A New Debate

gamason

Weve all read and debated the chili with beans or without for some time now. And we are still very divided on the "proper " way to eat it. So I figured it was time, seeing as Thanksgiving is right around the corner to debate the diffrences of stuffing versus dressing. I was raised on what my family refered to as a "blonde dressing' It is made with a basic 2/3 biscuits to 1/3 cornbread mixture. They were usually made a couple of days early, allowed to dry out, then crumbled up together in a big pot.. On the big day you added the turkey broth, cut with a little extra chicken broth if needed, a couple of eggs for binder,a couple good sized onions, and s&p to taste. Pats of butter on top, and cooked @ 350 till golden brown. Absolutely delicious. To me thats dressing. When you start addind celery, sage, sausage and whatever else you put into the mix, and it has more cornbread in it, thats STUFFING. I know everybody has thier own favorite version Im just curious if others are as passionate about dressing/stuffing as they are about thier chili. BTW, I hope everyone has a safe and meaningful Thanksgiving with thier friends and families close by.!

Acn

I'd call both of those dressing.  For me, the mix doesn't matter, if you cook it in the turkey, it is stuffing.  If you cook it in a different pan, it's dressing.

This is what my wife and I have made every year we've been married (and hosted Thanksgiving): http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sourdough-stuffing-with-pears-sausage - it is fantastic, even though the recipe description flies in the face of my stuffing/dressing split.  We've also made it by itself for a dinner. 

Griffin

I've always thought there was no difference between stuffing and dressing except for its preparation. Stuffing is crammed up the cavity of the turkey or fowl and dressing is cooked separately. That being said there's plenty of different recipes for dressing/stuffing from bread to cornbread and all types of included ingredients. I hear some of them crazy Cajuns put oysters in theirs. I'd sure like to try that.

And I've also heard that Southerners prefer the term dressing because stuffing just sounds so wrong....

DieselkW

Call it whatever you want, just put a big spoonful on my plate please.

Central_Bama_Egger

DieselkW said:

Call it whatever you want, just put a big spoonful on my plate please.

I'll take two spoonfuls thank you very much.

I'm a fan of plain ole turkey dressing as @gamason‌ described. With the exception of turkey or chicken meat added.

XC242

Dressing is what one decides to make, whether it's your recipe, mine or made from a box that came from the store. Stuffing is made when you take any of those and cook them inside a bird.

Debate done,,, or maybe the "purse swingin" is just beginning...

texaswig

Corn bread dressing is what I grew up with. If my mom made stuffing in the bird there never would have been a enough for all of us. It's took me a few trys but I finally got my mom recipe down and with her approval.

Zmokin

And I prefer stuffing over dressing.

It is so much better when it comes out of the bird IMNSHO. 

johnkitchens

What @gamason described is what I grew up eating at Thanksgiving and "thankully" still do. 

Turkey and dressing is my all time favorite meal. If I am ever on death row that will be my last meal request. 

theyolksonyou

johnkitchens said:

What @gamason described is what I grew up eating at Thanksgiving and "thankully" still do. 

Turkey and dressing is my all time favorite meal. If I am ever on death row that will be my last meal request. 

When my mom cooks me a special meal through out the year, that is what she cooks. Doesn't even ask anymore. Love her dressing and I stuff myself with it.

SGH

The difference that I have noticed in the two are as follows. Southern dressing will always be cornbread based. Some of the the stuffings I have seen when working up North were white bread based. Everyone uses their own nomenclature, but to me that is the difference. Dressing= cornbread base and stuffing = non cornbread base.