Am I REALLY not allowed to stuff the turkey?!?!?!

[Claire]

I have always stuffed my turkey, as did Mom. Always a 20+ pounder. I cannot say enough about buying a good thermometer, one with a cord. You put the probe in and it tells you (by alarm) when it is done. I wish they'd been invented when I was younger. I always have both stuffing and dressing (simply because I always make too much) and the stuffing goes first.

 

[FrankZ]

(Yes, Frank, sometimes I even remember to turn the oven ON!) ha ha.

Tie a string around yer finger now eh?

 

[lisaluvstocook]

Ok, so Test Turkey day went off without a hitch! I followed Alton's recipe to a T, except for omitting the candied ginger. Invested in a thermometer, and used a few hints and tips from this thread (special thanks to Goodweed!). The bird cooked in a little over two hours, and was fanflippintastic! Perfectly juicy flavorful from the brine and aromatics. The flavor went literally to the bone. I would have liked it to brown a bit more evenly, but I will work on that one for the next time. I also prepared mashed and sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, creamed spinach, corn pudding, and gravy.

Now, you all know I was freaking out about receiving my mothers approval of my bird. She decides that she didn't want to cook dinner, so she was coming to get turkey. Yikes! Ummmm, I am guessing that she approved, seeing as for just herself and my brother, the woman jacked half my turkey!!!

Thanks for all the help and feedback everyone, I feel much more comfortable, even excited, about cooking the entire meal come Thanksgiving!

The bird out of the oven, and after my mom took her "dinner"....

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Yea!!!! So happy it went so well!

 

[Dawgluver]

That bird is gorgeous, Lisa! I just love happy endings! Even better since it's your first attempt! ( My first attempt looked nothing like yours!)

 

[pacanis]

Yum! Thanks for the pics!

 

[bakechef]

Looks awesome! Brining changed my turkey cookin' life. People can't get enough of the turkey and often say that it is the best that they have ever had!

Looks like you are a natural in the kitchen! Thanks for the update and the pics!

 

[purple.alien.giraffe]

Ok, so Test Turkey day went off without a hitch! I followed Alton's recipe to a T, except for omitting the candied ginger. Invested in a thermometer, and used a few hints and tips from this thread (special thanks to Goodweed!). The bird cooked in a little over two hours, and was fanflippintastic! Perfectly juicy flavorful from the brine and aromatics. The flavor went literally to the bone. I would have liked it to brown a bit more evenly, but I will work on that one for the next time. I also prepared mashed and sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, creamed spinach, corn pudding, and gravy.

Now, you all know I was freaking out about receiving my mothers approval of my bird. She decides that she didn't want to cook dinner, so she was coming to get turkey. Yikes! Ummmm, I am guessing that she approved, seeing as for just herself and my brother, the woman jacked half my turkey!!!

Thanks for all the help and feedback everyone, I feel much more comfortable, even excited, about cooking the entire meal come Thanksgiving!

The bird out of the oven, and after my mom took her "dinner"....

Awesome! Congrats.

 

[CWS4322]

Looks awesome! Brining changed my turkey cookin' life. People can't get enough of the turkey and often say that it is the best that they have ever had!

Looks like you are a natural in the kitchen! Thanks for the update and the pics!

We cook turkey all the time--we pick it up when it is on special and keep it in the freezer. I'd say that from October to April, we cook a turkey every 3-4 weeks. Sometimes I stuff it, sometimes I don't, Sometimes I stuff just the rear cavity, sometimes front and back, sometimes front, back, and stuffing between the skin and the breast meat--it just depends. Some are better than others. Sometimes I glaze it with maple syrup, sometimes not. We usually get 12-15# turkeys, nothing added. Sometimes they are utility turkeys with parts missing. Doesn't matter, they are still good. We like to have the bones for stock, etc. Cooking it only for Thanksgiving and Christmas is a shame--cook it often--experiment with different techniques--it's really just like roasting a really big "chicken."

Congrats on your first venture of cooking a turkey. I have friends who have still never cooked a turkey and they are over 50! I can't imagine.

 

[FrankZ]

Ok, so Test Turkey day went off without a hitch!

Ha! So now we have evidence you stuffed a turkey. The food police are on their way to confiscate the bird and deliver it to.. umm.. me.

Looks good.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Ok, so Test Turkey day went off without a hitch! I followed Alton's recipe to a T, except for omitting the candied ginger. Invested in a thermometer, and used a few hints and tips from this thread (special thanks to Goodweed!). The bird cooked in a little over two hours, and was fanflippintastic! Perfectly juicy flavorful from the brine and aromatics. The flavor went literally to the bone. I would have liked it to brown a bit more evenly, but I will work on that one for the next time. I also prepared mashed and sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, creamed spinach, corn pudding, and gravy.

Now, you all know I was freaking out about receiving my mothers approval of my bird. She decides that she didn't want to cook dinner, so she was coming to get turkey. Yikes! Ummmm, I am guessing that she approved, seeing as for just herself and my brother, the woman jacked half my turkey!!!

Thanks for all the help and feedback everyone, I feel much more comfortable, even excited, about cooking the entire meal come Thanksgiving!

The bird out of the oven, and after my mom took her "dinner"....

