Does a turkey cook quicker with or without stuffing inside?

[JR6ooo4]

Dw and my Dad have different opinions...

or should I say that it will cook more evenly without stuffing. DW says with the bird stuffed the white meat is done way too early compared to the dark meat. So you either have raw dark meat or dry white meat.

thanks for any opinions.

Mikeeee

 

[jsmith]

cooks way faster-and more evenly-unstuffed

 

[blu3d3vil]

Without. I just watched a Food Network show about this last night.

Plus I stuffed mine last year and your dad is right.

 

[Michelle67]

Not only is it faster and more even without stuffing, but stuffing in the bird is a big culprit for holiday food poisoning. Traditional, and many people are firmly stuck on doing it (my mother included) but you do have to be very careful that the whole bird and stuffing get up to safe temp.

 

[ajk912]

Yup, you have to cook the whole bird (including stuffing) to 165 to make sure there isn't any food poisoning. And, all those yummy juices will go in the stuffing which will make the stuffing yummy but your turkey will be dry.

Cook your stuffing on the side, use chicken stock, no one will know the difference!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Dw and my Dad have different opinions...

or should I say that it will cook more evenly without stuffing. DW says with the bird stuffed the white meat is done way too early compared to the dark meat. So you either have raw dark meat or dry white meat.

thanks for any opinions.

Mikeeee

Sorry cooks faster unstuffed.

It cooks more unevenly with stuffing. Your DW is correct.

For a contamination free holiday, you can easily stick an oven safe thermometer in the stuffing. Very simple to do.

 

[JR6ooo4]

Without. I just watched a Food Network show about this last night.

Plus I stuffed mine last year and your dad is right.

No, DW is correct. Dad thought it cooked quicker with stuffing.

Mikeeee

 

[Chicago526]

By the time you get the stuffing in the bird up to a safe temp, the rest of the bird is toast.

If you're looking for that Norman Rockwell presentation at the table with the picture perfect turkey with stuffing oozing out, cook the bird and stuffing seperately and then put the cooked stuffing in the cooked bird. As long as no one is in the kitchen when you do this, well, who's to say the stuffing wasn't cooked in the bird in the first place?

 

[Cantw8]

By the time you get the stuffing in the bird up to a safe temp, the rest of the bird is toast.

If you're looking for that Norman Rockwell presentation at the table with the picture perfect turkey with stuffing oozing out, cook the bird and stuffing seperately and then put the cooked stuffing in the cooked bird. As long as no one is in the kitchen when you do this, well, who's to say the stuffing wasn't cooked in the bird in the first place?

that's exactly what I do

 

[NotUrsula]

While the rules about the speed of cooking are absolutely true, there are ways to compensate and still get an evenly cooked stuffed bird for that special flavor that it imparts (and it DOES -- I can always tell the difference between the batch that was cooked in the bird and the batch that wasn't.)

First off, it is best if you choose a stuffing recipe that does NOT contain eggs. Eggs are the culprit in most of the food poisoning cases. You should start with a fairly dry stuffing mix, something that can be loosely stuffed. If it is too wet it will compact too much. If there is any meat in the stuffing, it should be pre-cooked before adding it to the recipe.

My failsafe method involves cooking oil and h/d aluminum foil, I've been doing it this way for 15 years. Stuff the bird and tie it first. Working in an empty clean sink with your arms bared, pour a generous measure of oil into both hands, and proceed to give the stuffed bird a thorough massage with it, covering every inch. Put it on a rack-fitted roasting pan. Then bend back the wings behind the neck opening until they stick there, with the tips crossed. (This will ensure that the wingtips stay submerged in the drippings and don't get dry.) Pull out the legs a bit to allow more air around them when in the oven, and cap the bone ends of the drumsticks with a little foil to keep them from burning. Put the bird in the oven at 25 degrees over the recommended temp for the first 30 minutes to crisp the skin and seal in the juices, then lower it down to the recommendation. When it has slightly over an hour to go on the cooking time, remove the bird from the oven and carefully cover the white meat areas with a double layer of h/d aluminum foil, pour 1/2 cup of water into the pan under the rack, then put it back to finish. Check doneness with a meat thermometer: the stuffing and white meat need to reach 165 degrees, and the thighs 175 degrees to be safest.

Or, you can just fry it. A fried bird takes approximately 45 minutes to cook, perfectly evenly. However, the option of stuffing the bird doesn't exist if you use this method -- just not possible.