Perfect Turkey Stuffing (What You Need to Know)

No matter exactly how you make stuffing (casserole-style, stovetop style, or actually stuffing it IN your turkey, as God intended), these are the ratios you need to remember for stuffing that’s perfectly fluffy.

Everybody has their own opinions about how to make stuffing. Growing up, it was always the stovetop method. These days, we actually stuff our bird each Thanksgiving (if you’re worried about the safety of this, read this article).

And yes – you can make your own stuffing mix, just like you can make your own croutons… and I’ve done this, but personally I don’t find the juice is worth the squeeze.

I generally make A LOT of stuffing, because I love leftovers – and I usually use a 50/50 mix of Pepperidge Farm Classic Stuffing (the blue bag) and Pepperidge Farm Cubed Stuffing (the red bag)

A rough blueprint will follow below for a few different methods for making stuffing, but no matter exactly how you do it, here are the ratios you need to keep in mind:

You Will Need

1. A Decent Chef Knife
2. A Long Handled Wooden Spoon

Instructions (Blueprint)

1. Add celery and onions (using ratios in the chart above), along with butter, to a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Season aggressively with kosher salt.
2. Sauté until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes
3. If you’re going to use any additional aromatics or ingredients (i.e., extra herbs, sausage, etc.), add them here.
4. Add water or broth (again, according to the chart above) and bring to a boil. If you’re not going to actually stuff your bird, definitely use broth in this step.
5. Stir in the stuffing mix (once again according to the chart above).
6. Stir gently, cover the pot and remove from heat
7. Let the stuffing stand for 5-7 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed
8. Fluff with a fork and serve
   
   or if stuffing your bird, allow to cool enough that you can handle it, and then stuff your bird with the mixture above
   
   or if serving casserole style, cover and bake in a 350° oven for an additional 30 minutes. For a crispy top, bake uncovered.

And there you have it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

---