One of the gals at work asked me how to stuff the turkey--when do you do it?? My hubby always does the turkey and I make my stuffing in the crock pot--so, how DO you stuff a turkey?? :shock:

How do you make stuffing in the crock pot?

I mix up the stuffing, let it cool and stuff the turkey right before I put it into the oven. Don't let warm stuffing sit in an uncooked bird for long. Sometimes I use something to tie the opening shut, usually the birds come with a metal thingy that holds the legs together so I put the legs back into that. I like to cook my turkey in the Reynolds turkey bags. They come out so nice and moist. Stuffing that is cooked in the turkey has so much more flavor, ( though I am not a real stuffing fan, don't like my mom's stuffing) If I have too much stuffing I cook the extra in a casserole dish in the oven and then often mix together the two to give it all a good flavor.

I love the crock pot idea! Saves oven room too! This is a good link for stuffing safety:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Factsheets/...fing/index.asp

Hmmmmm, that post says "do not cool the stuffing" I guess it is because frequently the turkey is not cooked to the proper temperature and so the hot stuffing helps in the turkey reaching a good internal temperature.....

I love the stuffing in the turkey, i love that bit that pokes out and gets crusty yummy :D

Mine is not cooked prior to going into the turkey. I just mix it up...stuff it into the big bird...put the legs back under the metal thingie and into the oven he goes!! Its sooo yummy! DH has already been talking about it for 2 weeks!

my mom always stuffed the bird. i always stuff the bird. since i'm still here, i don't worry about it.

if we're gonna worry that much about germs, maybe we should run the bird through the dishwasher before it goes into the oven. :lol: :wink:

Rachel Ray had a good recipe for getting crispy stuffing, which most people love. Bake it in muffin tins. So any extra you have that doesn't fit in the turkey, put it in buttered muffin tins and then drizzle with more butter (I added that) and bake. Aerobics on Monday! LOL! But so worth it!

Ummm....NO! I don't like stuffing and I made sure never to eat my mother-in-laws. I saw what she put in it and it was all the stuff that my mom would always throw away.

I fix a little bit in a baking dish for DH who likes it. My kids would never touch the stuffing either.

I have heard that if you do that you need to be extra careful about cooking temps and cooling after and not letting it sit at room temp to long.

I make my stuffing while the turkey is draining from all the rinsing it has gone thru. Once stuffing is all put together, in the bird it goes.
And yes...the crumbly bits that stick out are yummy!
If there's any leftover, I'll put it in the oven after the turkey is done and is resting, waiting to be carved.
Those things that moms would toss out? I cook them up and give them to my cats. They have their own dinner too! :)

I just put all my liquids (broth, cream of mushroom soup, carrots, celery, onions, whatever you want in there and cook it on low. As the bird gets closer to being finished, I add the good old Peppridge Farms bags of stuffing mix. If it's starting to get a little dry, add more broth or soup.

I do not stuff the bird. Something about pulling stuffing out of a turkey makes it unappetising to me. I'm weird like that. I just put spices and sometimes citrus in the turkey cavity.

I make 2 kinds of stuffing. 1- my Mom's way- with loose sausage, bread cubes, eggs, poultry seasoning, and 2 sticks of butter melted, and stuff the bigger cavity (I'm the cook, my favorite goes here)
2) hubby's way- all the stupid giblets (he cuts them up, I won't touch them), bread cubes, salt, pepper, poutlry seasoning, 2 sticks of butter. Stuff into the other end. Put excess of each in a pan (keeping them away from each other because I don't like my stuff to touch. Cover with foil and bake.

I bake the turkey in one of the roasting bags, love it! When the excess pan comes out of the oven, we "taste test" it, just a little so no one sees we were in it!

I don't like stuffed bird either. Yuck! I usually stick apples in there to keep the turkey moist. I don't eat turkey anyway. My dh is going to fry a turkey this year. I don't eat fried foods, so as usual I'll eat stuffing, salad, deviled eggs. LOL

Just had enough of meat in my lifetime, sick of it now.

