get some bread crumbs, but no more than about
10% to 15% of the total amount of bread. This is to me acceptable
(especially when you consider some prefer their stuffing to be
100% crumbs).

It's the flavor of truly stale bread that I would want to avoid.

If I wanted zero crumbs in my stuffing, I would just not include
them and save them for some other use.

Steve

On Oct 26, 12:16?pm, Ken Knecht > wrote:
> Any minute now it will be Thanksgiving Day. I have a piece of smoked
> turkey in the freezer I'd like to prepare for my meal that day. However,
> I love dressing (or stuffing if you prefer) and usually roast a whole
> chicken for that reason.
>
> In spite of several attempts, I've never been able to prepare decent
> stuffing without putting it in a bird. I find the stovetop brands
> inedible. I know the ingredients, but can anyone tell me a surefire
> technique from preparing stuffing outside the bird? I'd certainly make it
> more often if I knew how.
>
> TIA

Here's what I do. I take a standard 20 oz. loaf of white bread and
spread the slices out on the kitchen table to dry overnight. If they
aren't dry by the morning I put them in a very low oven until they are
bone dry and crunchy. I then crumble the bread up into a large bowl.
I then melt one stick of butter and slowly cook 1 medium diced onion
and a 1 rib of diced celery until the onion and and celery are good
and soft. I then add all that to the crumbled bread and toss. I then
mix in about 1 1/2 cans of chicken broth. The dressing should not be
soupy. It should be kind of doughy in texture. Next I add in about a
teaspoon of poultry seasoning. The final ingredient is 1 beaten egg.
The dressing is baked in an uncovered dish at 350 F. for 45 minutes to
an hour.

Janet Baraclough said...

> The message >
> from (Steve Pope) contains these words:
>
>> Peter A > wrote:
>
>> >For what it's worth, "stuffing" is cooked inside something (stuffed)
>> >while dressing is cooked on its own.
>
>> According to Helen Brown, originally "stuffing" was what you
>> fed the bird *before* killing it,
>
> She may have got miixed up with forcefeeding corn to geese to make
> their liver hugely fat ( to make pate de fois gras). Or, with feeding
> chickens corn in the weeks before killing, to fatten them up a bit.
> Either way, corn is not stuffing, it passed through the bird's digestive
> tract and people do not eat any part of the digestive tract.
>
>>anything cooked afterwards
>> was "dressing".
>
> Dressing a bird means preparing the dead body by hanging, plucking,
> taking off the head and feet, and stripping out the guts. It's not a
> cooking procedure.
>
> Janet


BUTTERBALL'S Final Words on Stuffing...

"Whether you choose to stuff your turkey or cook stuffing in a casserole
dish is a matter of personal preference."


ANDY'S Final Words on Stuffing...

I have no personal preference. Although cooking stuffing in the bird is an
oven space saver.


Andy