Store-Bought Stuffing Mix Showdown
I've always been a stuffing purist; until this weekend I'd never eaten stuffing made from a mix. But when I noticed Canterbury Organics' stuffing mixes on the shelves of Whole Foods last week, branded in muted oranges and browns like a feature in a lifestyle magazine and promising to "delight the palate," I was curious. It looked as though it might taste good.
It got me thinking: Now that natural food companies are in on the packaged-food and semi-homemade trend, is there a broad enough range of mixes on the market to have a taste test? If I was going to taste one end of the packaged-stuffing spectrum, I was going to taste the full spectrum.
After the jump, the results of the Serious Eats taste test of eight packaged stuffing mixes, along with some suggestions on jazzing up your store-bought stuffing.
Five Serious Eaters tried eight packaged stuffing mixes, all made according to package instructions with unsalted butter and tap water. All were priced between $2.49 and $4.99.
The Contestants
- Arnold Premuim Cornbread Stuffing
- Arnold Premium Seasoned Stuffing
- Canterbury Organics Rosemary Sage Cornbread Dressing
- Canterbury Organics Rosemary Sage Dressing
- 365 Organic Traditional Stuffing Mix With Chicken Flavor
- 365 Organic Traditional Stuffing Mix With Cranberries and Chicken Flavor
- Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Whole Wheat and White Stuffing Mix
- Pepperidge Farm One Step Stuffing Mix
- Stove Top Cornbread Stuffing Mix
- Stove Top Turkey Stuffing Mix
The Criteria
1. Herbal Balance (enough, but not too much of the flavors of sage, onion, rosemary etc.)
2. Moisture (soft, but not gummy)
3. Discernible bread texture (actual pieces of bread rather than "baby food")
The Conclusions
The responses were consistent across the panel. Both of the Arnold mixes were bland and slightly gloppy. The lifestyle-targeted Canterbury Organics had great bread presence but a Melba toast taste. Pepperidge Farm was middle of the road. The winners? Whole Foods' house brand, 365 Organic, in both chicken-flavored and chicken flavored with cranberries, and Stove Top turkey-flavored.
When tasting blind we all agreed that Stove Top turkey had the best flavor, with the 365 entries as close seconds. Considering that the 365 mixes don't contain MSG or corn syrup, they were the overall favorite once we had background information.
If you are going to make stuffing and use any of the suggestions below as add-ins, you may want to go that extra step and make your own seasoned bread base. But if you want to keep it is simple as possible, consider picking up a bag of 365 Organic and adding some of these elements.
Pimp My Store-Bought Stuffing
All store-bought mixes benefit from the addition of sautéed celery and onion, and the use of broth in place of water.
Other add-ins can be added according to taste, but a good rule of thumb is that about a cup of each add-in is sufficient to enhance but not overwhelm a pound of stuffing mix, up to two add-ins (in addition to celery and onions) per pound. Cut add-ins into small pieces so you get some in each bite.
And if you have a great add-in suggestion you don't see below, let us know!
- Leeks and carrots
- Pears and walnuts
- Dried cherries and almonds
- Blanched broccoli rabe and toasted pine nuts
- Blanched escarole and golden raisins
- Crisp bacon and figs
- Sautéed chicken livers and dried currants
- Sweet Italian sausage and pecans
- Kielbasa and (very well-drained) sauerkraut
- Chorizo and roasted red pepper
- Apples and smoked eel (available frozen at many Asian grocery stores)
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26 Comments:
Sauteed green bell pepper.
ren at 7:02PM on 11/19/07
Smoked eel? For real? On Thanksgiving? Are you sure about that? I think I'd be a little out of sorts if my mother made us a nice big batch of Eel Stuffing on Thanksgiving. The other suggestions sounds good though.
Wide Lawns at 7:23PM on 11/19/07
what, no chestnuts?
ag3208 at 7:34PM on 11/19/07
Sauteed mushrooms!
butterface at 8:12PM on 11/19/07
In-laws always added oysters to theirs....yuck!
windjunkie at 8:18PM on 11/19/07
I had a taste of the Williams-Sonoma brand Focaccia Stuffing last week at WS and it was either not made correctly by the staff in the store or it was bland as hell.
