Stuff a turkey?

[southerngal]

We are doing Christmas home alone for the first time ever, and I am of course going to cook a big dinner. My husband wants turkey, but he wants me to stuff it. I have never stuffed a bird in my life! What do I need to know?

[den's wife]

Everyone loves my stuffing and it's really simple. The day before, I slice up an onion, a stalk or two of celery, and a red pepper. I break up a loaf of white bread into small pieces, then add the veggies to it and stir to mix it up. I add some fresh chopped parsley, a few tablespoons of butter divided into small chunks, and very small amount of sage and stir again. I leave it in the fridge overnight and will mix it up occasionally. It's ready to stuff the next day.

[Lamebeaver]

The biggest mistake a lot of people make is to pack it in too tight. Stuff it in loosely.

Also, take your finger and run it around the back bones to make sure you get the kidneys, etc. out, then rinse it with water and pat dry with paper towels.

You can also make stuffing in the pan. Quite frankly, I think it tastes just as good, but it's nice to put a few stalks of celery, some garlic and parsley in the body cavity to help season the bird.

[ejdixon]

My mom doesn't cook the stuffing in the bird. For presentation's sake, she puts it in the cavity of the bird after it is cooked and it's about to be served. She told me it's to prevent any possible contamination of bacteria in the stuffing, and to make sure that it's cooked through. To get the turkey flavor into the stuffing, mix in a bit of the drippings into the stuffing.

[skybear]

Just remember you have to take the bag of guts out of it first. The first one I cooked I didn't know you had to remove anything and I was lucky I didn't burn the house down!

[southerngal]

Originally Posted by skybear

Just remember you have to take the bag of guts out of it first. The first one I cooked I didn't know you had to remove anything and I was lucky I didn't burn the house down!

Now I did know that part...that was my first experience with a whole chicken. Your recipe for stuffing sounds really good den'swife...we just might have a winner!

[Judy Ann]

Remember to remove all the stuffing before refrigerating leftovers or everyone might get sick!

[Rosie]

When you stuff the bird it changes the cooking time that you might be used to so be sure that you are using a meat thermometer to ensure proper temperature.