Making your own stuffing Q.

[maestramommy]

When you cut the bread, do you eliminate the crust? Also, I heard on NPR the other day, that instead of using butter, you can use chicken broth to moisten the stuffing. Let's say I did a 50/50 split, would it change the texture of the stuffing significantly? My impression of most stuffings is that it tastes like soggy or pasty bread.

[weech]

I use butter and chicken broth in my stuffing. It's the only way I've ever made it, so I figured everyone did it that way :) I make sure it's moist after I add the chicken broth, but not mushy. Mine usually ends up a little crunchy on the top and moist/fluffy below. I hate soggy stuffing, too - it's gross.

[justbreathe11]

I use the crust, butter & stock.

[egoldber]

I always make my own stuffing. I never cut off the crusts. In fact, close to Thanksgiving I will save crusts for stuffing. :)

I always use broth and have never used butter to moisten the dressing. I do use butter to saute the celery and onions.

Are you planning to stuff the bird or cook it on the side? Cooking it in the bird makes it soggy IMO. You need to be careful to use very little liquid if you cook in the bird. I always bake it on the side.

[sunshine873]

I always make my own stuffing. I never cut off the crusts. In fact, close to Thanksgiving I will save crusts for stuffing. :)

I always use broth and have never used butter to moisten the dressing. I do use butter to saute the celery and onions.

Are you planning to stuff the bird or cook it on the side? Cooking it in the bird makes it soggy IMO. You need to be careful to use very little liquid if you cook in the bird. I always bake it on the side.

:yeahthat: I include the crusts, and use broth to moisten the dressing. I make sausage dressing and saute the celery & onions with the sausage - plenty of fat there...no butter required. :) I agree that it's super-soggy in the bird (yuk.) I've baked it in the past, but did a trial run this weekend with stuffing in the crock pot. LOVED IT!

[m448]

Yeah butter to sautee the aromatic veggies and to bloom the spices. Then broth to moisten the bread (I use cornbread and biscuits). I bake mine in a casserole for a nice crusty top and moist interior. I crumble the bread too instead of cutting.

[Melaine]

I prefer the crusts, and I use broth (saute celery and onions first in butter). I agree with pp that it cooks up better out of the bird, so I do it in a lasagna-size glass pan usually.

Technically, I make dressing which includes cornbread, so it might be a bit different. This thread is making me hungry though!

[icunurse]

I love my homemade stuffing. I use a heavy crusty bread to start with and then cut it into pieces including the crusts and dry it out in the oven. Saute the celery, onions and herbs in butter. Mix together, add broth to taste and "softness" that you prefer. Done :)

[sidmand]

:yeahthat: I include the crusts, and use broth to moisten the dressing. I make sausage dressing and saute the celery & onions with the sausage - plenty of fat there...no butter required. :) I agree that it's super-soggy in the bird (yuk.) I've baked it in the past, but did a trial run this weekend with stuffing in the crock pot. LOVED IT!

Ooh, crockpot stuffing. I didn't even think of that. This is the first time I've made stuffing (not the first time I've had Thanksgiving though so I don't know where the stuffing came from before!?) and I found an easy recipe...but can I just search for a crockpot stuffing recipe? Or do you mind sharing yours?

[kijip]

My recipe is with both broth and butter AND whole cream and I leave the crust on. I use a big loaf of rustic Italian bread. My stuffing is not the least bit soggy or pasty. The chunks of bread are large and it comes out tasting like the most delicious warm soft toast squares with veggies and sausage. :yay:

[sunshine873]

Ooh, crockpot stuffing. I didn't even think of that. This is the first time I've made stuffing (not the first time I've had Thanksgiving though so I don't know where the stuffing came from before!?) and I found an easy recipe...but can I just search for a crockpot stuffing recipe? Or do you mind sharing yours?

This was a first for me too - & it turned out really well. I followed this recipe up until the "spoon into turkey" point. Changes I made: I used wheat and sourdough bread, omitted the turkey liver because that just grosses me out, added one egg to help hold it together and used more broth (probably almost 2 cups) to keep it from drying out. I stirred it all together until it "looked moist enough - but not too moist." Then I popped it into the crock pot on low for about 6 hours. I hope it turns out this good on Thanksgiving day too - it was scrumptious. Lots of flavor (I mean LOTS.)

ETA - here's the link to the recipe I started with...http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Awesome-Sausage-Apple-and-Cranberry-Stuffing/Detail.aspx

[turtle12]

can you post some of these delicious-sounding recipes, please? thank you!!

[maestramommy]

I was going to try this recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Apple-and-Onion-Dressing-2/Detail.aspx

It calls for 3/4 cup of butter, which is a lot. But it's to be entirely used for sauteeing the ingredients. Does that sound right?

