Two chefs told Fox News Digital their tips and tricks for nailing the perfect stuffing this Thanksgiving and holiday season.
Although there’s debate about what type of bread should be used or whether the stuffing should literally be stuffed in the turkey, both chefs agreed that the bread itself needs to be dry.
“You want your bread to be dry. Some people suggest stale,” California chef and American Gravy founder Andrew Gruel told Fox News Digital. (See the video at the top of this article.)
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Any extra existing moisture in bread, Gruel said, will take up space that would otherwise be filled with “the beautiful flavor of stuffing.”
“Think about it like a sponge,” he said. “If you’ve got a sponge that’s already full of water and you pour water over it, that water’s just going to run off, and it’s just going to keep the water that’s already existing in there with the bread and the stuffing. It’s the same thing.”
Using bread that is dry or toasted helps it absorb more flavors, chef Andrew Gruel of California told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
If the bread is still too moist, Gruel said, “you’re going to end up with an eggy custard” in lieu of stuffing.
Rather than let bread get stale by sitting out, Gruel said he prefers to toast it.
“I’ll take the bread and I’ll dice it, and I’ll put it in the oven and I’ll toast it. It will dry out,” he said.
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Toasting the bread also has the advantage of giving it a “nice, beautiful brown flavor,” he said.
Chef Todd English is also a proponent of non-fresh bread, he told Fox News Digital.
Two chefs agreed that dried bread – toasted, if possible – is the best choice for stuffing. (iStock)
English is a multiple James Beard Award winner and owns many restaurants throughout the United States, including at the Bentley Residences Miami in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.
“I make it with cornbread,” he said, specifying “toasted cornbread.”
Using toasted bread, he said, provides a better flavor than fresh or stale bread.
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“What I find is that the toasted cornbread or toasted bread absorbs all those flavors and becomes a better stuffing that’s a little more hearty and delicious” than using fresh bread, he said.
“Toasted bread absorbs all those flavors and becomes a better stuffing.”
“It absorbs those flavors better,” English added.
The method of cooking the stuffing can also result in different flavor profiles.
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“A lot of people will stuff the bird when it’s raw, and just when they begin,” English said, noting that his own mother preferred this method.
Chef Todd English told Fox News Digital that he likes to make stuffing with toasted cornbread. (iStock)
“I tend to want to roast the turkey first and then make the stuffing on the side,” he said.
There is, however, somewhat of a middle ground: stuffing the turkey with stuffing “maybe in the last hour” of its cooking.
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Doing this, English said, means the stuffing will benefit from the juices of the turkey and the turkey itself will be cooked properly.
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“You’ll heat up the stuffing and it also absorbs some of those juices,” he said.