I don't stuff the bird. Everyone likes the crunchy stuff so I make lots of crunchy.

I guess I am really weird and so is my whole family :roll: :lol:
Because we all love my old fashion cornbread dressing. I used to roast turkey alone but stuffed and dressing seperate. Until One year don't remember when one of my pans got missing. Never found it either. I had a big roasting pan with lid. I put metal rack in pan,Cleaned turkey, put him in pan,Stuffed him full,Buttered him like he was getting a sun tan( My stuffing is not the dry crumbly kind, It is moist wonderful.) Couldn't find pan for extra dressing and said STUFF IT! I am going to put it all together. Pan was full of stuffed turkey,and Dressing all around it. WONDERFUL! I now have one of those electric roasting pans that holds it all and leaves my oven free. I have to get a large Turkey Usually over 20 lbs.
I chop up my celery,onions, CornBread ETC.in a food processer The night before put it in zip lock bags. Get up real early Thanksgiving morning and put it all together,We usually eat between 1 and 2 oclock. The recipe is one my Deceased MIL got from her Mother,They are from Tenn. Southern Turkey and Dressing. :wink: Last count there will be 20 people at my house Thanksgiving. :shock: My Grandson called and ask if he could bring 2 of his buddies from the Navy, They are at Cherry Point NC. and of course we said that would be fine. They will be here for 5 days :shock: :shock: :lol: :lol: I love my Grandson Dearly, but I am sure glad his Mom My DD lives just 15 miles from me. :D I can go visit them. :D
Thanksgiving has always been a day of celebration for us.
Bill'sBonBon

I would never ever stuff a turkey or chicken! I cook the stuffing seperately. You would never see a professional chef do it either. Mainly for hygiene reasons, and it also make the meat dry because adding stuffing means it takes longer for the bird to get to the correct temperature (175-180 degrees F)

You don't wash your turkey (or other poultry) – this is because bacteria can splash onto you taps, sink, worktops, dishes and other foods. Proper cooking will kill any bacteria, so you don't need to wash poultry, it does more harm than good.

To ensure your turkey is completely cooked, insert a clean skewer or knitting needle into the thickest part of the thigh. Leave for at least 1 minute, if the juices run clear the turkey is cooked, if they run pinkish, return to the oven and cook for a little longer.

People worry about the hygiene standards in the restaurants they go to, but the fact is that more food poisoning is caused by poor hygiene standards in the home.

Have a safe turkey day!

Thanks so much for these tips. I have always been uneasy about stuffing the turkey. I do the cornbread dressing in a baking pan.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING. :lol:

Well pretty Kitty, I certainly am not a Professional Chef, Don't Prtend to be and dont want to be. Maybe you wouldn't do as I do and I don't expect anyone to.
I can guarentee you that I have been fixing turky and Dressing this way for 46 of the almost 48 years of marriage. I haven't Killed ,or gotten a sick single Friend,Grandchild ,DD,DSL,Sister,Mother,Grandparent,MIl,FIL in the whole Bunch of people that has eaten with me in those years.
I do wash my turkey, but I also after handleing any kind of Poultry I use a Bleach solution to kill any of the germs.From knives to sink whatever touches the poultry, That means Chicken too. I can assure you that my house and kitchen are very clean and just because you aren't a professional doesn't mean you don't make a perfect meal.
The Turkey will not be dry if it is fixed right. My turkeys are always juicy never dry. They get dry if roasted alone and not basted often. And I use a meat Therm. to let me know exactly when it is just right.
Just had to put my 2 cents in. Every one does things differently. So everyone please have a safe Turkey day because I am.
Bill'sBonBon

I stuffed my turkeys for years and like you Bill'sBonBon I washed them out then stuffed them and no one every got sick and mine were never dry either. I use a spray bottle with bleach to clean up after handling the turkey or chicken.

I quit stuffing my turkeys a few years back but not because I was worried about anything but because it takes less time to cook an unstuffed turkey and I was tired of getting up at the crack of dawn to get the bird in the oven. LOL