To stuff or not to stuff: That’s the Thanksgiving turkey question (2024)

FAQs

To stuff or not to stuff: That’s the Thanksgiving turkey question? ›

Wait to stuff the turkey until right before baking. Do not stuff the turkey the night before. This practice can allow bacteria ample time to multiply until the center of the stuffing reaches refrigerator temperatures.

To protect you and your guests from foodborne illness, avoid stuffing the turkey. Instead, cook the stuffing and turkey separately, which offers myriad benefits beyond food safety.

Harmful bacteria can survive in stuffing that has not reached the safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F possibly resulting in foodborne illness.

If the bird is done but the stuffing isn't, use this tip that Rodgers shared in his turkey recipe: spoon the stuffing out into a bowl and microwave it until it registers 165°F. This will allow you to have moist, not overcooked meat and safe stuffing at the same time.

After taking the turkey out of the oven, let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes. This allows time for some of the juices to be absorbed back into the meat, which makes it easier to carve and more moist. If roasting a stuffed bird, remove all of the stuffing at serving time.

The problem is, when you stuff the turkey, yes, the stuffing gets all of the wonderful flavors from the bird, but it makes it much more difficult to cook the bird. It cooks a lot more slowly and unevenly, and obviously if you've got vegetarians then they're not going to eat the stuffing.

The center of the stuffing should also reach 165 ºF. Let the bird stand 20 minutes before removing the stuffing and carving the bird. USDA does not recommend refrigerating a whole, cooked turkey with stuffing inside.

One advantage of not stuffing the turkey and baking the stuffing separately is the turkey will take less time to get fully cooked. A 12 to 14 pound stuffed turkey will take 3.5 to 4 hours to bake while an unstuffed bird will take 3 to 3.75 hours at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add halved onions, carrot chunks, celery and fresh herbs to the cavity of your turkey, inserting them loosely. These flavor builders are the base of stock and most soups. As your turkey cooks, they'll steam and infuse your bird with moisture and flavor.

Fully cook raw meat, poultry, or seafood ingredients before adding to stuffing. Combine the ingredients and place them in your bird immediately before cooking. Don't stuff whole poultry with cooked stuffing. In addition to the turkey, the stuffing's center needs to reach 165 F.

Why can't you stuff a precooked turkey? ›

Often people wonder if they can stuff a bird once it's already cooked. The simple answer is no. The bird won't be in the oven for nearly as long as a raw bird, meaning the stuffing won't cook appropriately.

Stuffing and dressing are commonly used as different names for the same thing—a dish consisting of bits of bread (or other starchy things) and various seasonings. The dish can be made by stuffing it (hence the name) inside a turkey or other bird that will be roasted, or by baking or cooking it separately.

The most straightforward approach is to roast an unstuffed turkey, breast-side up, for 13 minutes per pound of turkey at 350°. That works out to approximately 3 hours for a 12- to 14-pound bird (a 12-pound turkey is pretty standard).

We recommend preheating the oven to 325°F and not much higher. While higher temperatures will cook a turkey faster, they'll also increase the chances that your bird will singe or even burn on the outside before the inside is cooked through.

It Could Give You Salmonella Poisoning

This seems like an empty threat to anyone who routinely takes the risk by licking cookie dough off the spatula, but hear us out: Stuffing's pretty porous (all that bread!), which means that as the turkey cooks, juices containing salmonella could seep into it.

Why Cooking Stuffing in Your Turkey Is Dangerous. The USDA advises that whole turkeys be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F to kill any potentially harmful bacteria. That temperature includes any potential stuffing deep in the turkey's cavity. At temperatures below 165°F you risk exposure to salmonella or E.

Many foods may be stuffed, including poultry, seafood, and vegetables. As a cooking technique stuffing helps retain moisture, while the mixture itself serves to augment and absorb flavors during its preparation.

Cooking time takes longer for a stuffed turkey. For example, a 20 pound stuffed turkey will take 4 1/4 to 5 1/4 hours to cook.

While the best temperature to cook a turkey is always 325°F, how much time your bird will need in the oven will depend on its weight. An unstuffed 8-pound turkey can take less than 3 hours, while a stuffed 24-pound turkey can take over 5 hours.

First, whether you're using the giblets or not, remember to take them out of the turkey. They are usually packaged in a paper or plastic bag placed inside the cavity of the bird, so you definitely don't want to cook your turkey with the bag still in there. Turkey giblets are most commonly used to make a giblet gravy.