STUFF that Turkey!

Francesca Knowles wrote:
Just a note- perhaps even a rant- from a Former Health Inspector and survivor of more than half a century of STUFFED bird dinners:

What's up with folks who don't cook stuffing in the bird???

Let's face it- if it isn't "stuffed" inside, it ain't stuffing. It's wet bread. More politely called "dressing", I s'pose. In my opinion, "dressing" is putting on clothes- but since wet fabric is what "dressing" tastes like unless cooked/bathed in the turkey juice I guess the name's appropriate.

I know, I know- all kinds of bad boys will grow in this delightful mixture if improperly handled...but that doesn't mean one has to forego cooking it in the bird. Just make sure it reaches 150-160 degrees or so before you serve it. If your bird gets done before the stuffing's cooked through, scoop it out of the cavity and nuke it 'til it glows.

And: Don't put the turkey in the fridge with the cooked stuffing still inside, because the stuffing won't cool fast enough to keep the bad-boy population in check. (This is never a problem at my house since most of it gets eaten right away anyway!)

Bon Appetit!

FK,

My family's from Texas, dad was from Lubbock and mom was from Marlin. The bird was always stuffed. Maybe it's a Texas thing. Having said that, I grew up in the 60's and have memories of seeing the Bird sitting on the stove "the morning after", with stuffing still intact. Mom and Dad probably got drunk and forgot to tend to it. Those were the days!

Who knew you needed to refrigerate it immediately after use? We always jumped right in and started eating it for breakfast. As I recall, none of us died.