If I have to take the time to saute onion and celery I might as well pick my bread and herbs as well.
JerzeeTomato at 9:39PM on 11/19/07
Another suggestion--if you use a store-bought stuffing that gets made on the stovetop, after it's done, transfer it to a baking dish and put it in the oven for a bit at 300. Gets that nice crust on it--just like the real deal!
Curlz at 9:49PM on 11/19/07
Thank-you so much for this review. I've been dragging my feet about getting Thanksgiving ingredients. Assuming I actually do get it together, I'll be putting pecans in my stuffing, along with crumbled sage sausage.
mcmvox at 10:08PM on 11/19/07
If there is one thing I learned during this test it is that it is undoubtedly worth the effort to make stuffing from scratch.
Ren, AG3208 and Butterface - good additions to the list.
Wide Lawns, I'll give you that not all suggestions will work for all tables. My mother would not be pleased with any of the suggestions aside from the sweet sausage. And I wouldn't add eel to Stove Top. But. Oyster stuffing (as Windjunkie notes) is traditional in some families, and eel has a less controversial texture than oysters do. Smoky meats like bacon also often make stuffing appearances. The combo of eel, apple,herbs and bread tastes good. And once upon a time, garlic was considered exotic and weird. So I'm standing by it!
JerzeeTomato, the fancy Canterbury Organics brand instructions "suggested" a whole bunch of things that you might want to add, to the point that you are buying not a premade mix but a box of pretoasted bread. I wonder if Williams-Sonoma is similar.
Curlz, good idea, I dabbled with the (toaster) oven when I reheated the stuffing for the testers, and it does get the traditional crust.
Jenn Smith at 9:50AM on 11/20/07
Breakfast pork sausage, mushrooms and pecans.
Colorado Jim at 12:47PM on 11/20/07
I'm using Pepperidge Farm---because that is my family tradition. I had my friends bring some to me in London last year. Maybe Pomegranate and Walnuts would be good? hmmm.
gage3 at 3:50PM on 11/20/07
I was thinking of adding a little fresh sage and some chicken broth to the StoveTop Turkey stuffing, just a little extra something.
jonfoxx at 7:47PM on 11/21/07
I treat Pepperidge Farm herb-seasoned stuffing as if it's exactly what Jenn said, a bag of pre-toasted bread. It's just one component of my stuffing, which I use more because that's what my mother did than for any other reason. To that I add an entire recipe of homemade cornbread, dried out and crumbled, lots and lots of sautéed onions and celery, browned sage breakfast sausage, a couple of peeled chopped apples, lots of fresh herbs, salt and freshly ground pepper. I moisten it with the turkey stock I've made in advance from the turkey's necks and giblets. It's all pretty traditional, nothing to shake up the equation very much -- but once a year, it's what we all crave.
Julie at 8:56AM on 11/22/07
@Julie, that is pretty much how we do it in my family, except for the apples. It is always consistantly good and traditional. With all the other baking and cooking it just feels like a waste of time to toast bread.
nhfoodie at 9:30AM on 10/30/08
My mom has always started with Mrs. Cubbisons and then added mirepoix, black olives, italian sausage and the turkey gizzard type stuff to it. I don't know what else she adds but it is fantastic. Not too bready and definitely not gummy.
I have had dressing other ways, some with cornbread, also an oyster version and an apple type one and I always come back to my mom's.
ddvierra68 at 1:57PM on 10/31/08
I always loved smelling the stuffing being made...the sage and celery, etc.
But! No fish in my stuffing!
