Speaking of holiday eats: Stuffing or Dressing?

[cygnusx1jg]

Do you refer to the bread based holiday food as stuffing or dressing? I agree with Stove Top, it's stuffing. Dressing is what I put on my salad.

[El Barto]

If it's cooked inside of the bird it's stuffing. If it's baked in a casserole dish it's dressing. Although I suppose I, like most people, use them pretty much interchangeably at this point.

[bosk1]

If it's cooked inside of the bird it's stuffing. If it's baked in a casserole dish it's dressing. Although I suppose I, like most people, use them pretty much interchangeably at this point.

This is correct. 

As far as which one I prefer, it's just depends.  The only real problem with stuffing is that you are limited in the amount you can make because the size of your given vessel (the turkey's cavity) is necessarily limited.

[cramx3]

If it's cooked inside of the bird it's stuffing. If it's baked in a casserole dish it's dressing. Although I suppose I, like most people, use them pretty much interchangeably at this point.

I'm assuming this is the official definition that seperates both of these?  I had never heard of "dressing" as a child until I started working at Boston Market and having people order "dressing" and having no idea what they were actually asking for    

Having said that, I consider it all stuffing, using the word dressing because it is cooked differently seems odd, like much of the english language I guess.

[bosk1]

I'm assuming this is the official definition that seperates both of these?

Correct.

Having said that, I consider it all stuffing, using the word dressing because it is cooked differently seems odd

Eh, not really.  We do that all the time with plenty of things.  Case in point:  If you scramble your eggs and cook them in pan, with ham, cheese, and onions folded or rolled inside, it's an "omelette."  If you mix everything together cooked in the pan, it's a "scramble."  If you bake it, it's a "fritata."  Same ingredients.  Basically same flavor.  But different cooking techniques confer a different name on the final dish.  A lot of people will still refer to any of those as an "omelette" for convenience.  But they're still different things, even though the difference is only in the cooking technique.

[cramx3]

And I will refer to "dressing" as stuffing, for convenience. 

[lordxizor]

I always call it stuffing, but prefer it cooked in the dressing style to get the top nice and crispy.

[cramx3]

Should mention, I have no issue or problems with calling it something different.  It's the term that has been assigned to it, dressing, that is confusing and the reason why I'll just call it stuffing.  Maybe if I grew up in a family that used that term I'd be more accustomed to it, but I'm not.  In fact, I haven't heard the term until just now since my high school days of working at Boston Market. 

My family traditions should have me call tomato sauce for pasta gravy, but I almost never do because I also find that term confusing.

[Stadler]

I've actually learned something new today.  I've sort of heard of "dressing" before, but, honestly, I always assumed it was a British term for what Americans call "stuffing", not the functional difference that El Barto pointed out.

(I'm not arguing this; my "British" thing was just a guess, so I'm admitting I'm wrong here.)

[mike099]

I've actually learned something new today.  I've sort of heard of "dressing" before, but, honestly, I always assumed it was a British term for what Americans call "stuffing", not the functional difference that El Barto pointed out.

(I'm not arguing this; my "British" thing was just a guess, so I'm admitting I'm wrong here.)

Here in Tennessee, we call it dressing and I am in charge of making the dressing for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  In fact, I insist on making the dressing after tasting some of the dressing my family and extended family make.  I am also in charge of the iron skillet chocolate pie(for the grandchildren) and pecan pies(for the adults).

[bosk1]

iron skillet chocolate pie

Recipe now please!

[Harmony]

iron skillet chocolate pie

Recipe now please!

Ditto!  That sounds amazing actually.

And yeah, EB has it right.  I always call it stuffing but technically what I would eat is dressing (except I don't like it).  Real stuffing is what gives people food poisoning when the turkey isn't cooked long enough. 

[New World Rushman]

We call it stuffing, whether in or out of the bird; we make so much of it we have to cook some out of the bird. Usually make enough to stuff the big bird (which is always over 20 lbs), plus enough extra to fill two aluminum trays. But we call both stuffing no matter how they're cooked.
I think dressing is more of a a southern US term.

[Stadler]

I always call it stuffing but technically what I would eat is dressing (except I don't like it).  Real stuffing is what gives people food poisoning when the turkey isn't cooked long enough. 

I can PROMISE you I will be thinking of Harmony on Thanksgiving Day.

"You cook that all the way through?  You sure?" 

[lonestar]

Yup, the above distinction is correct. And for those who are squirrely about cooking it inside the bird, a good trick is to do it in the pan with the neck bone in there. Gives it the in the bird flavor without the food poisoning.


Of course y'all could just invest 10 bucks in a thermometer and make sure the damn thing is 165 internally and remove all doubt.

[Stadler]

Probably the greatest thing I ever bought in the kitchen.   Improved my cooking by about 1356%.   

