Stuffing Vs. Dressing
Am I correct [ahem] to assume that stuffing is the breading that is stuffed into the bird, while dressing is the alternate - OUTSIDE the bird?
I have always followed a fine line of traditional family recipes where we referred to it as stuffing. But never dreamed of using the term "dressing" (of fear that it could be a concoction preceded by the words "Stove" & "Top").
I'm open for your enlightenment and recipes.
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25 Comments:
You are correct with the terminology.
Stuffing is what goes inside the bird (personally I think it's a bad idea and a good recipe for dry turkey)
Dressing is the same mixture that you bake in pans outside the bird.
As far as recipes:
celery
onion
carrot (optional)
dry bread, cubed
chicken broth
eggs
poultry seasoning
That is the basic stuffing/dressing base, you can build off of that to personalize it. Like maybe using a pumpernickel or rye bread instead of white bread. The addition of a really nice fennel sausage is good. There are many ways that you can make the stuffing/dressing your own by incorporating various things you enjoy.
Alan
aholsber at 9:10AM on 11/24/08
I think you've got the Stove Top thing backwards....its Stove Top Stuffing.
As for the dressing vs stuffing question for naming purposes, I think you've got it right.
ccbweb at 9:56AM on 11/24/08
BUT it's also a regional variation. I come from a "dressing" family myself.
lemons at 9:59AM on 11/24/08
Everything is stuffing with my family.
izatryt at 10:09AM on 11/24/08
Agreed, technically you are correct, but it's also a regional/familial thing. I think a lot of families in the South call is dressing (mine being one of them). But my family also never stuffs it inside the bird.
Laurel E at 10:33AM on 11/24/08
I always just thought it was one of those debates like "Pop vs. Soda"...you refer to the food differently depending on where you're from. I'm from Chicago and we definitely call it stuffing.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 11:56AM on 11/24/08
I've also heard it called "filling" in many places.
1stmakearoux at 12:12PM on 11/24/08
Filling? Never heard that one! It's always stuffing at my house, but never have we stuffed the bird. (Well, we stuff it, but we stuff it with delicious, not stuffing - like cured pork products and dried fruit.)
bitchincamero at 1:17PM on 11/24/08
I come from a British background and it is definitely, "dressing" all the way.
We "dress" the turkey inside the cavity, always. I believe, "stuffing" is an Americanism.
bareneed at 7:35PM on 11/24/08
in victorian times the term "stuffing" was considered vulgar and was changed to 'dressing'. In the words of Janice Joplin, it's all the same damn thing man.
nightmoon at 9:16PM on 11/24/08
We call it stuffing, and it's always cooked outside the bird (and vegetarian, too).
emisara at 9:18PM on 11/24/08
I've always called it stuffing, but I believe I must amend my ways, as I have defected to the wonderful Louisiana, where it is dressing.
nightowl at 9:32PM on 11/24/08
Stuffing and dressing are the same, exact, identical thing. Apparently the term "dressing" was adopted at some point in the 19th century because the term "stuffing" was considered uncouth. To me, "dressing" doesn't make any sense, so I call it "stuffing." Although, I don't put it inside of the bird.
buffy at 9:52PM on 11/24/08
what buffy said.
nightmoon at 10:28PM on 11/24/08
Since you put it inside the bird, its "stuffing". Its not "dressing" unless you plan on pouring it over a salad. :)
mh330 at 11:09PM on 11/24/08
I grew up in upstate NY using the term "stuffing", it didn't matter if it was in a casserole or the bird. When I was married to someone from the South, I noticed they used "dressing" instead. For many reasons, I referred to it as "stuffing" all the more as time went on.
Tonecat at 11:27PM on 11/24/08
In response to aholsber's comment: the only way it'll make your turkey dry, is if your not monitoring the temperature of the bird/stuffing. If you rely on those plastic "pop up" timers... you're in for a drier bird. Use an instant read thermometer.
If you buy one that you can leave in the bird while it's cooking, you'll have a MUCH tender/juicier bird because you're not opening the oven all the time. Which causes the elements to keep turning on and causing the bird to dry up quicker.
Hope this helps!
AlmostaCowgirl at 12:16AM on 11/25/08
When I was growing up, stuffing was the stuff that's cooked inside the bird unless someone bought the stove-top stuff, but that was still stuffing.
Dressing is what went on my salad.
Now I still call it stuffing out of habit.
dbcurrie at 2:15AM on 11/25/08
You know you could call this diamond gem to me around the holiday anything, just make alot for me, anyway you like it, if it has organ meat in it I pick it out and save that for the dog or cat, they can fight over it.
pjracz10 at 4:48AM on 11/25/08
We call it stuffing...and we stuff it inside the bird. I've never had a dry turkey because I use my trusty meat thermometer, and check the temp of the bird....pulling it out at about 160 and letting it finish cooking w/residual heat.
mepolo at 8:53AM on 11/25/08
Okay. It's stuffing to those of you who stuff the bird (and some of you non-southerners who don't stuff) and dressing to those of us who cook it separately from the bird. One of the advantages to the latter (not to mention safety concerns) is that you get a crusty top.
Lilla at 9:54AM on 11/25/08
I always stuff the bird (and no one has ever died!) and whatever is left over gets baked and later combined with what came out of the turkey. My old world Grandma always called it stuffing and my modern American Nana always referred to it as dressing. When I was about 5 years old or so I remember hearing Nana call it dressing and I believed she was going to put little turkey clothes on our dinner!!
RichardCrystal at 1:38PM on 11/25/08
I am a newbie to this wonderful site. I feel like I have found a home!! I love the different threads.
I stuff the bird with stuffing and/or dressing. Same thing to me. I've never roasted an unstuffed turkey, love the way the juices permeate the stuffing and the ball of stuffing in the neck cavity is always MINE!! Also, it doesn't make the turkey dry at all.
lamora at 2:59PM on 11/25/08
I never stuff the bird, I started out doing it when first married, but stopped as it extended the cooking time for the turkey, which increased it's dry-ness. My grandmother stuffed, as did my mother, they as did the parents of my friends and they all called it "dressing". I just call it stuffing. It's the same thing, no matter how you cook it.
Mares at 11:19PM on 11/27/08
Just had dinner with friends. He is British and she and her parents are PA Dutch. They called it filling. It was the standard (gluten free) bread stuffing cooked under the turkey, ala Cook's Illustrated recipe. Now, I've been to many Mennonite restaurants where a mixture of mashed potatoes and stuffing is called filling. I thought that word was reserved for the mix, but I guess not. At least with this family. My family always calls it stuffing, and it was cooked in the bird, with extra cooked in a casserole - that was dressing, even though we still called it stuffing and wasn't as tasty. Stuffing from the turkey was much preferred. Mom and I always cooked huge turkeys and they were always stuffed, and no one ever got sick to my knowledge.
PerkyMac at 11:38PM on 11/27/08