To stuff or not to stuff?

[Callisto in NC]

Originally Posted by Food Network Fan

No frozen for me, frozen does bad things to the meat.

It's all we can get here. It's all I've ever cooked, it's all my mother ever cooked, and it's always been fabulous. Because of the odd temperatures here of late they can't do fresh at all. And frozen does nothing to the meat other than to preserve it. It does not alter the metabolic structure. The way it is flash frozen is beneficial to the consumer, not a detriment.

[Callisto in NC]

Originally Posted by Clove

When I said "do you brine your turkey" you said "never a turkey" and I replied "why" ...do you never brine a turkey?

You are in a completely different conversation. I've never replied to you.

[annabella]

I've never tried the brine method with turkey, but have with chicken. Turkey is too big...I am little...and don't really want to wrestle with it.

I always make an herb butter and slip it under the skin. I've had wonderful luck with that.

We usually don't stuff the turkey with bread, but instead use apples and herbs.

[radiodugger]

Got sick as hell, last Thanksgiving, and so did several others in my friend's family. We ate the stuffing...others that did NOT, did not get sick.

If I see stuffing INSIDE the bird this year, I will NOT be TOUCHING either one!

Yes, I agree with Alton's FIRST statement, with an addendum:

"STUFFING IS EVIL! If it is incorrectly cooked inside the bird!"

Lesson learned...albeit the HARD way. I just don't TRUST people cooking my food, as I USED to...

Radio Doug

[BerryBaby]

Some people don't know how to do it correctly. You have to let the stuffing cool before putting it into the turkey. I have always great success, but I'm SO careful when I cook.

Plus, I must wash my hands a hundred times while preparing food. One has to be sure to keep your hands totally clean and free of contamination. It's so easy to do if you aren't careful.

Counters are constantly being disinfected during the whole preparation process as well. Utensils all have their designated dishes. I never use a spoon to stir one thing and then other. In fact, halfway through cooking, I take out a new spoon for the dish. I'm kind of a fanatic about cleanliness.

[Callisto in NC]

Originally Posted by BerryBaby

Some people don't know how to do it correctly. You have to let the stuffing cool before putting it into the turkey. I have always great success, but I'm SO careful when I cook.

Cool?

I make the stuffing and put it in the bird. There's no heat involved in my stuffing to begin with. How do you do yours that involved it having to cool?

[Clove]

Originally Posted by Callisto in NC

You are in a completely different conversation. I've never replied to you.

Callisto,

Sorry!
If you had replied by using the "quote" button, I would have known to what you were referring when you replied.

[Clove]

Originally Posted by radiodugger

Got sick as hell, last Thanksgiving, and so did several others in my friend's family. We ate the stuffing...others that did NOT, did not get sick.

If I see stuffing INSIDE the bird this year, I will NOT be TOUCHING either one!

Yes, I agree with Alton's FIRST statement, with an addendum:

"STUFFING IS EVIL! If it is incorrectly cooked inside the bird!"

Lesson learned...albeit the HARD way. I just don't TRUST people cooking my food, as I USED to...

Radio Doug

RD,
The real problem with stuffing is that it adds so much to the density and volume of the entire bird.

Because of this, the outside layer gets cooked first (that's the turkey) and the inside layer takes longer to cook (that's the stuffing).

While the turkey is cooking, the stuffing is an incubator for bacteria. It warms slowly and the bacteria grows. By the time you get the stuffing to the correct temperature to kill the bacteria, you risk over-cooking the turkey.
It really doesn't matter if you cool your stuffing first or not. The incubator effect will be the same.

All good stuffed turkey recipes tell you to put your thermometer deep into the stuffing. Cook the turkey until the stuffing temperature is at 160 F. That gets you out of the danger zone for bacteria.

Again, to get the stuffing to 160 F, you will need to cook the breast to almost 175 F (it is perfectly done at 160 F).

[Clove]

Originally Posted by Callisto in NC

Cool?

I make the stuffing and put it in the bird. There's no heat involved in my stuffing to begin with. How do you do yours that involved it having to cool?

Callisto,

Mine includes
Cooked:

• celery
• mushrooms
• sage
• bacon
• leeks
• thyme

In fact the only thing that doesn't get cooked first, is the sourdough bread, the eggs and the baking powder .

[BerryBaby]

Callisto....I melt butter and saute the onions and celery, add the seasonings (sage, thyme, seasoning salt, pepper) then the bread cubes. The butter is hot and heats up the bread cubes, so it has to cool down before stuffing the bird.

It's from the 1970's Betty Crocker Cookbook...pretty standard, but very good.

Clove...I do use a thermometer to test the stuffing for doneness as well as using one for the turkey.