Tonecat at 9:53PM on 11/03/08
The only stuffing mix I buy now is the bag of Martin's Potato Bread cubes. I chop and saute everything else I add to it. I've found some bagged stuffings to be too salty. I used to buy Pepperidge Farm plain stuffing mix but loooooove those little potato bread cubes!
therealchiffonade at 12:07PM on 11/07/08
I always use the blue bag of pepperidge farm sauteed celery and onion, ground up hillshire farm polish sausage some poultry seasoning and some warm chicken stock. It always tastes so good.
joanpieroni2 at 9:40AM on 11/09/08
Not picky with stuffing in box, I have 1000 of yrs experience doctoring this sort food item. I always use stock, eggs, and half and half. I will eat it with almost anything in it except the gizzards and what such, and eel? No, oysters yes. But everything else that is mentioned above bring it on. I could eat stuffing everyday of the year and never get tired of it. That is one of my most fav foods ever. There is so much that can be done with it, Soup is something I must have everyday all year around, it is a must with me, I think that i am going to have to add stuffing to accompany the soup I even have put some stuffing into chicken soup as a flavor yum. Nope having it just for the holidays just won't cut it with me anymore.
pjracz10 at 11:05PM on 11/12/08
Substituting apple juice or cider for the water or chicken stock gives the stuffing an interesting, tangy flavor. It goes well with raisin, walnut and sausage add-ins also.
goodfoodfast at 10:10AM on 11/14/08
The only store-bought stuffing I use is Stovetop Herbal Stuffing Mix and I add minced fresh Italian parsley. But I mostly use it on top of chicken casserole, not inside a turkey, and I let it bake until that topping is crunchy -yum!
annzee at 11:13PM on 11/16/08
That crinkly plastic bag of Arnold stuffing MEANS T-day to me. Mom didn't dig on cookbooks or cooking so much... the purchase of anything like this marked a special occasion, along with that little bottle of "Gravy Master." On a related note, Mom loved the stuffing at Boston Chicken (which came into existence some time after moved out), and would remark at how she wished she could do something like that at home.
hmcnally at 12:31PM on 11/17/08
I just want to say that I LOVE Stovetop!
I add celery and sage sausage every time I make it for Thanksgiving.. I also have been known to add to that apples, raisins and occasionally onions for my hubby!
It is as good as any homemade stuffing.. I tried this because of an article I read in a newspaper over 10 years ago called "make it or fake it" the "fake it" recipes sounded a lot easier for a "challenged" cook like me!
Happy Turkey Day!
BethinCA at 4:33AM on 11/26/08
As I contemplated the beginning process for my stuffing, which included choosing between cubed or regular Pepperidge Farm seasonsed stuffing, my husband told me how his grandmother made hers fresh, and walked me through the process and down memory lane. While I'm sure it was delicious and the memory is precious, my mother used Pepperidge Farm and I loved it. She made two versions, one with mushrooms, which you should definitely add to your list, and the other with the turkey giblets, which you should also add to your list. She would cook the neck, liver, heart, etc. and before cutting it up, let us have a taste. Amazing how much flavor they added, and how great they tasted considering.
Next year I plan to make two stuffing dishes, one from homemade stuffing, the other Pepperidge Farm. I personally doubt my family will be able to tell the difference, and if they can, I wonder which one they will prefer without knowing which is which.
elimccol at 12:45PM on 11/27/08
My stuffing changes from time to time, but at Thanksgiving family demands particular one. It involves Pepperridge farm or similar dried bread crumbs, saute'd celery, onion, carrot and lot and lots of mushrooms, finely chopped. Some sage sausage, finely chopped apple and additional sage or poultry seasoning. A couple of eggs and turkey broth to moisten. Do not over moisten or over mix. Then cover and bake. (Or refrigerate until tomorrow- Thanksgiving). Remove foil in the last few minutes so the top gets light golden.
As my mom says-- Oh my. This is amazing. (Which means she likes mine even more than her signature and also very delicious stuffing.)
CJ McD at 6:22PM on 11/12/09
to turn a store bought stuffing into gourmet (best with pepperidge farms)
saute some sausage pieces till brown
add onion till soft or light brown
then add celery and thyme
add butter if necessary
add to store-bought mix as directed on the package.
use home-made turkey stock for best results.
if you prefer bacon to sausage that's fine.
you can also add walnuts and/or raisins.
happy thanksgiving.
blueglass at 12:51PM on 11/16/09