Thank you. And you are very welcome. Your bird looks great. Take a bow.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[tlbrooks]

For over 30 years I've been the turkey cook in my family and I've always stuffed the bird. Never had a problem. I tent with foil and baste often to keep things moist but I have been more and more concerned about possible food illnesses so this year I'm using the Americas Test Kitchen trick of putting the stuffing in cheese cloth and then putting that in the bird. Cook until temp reaches about 130 or so and remove the stuffing in its nice easy to pull out cheese cloth bag and than finish the bird until done. Than I'll mix the stuffing from the bird with the remaining uncooked stuffing, put it in a baking dish and finish cooking. The stuffing from the bird always tastes better than when you just cook it in a baking dish.

 

[msmofet]

You won't really taste the ginger, I think it just kind of rounds out the flavor. In all honesty you might not miss it if you skip it.

If you have a Trader Joe's nearby they have a decent price on vegetable stock, since you will need quite a lot of it!

TJ's also has wonderful turkey stock. I roast turkey wings then simmer in TJ's turkey stock and veggies (celery, onion and herbs etc).

I was raised on dried out American Mom style turkey and I prefer it.

I cook the celery and onion in butter until it is soft and then add it to my stuffing so the only cooking required is for the eggs I add to bind the stuffing. I stuff both ends of the bird and make a casserole of dressing with the surplus.

The only thing I must have is Bell's poultry seasoning!

If I have time I make the bread used in the stuffing and add a couple of tablespoons of Bell's to the flour. If not I add it to the butter,onion and celery mixture that I add to fresh bread crumbs and cubes.

Please, pass the gravy

I also like a dry turkey. Moist reminds me of all the moist, rubber and bloody birds my aunt made for thanksgiving. Thank goodness we are Italian and by the time the bird was served I was full of all the other food that came before!


I just went to my Shop-Rite website and found

Bell's Seasoning
All natural. Salt free. Since 1867. Add a bit of Bell's Seasoning to tuna, ham, chicken and egg salad sandwich fillings.
1.00 oz

It doesn't say Poultry Seasoning, is this the one?

I SO understand "I want my stuffing to taste like hers." I want mine to taste like Mama's, and she always used both rubbed and ground sage in her dressing. And those aren't so easy to find any more. I guess it's because fresh herbs have become so popular. However, if I use fresh sage, it just doesn't taste right.

June have you tried Shop-Rite? I found both there not long ago.


I used to stuff my turkey every year. I would stuff it, place on a rack, add stock to pan and cover with foil for about 3/4 the cooking time then remove foil to brown bird. But when the gas/propane prices went through the roof AND I got an oven with convection roast option I started roasting my bird unstuffed and a 21- 23 lb bird was cooked in about 3 hours +/-. I put herb butter under and over the skin, place on a rack, NO stock in pan, cover with foil for about an hour and half then uncover. I now make my stuffing AFTER the bird is done cooking and resting. While bird is resting I cook the celery, onion, mushrooms, fresh herbs, poultry seasoning and chopped walnuts in butter until soft then deglaze the turkey pan with the homemade stock. I add the drippings/stock till it is as moist as we like it and stuffing cubes (NO eggs) and serve fresh, moist and hot. I make the gravy from the drippings/stock and the homemade stock. The stuffing tastes like it was cooked in the bird and not dried out like dressing sometimes gets from baking in the oven and on the flip sometimes bird stuffing is to wet.

 

[Andy M.]

I buy "Better Than Bouillon" vegetable base. Much cheaper than buying veggie stock.

 

[blissful]

For years, I just cooked the turkey, stuffed or not stuffed, actually overcooked it, in a roaster pan, covered in foil and the skin browned anyways.
One year I brined it. Instead of the 1 inch of lovely juice and caramelized pan bottom, I had almost 2 full inches of lovely juice (full pan!).
I can't say which I liked better or that one was more moist, both were excellent.
This thread makes me SO hungry! I even dreamed of making a turkey the other night.

 

[msmofet]

For years, I just cooked the turkey, stuffed or not stuffed, actually overcooked it, in a roaster pan, covered in foil and the skin browned anyways.
One year I brined it. Instead of the 1 inch of lovely juice and caramelized pan bottom, I had almost 2 full inches of lovely juice (full pan!).
I can't say which I liked better or that one was more moist, both were excellent.
This thread makes me SO hungry! I even dreamed of making a turkey the other night.

I have never brined a turkey due to lack of space.

BUT I have had the turkey dream!!

 

[PattY1]

I made stuffing the other day in a baking dish(how do you stuff a boneless, skinless turkey breast). If I can help it, never again. It really lacked flavor. Long live the Stuffed Bird!!!

 

[jennyema]

I have never brined a turkey due to lack of space.

BUT I have had the turkey dream!!

If you have a cooler or other large container you can do it outside

 

[blissful]

I have never brined a turkey due to lack of space.

BUT I have had the turkey dream!!

Mine was bizarre--it was beautiful except for the pig head attached to the cooked turkey. I think I was watching too many Halloween movies--not that cable tv gave me much of a choice.

I made stuffing the other day in a baking dish(how do you stuff a boneless, skinless turkey breast). If I can help it, never again. It really lacked flavor. Long live the Stuffed Bird!!!

I agree--I love a nice pan of stuffing balls--but they absolutely need to have cooked turkey juice in them, so they can't be made until the turkey is done and it's not convenient.
PS. your signature is very funny to me, especially about the allergy, it's me all over.

 

[blissful]

If you have a cooler or other large container you can do it outside

Excellent suggestion jennyema. Food safe 5 gallon buckets are less than 5 dollars (with lid) at Home Depot and they can be used for hundreds of other purposes. I have 10 or so I use for many things. Storage mostly.
I just filled one up with water an hour ago for the herbs I brought inside for the winter.