I was going to bake it as a separate dish, not inside the turkey.

[mom2one]

Yes, please post your stuffing recipes! I just posted in cooking asking for stuffing help. I never make good stuffing, please help me!

[kijip]

This is the recipe that I learned from.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Italian-Sausage-and-Bread-Stuffing-240559

[sadie427]

This is the recipe that I learned from.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Italian-Sausage-and-Bread-Stuffing-240559

That's the recipe I used two years ago, which is the last time I made stuffing (was at someone else's house last year.) Plan to use that recipe again this year, but add mushrooms and use a bit less sausage (2 lbs seems like a lot!)

[kijip]

That's the recipe I used two years ago, which is the last time I made stuffing (was at someone else's house last year.) Plan to use that recipe again this year, but add mushrooms and use a bit less sausage (2 lbs seems like a lot!)


That is EXACTLY what we do- add mushrooms and use maybe 1 pound of sausage only. I swear we are twins sometimes sadie427!

[sadie427]

Glad to hear that works--I'm not sure what I did last time I made it, just looked at the recipe this year and thought "gee, that's a lot of sausage!"

[Meatball Mommie]

I always make my own stuffing. I never cut off the crusts. In fact, close to Thanksgiving I will save crusts for stuffing. :)

I always use broth and have never used butter to moisten the dressing. I do use butter to saute the celery and onions.

Are you planning to stuff the bird or cook it on the side? Cooking it in the bird makes it soggy IMO. You need to be careful to use very little liquid if you cook in the bird. I always bake it on the side.


:yeahthat:
exactly. The soggy-factor is the main reason I don't stuff my bird. Well, also, because I find the whole think slightly repulsive, but I digress ;)

I do exactly as written above and have great results no matter what variation of dressing I make (e.g. with or without sausage, cornbread vs. white bread...) I only use butter when sauteeing the celery/onions, not to moisten the bread. And like Beth, I save bread crusts and ends in my freezer in prep for stuffing (throughout the year though).

eta: This year I'm going to try Hungry Girl's Cornbread Stuffing... It was emailed to me and it looks good... Usually I put sausage in mine, but I was looking for something different. No nuts here though - allergies in the fam :(

[Meatball Mommie]

I was going to try this recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Apple-and-Onion-Dressing-2/Detail.aspx

It calls for 3/4 cup of butter, which is a lot. But it's to be entirely used for sauteeing the ingredients. Does that sound right?

I was going to bake it as a separate dish, not inside the turkey.

That sounds like what my mom/grandmom would do...a stick and a half of butter! I think you could get away with cutting it back to 1 stick and still be fine.

Butter a casserole dish and just bake it in that and it will come out fine - no need to put it in the bird.

[egoldber]

I've made soooo many different dressing/stuffing recipes over the years. But this one is my fav. It's my own adaptation, so not really a recipe. :o

Saute 1 pound bulk sausage of your choice (I prefer sweet Italian)
Drain and reserve about 2-4 tablespoons fat.

Chop 2 yellow onions and 4 stalks celery
Saute onion and celery in sausage fat or in butter until wilted. Add herbs (thyme, rosemary) as preferred.

Toss sauteed onions, celery and sausage with dry bread crumbs/chunks and crumbled cornbread chunks. (Maybe 8-10 cups bread/cornbread mixture?) Add about 2 tablespoons of dry sage and 1 teaspoon salt.

Beat 2 eggs and toss with above mixture.

Add broth until slightly damp. Put in a greased 13x9 pan, cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until crispy on top, about 15-30 more minutes.

[m448]

dressing is a slightly different territory in the south. More like a casserole and very moist before cooking. here's the recipe I use except this year I added diched apples. I never liked stuffing growing up but I love this dressing.

http://maricucu.blogspot.com/2009/11/cornbread-dressing.html

[maestramommy]

When they said grease the pan, is using cooking spray okay? Or is it better to just butter it?

Before I started googling recipes, I had no idea sausage was an ingredient in so many stuffings! Maybe that's way the Stove Top version always seems so "meh." I couldn't figure out why people always talk about stuffing. LOL.

[bnme]

I always use cooking spray. Check out Pioneer Woman's stuffing recipe - the pictures help if you've never made it before. I make this one but add sausage:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/11/stuffing_dressing_my_favorite_thanksgiving_food/

She also has one with mushrooms, etc.

[egoldber]

You can add almost anything. I've used mushrooms (dried are expecially yummy and reserve the water you used to reconstitute them to add to the stuffing), toasted nuts, apples, pears (better slightly unripe), dried cranberries, etc.

[turtle12]

thanks for posting the various stuffing recipes!!!