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good_eats, but "Romancing the Bird" was on tonight, and Kevin and I watched it. So, to prepare you guys for Thanksgiving, here's some friendly advice from Alton Brown about how stuffing your turkey is a bad idea:
Q: Hi, Alton. I remember you saying that stuffing is evil. Why is it evil? I think it's the best part of the turkey!
A: Okay, here I go again. Stuffing increases mass. Mass extends cooking time. By the time enough heat gets into the stuffing to cook it and render it safe, the turkey, or a good portion of it, will be overcooked. You want to cook a turkey as fast as you can to minimize juice loss, and the fastest way is without stuffing it. So make stuffing, save your drippings, and stuff it in something else to cook it. Just don't cook it in the turkey. You could cook the stuffing separately and put it in the turkey after the turkey is cooked, or you can definitely take the bird out of the oven and put the stuffing in then. But don't add too much salt to the stuffing, because there will be a good deal of salt coming out a brined turkey, and the drippings will be on the salty side. So take the turkey out of the roasting pan, toss your dressing in the drippings, stuff it in the turkey while it rests, and then take it to the table. Stuffing is only evil when it's stuffing. If it's dressing, it's fine.
good_eats, but "Romancing the Bird" was on tonight, and Kevin and I watched it. So, to prepare you guys for Thanksgiving, here's some friendly advice from Alton Brown about how stuffing your turkey is a bad idea:Q: Hi, Alton. I remember you saying that stuffing is evil. Why is it evil? I think it's the best part of the turkey!
A: Okay, here I go again. Stuffing increases mass. Mass extends cooking time. By the time enough heat gets into the stuffing to cook it and render it safe, the turkey, or a good portion of it, will be overcooked. You want to cook a turkey as fast as you can to minimize juice loss, and the fastest way is without stuffing it. So make stuffing, save your drippings, and stuff it in something else to cook it. Just don't cook it in the turkey. You could cook the stuffing separately and put it in the turkey after the turkey is cooked, or you can definitely take the bird out of the oven and put the stuffing in then. But don't add too much salt to the stuffing, because there will be a good deal of salt coming out a brined turkey, and the drippings will be on the salty side. So take the turkey out of the roasting pan, toss your dressing in the drippings, stuff it in the turkey while it rests, and then take it to the table. Stuffing is only evil when it's stuffing. If it's dressing, it's fine.
