Honestly for me, it’s simply a matter of how it’s cooked. If it’s “stuffed” in the bird, it’s stuffing. If it’s in a dish on the side, it’s dressing. But I do reserve that stuffing can be pulled out and served on the side. And you can also eat stuffing without ever “stuffing” it. Stove Top Cornbread Stuffing is my weakness and I use it as a quick and easy side often with a protein. Or when making crab cakes.
Here is a much more concise answer than the article gives (the article clearly needed an excuse to show more ads):
“Stuffing” and “Dressing” are often used interchangeably. There is nothing ingredient-wise that differentiates one from the other. Some people think “stuffing” should only be used if it’s cooked inside a turkey [or other poultry, I would think] and dressing should be used if it’s not.
My take: Since people use these terms interchangeably, don’t assume that when someone refers to “stuffing” or “dressing”, that person is specifying how it was cooked. You’ve gotta ask or read the recipe.
Edit: and, of course, you can prefer the “specific” interpretation — that stuffing is specific to having been used to stuff. I agree that differentiating the techniques that way makes sense. But having a preference for how the terms are used isn’t going to dictate how people actually use the terms.
The specific interpretation is how I use it: if it’s bread bits cooked inside something, it’s stuffing, and if it’s bread bits cooked outside something, it’s dressing. If it’s bread bits cooked on its own, it’s croutons and is now reserved for salads.
I agree with your take on it but I’d like to add this as well.
Stuffing is both the act of and what is going to be put into the cavity of whatever animal. Dressing is the stuff that’s going to get stuffed into the cavity of whatever animal so really there is no difference. It may also be a regional thing as I never hear anyone call it dressing where I’m from.
Dressing is the stuff that’s going to get stuffed into the cavity of whatever animal so really there is no difference.
I could go with that as well.
It may also be a regional thing as I never hear anyone call it dressing where I’m from.
I’m from Louisiana originally and dressing is really common there. Didn’t really even hear stuffing all that often that I can remember.
I wonder if it’s a southern and east coast thing and maybe on the West coast it’s called stuffing? I’m neither so I don’t have a clue lol
It really just feels random as hell.
Yup lol
It shouldn’t be called “dressing” unless the turkey is wearing it.
Something to consider about cooking it inside the bird vs outside is that cooking it inside the bird will affect your cooking time. It’s especially a consideration when cooking a whole turkey - it’s already difficult to get the dark meat up to temp without drying out the breast.
Having said that, stuffing cooked inside of a bird does taste amazing. You can kind of split the difference by pouring some of the roasting juices onto the dressing and letting it soak those up, but then you don’t get to use them for gravy.
You’re not wrong.
About stuffing versus dressing, I mean. I respectfully disagree with your enjoyment of Stove Top Stuffing; however, as it does not affect me in any way, I bear no grudge against you for enjoying it.
Lol, I don’t know why, and it’s specifically the cornbread one. It’s just a guilty pleasure I guess.
It is good!
There’s dozens of us! dozens.
It’s a regional thing. This is the first I’ve ever heard Stove Top referred to as stuffing rather than dressing (although it would be blasphemous to serve at thanksgiving).
I’ve never known dressing to be cooked outside the bird. You cook dressing by putting as much in the bird as will fit and then let the rest cook around the bird in the juices in the roaster.
Maybe it’s a north vs south thing. I’ve always seen it referred to as dressing exclusively on menus as well
This is the first I’ve ever heard Stove Top referred to as stuffing
Weird, the name is literally Stove Top Stuffing Mix. It’s written on the box.
I know! I looked ot up after reading your post. Dressing is just the word everyone uses in TX and Louisiana.
Living in the mid-Atlantic region of the US, it is always stuffing. Dressing is what you put on salads. I have never heard stuffing called dressing around here.