Goodbye dry chicken!   

[New World Rushman]

Of course y'all could just invest 10 bucks in a thermometer and make sure the damn thing is 165 internally and remove all doubt.

This.
As a barbecue enthusiast, I have multiple; Instant read, Bluetooth enabled probes, WiFi enabled probes, etc.

Don't trust the little pop-up thing that comes in most birds.

[The Walrus]

Stuffing. Dressing is for the stuff that gives salads flavor. 

[Harmony]

I always call it stuffing but technically what I would eat is dressing (except I don't like it).  Real stuffing is what gives people food poisoning when the turkey isn't cooked long enough. 

I can PROMISE you I will be thinking of Harmony on Thanksgiving Day.

"You cook that all the way through?  You sure?" 

Only one way to know for sure and that's with a thermometer.  I trust no one but myself to check.  And now my work here is done.   

[Stadler]

I always call it stuffing but technically what I would eat is dressing (except I don't like it).  Real stuffing is what gives people food poisoning when the turkey isn't cooked long enough. 

I can PROMISE you I will be thinking of Harmony on Thanksgiving Day.

"You cook that all the way through?  You sure?" 

Only one way to know for sure and that's with a thermometer.  I trust no one but myself to check.  And now my work here is done.   

I just got a laugh out loud with that.  I'm bringing my thermometer with me.  "Where's the kitchen?"

[Cool Chris]

It has never occurred to me to ever call it dressing. That is something like my grandma would have said, like asking me if I wanted catsup with my French fries as a sat on the davenport.

[The Walrus]

It has never occurred to me to ever call it dressing. That is something like my grandma would have said, like asking me if I wanted catsup with my French fries as a sat on the davenport.

The davenport!! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN3xPJdMHW8

[Northern Lion]

I always call it stuffing, but prefer it cooked in the dressing style to get the top nice and crispy.

This is me as well.  Although I really don't care what my family members call it individually at Thanksgiving.  I certainly wouldn't correct anyone one way or the other.

I save my arguing for politics 

[King Postwhore]

You know, I never heard dressing before!

My mom always stuffed the bird and made extra outside the bird because i could eat it for weeks.  Now I do it like "dressing" at our house.  I stuff the bird with all the herbs from our garden and slice two lemons in half and stuff that in the bird as well.

We use the rind of the lemons to mix with herbs and butter to put inside, under the skin and over the skin of the bird.

[The Walrus]

The idea of stuffing a dead bird's body with other foods through its own ass creeps me out. The creepiest, though, is, as someone on TV said, "lifting the skin up" and putting the butter in there. Humans do some hilariously weird things to their food.

[King Postwhore]

I learned it from those murderous chefs.

[mike099]

iron skillet chocolate pie

Recipe now please!

Here you go Bosk1.  I also included the pecan pie recipe.  Sometimes I add some chocolate chips on top of the batter and then put the pecans on top.  Instead of what the recipe states, I cook 45 minutes and then cut the oven off and let the pie sit in the oven.  Also, the pie comes out better if you use a glass pie pan and lightly coat the crust with plain flour on both sides.

For the chocolate pie, i double the recipe and put in a deeper pie crust.  I do not believe it makes a difference if you use an iron skillet or not. You can tell this page of the cookbook has been used a lot by the food stains on the bottom of the page.

Note:  the chocolate pie is poured into a pre cooked crust and the pecan pie does not use a pre cooked crust.
 

[hefdaddy42]

It has never occurred to me to ever call it dressing. That is something like my grandma would have said, like asking me if I wanted catsup with my French fries as a sat on the davenport.

Excuse me, but what the fuck is a davenport?

[Podaar]

It has never occurred to me to ever call it dressing. That is something like my grandma would have said, like asking me if I wanted catsup with my French fries as a sat on the davenport.

Excuse me, but what the fuck is a davenport?

A sofa. There was a popular sofa company ages ago that was called Davenport. Their products were so popular that it became common usage to call a sofa a "Davenport". Kinda like, Bandaid is common for bandage.

[hefdaddy42]

What's a "bandaid"?

[Podaar]

 

[TempusVox]

What's a "bandaid"?

It's what you drink while listening to your favorite band while sitting on your Davenport. You know...kinda like Koolaid.

[Cool Chris]

It has never occurred to me to ever call it dressing. That is something like my grandma would have said, like asking me if I wanted catsup with my French fries as a sat on the davenport.

Excuse me, but what the fuck is a davenport?

A sofa. There was a popular sofa company ages ago that was called Davenport. Their products were so popular that it became common usage to call a sofa a "Davenport".

Wow is that true? I never knew that! I just knew that growing up, the couch/sofa was always the davenport to my grandma. No one else in my adolescent world called it that.