How to Cook Turkey Stuffing Safely (2024)

FAQs

How to Cook Turkey Stuffing Safely? ›

For optimal safety and uniform doneness, cook stuffing separately. However, if stuffing a turkey, it's essential to use a food thermometer to make sure the center of the stuffing reaches a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F. Cooking a home-stuffed turkey is riskier than cooking one not stuffed.

Fully cook raw meat, poultry, or seafood ingredients before adding to stuffing. Combine the ingredients and place them in your bird immediately before cooking. Don't stuff whole poultry with cooked stuffing. In addition to the turkey, the stuffing's center needs to reach 165 F.

Why Cooking Stuffing in Your Turkey Is Dangerous. The USDA advises that whole turkeys be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F to kill any potentially harmful bacteria. That temperature includes any potential stuffing deep in the turkey's cavity. At temperatures below 165°F you risk exposure to salmonella or E.

For more even cooking, it is recommended you cook your stuffing outside the breast in a casserole. Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of the stuffing. The center should reach the safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F.

After preparation, immediately place into an oven no lower than 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a food thermometer to ensure that the stuffing reaches the safe minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees, whether it is baked separately or inside a bird.

If stuffing is prepared ahead of time, it must be either frozen or cooked immediately. To use cooked stuffing later, cool in shallow containers and refrigerate it within 2 hours. Use it within 3 to 4 days.

The simplest way to figure out turkey roasting times is to calculate 13 minutes per pound at 350°F for an unstuffed turkey (that's about 3 hours for a 12- to 14-lb. turkey), or 15 minutes per pound for a stuffed turkey.

Typically, baking the stuffing inside the bird helps keep the mixture moist. “I prefer stuffing (in the bird) to dressing (outside of the bird) because all those delicious drippings that come off the turkey gets absorbed right into the stuffing,” Bamford says.

Stuffing inside the bird grows bacteria quickly. If you are going to stuff your bird, you should always put it in just before you roast it, and take all the stuffing out before you put the bird away after you're done.

If you're prepping late at night, you can even leave it on your counter overnight. For food-safety reasons, however, we should tell you to stick the cool room-temperature pre-baked stuffing into the fridge until you're ready for the big finish.

How long should you heat stuffing in the oven? ›

Heat the oven to 350°F and transfer the stuffing to an oven-safe dish (or, you can keep it in the dish that it was originally cooked in). If it seems dry, you'll want to add a splash of broth. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake again until crisp, 15–20 minutes.

The stuffing should be moist but not wet. If there is a puddle of broth at the bottom of the bowl, you've added too much. Add more bread to soak up the excess moisture. If the mix is still dry and crumbly, add more liquid and toss gently until it starts to clump together.

Perfect stuffing needs to be cooked just right. Overcook it and your stuffing will be dry. Undercook it and it will be soggy.

Check the internal temperature of the whole chicken or turkey in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. Harmful bacteria can survive in stuffing that has not reached the safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F possibly resulting in foodborne illness.

Cooking Stuffing in a Turkey

White meat dries out faster than dark meat, so taking it off ensures that you can cook your stuffing safely without drying out the meat.

The stuffing should also be at room temperature. Timing. Stuff your turkey right before it goes into the oven to avoid risk of contamination.