When you're cooking a giant meal on a time crunch, there's plenty of room for mishaps, and Thanksgiving is notorious for all kinds of kitchen disasters and food fails. If you're focused on not overcooking the turkey and making sure your potatoes are living their creamiest, most lump-free life, you may not give as much attention to some of the other dishes, like your stuffing. If you feel like yours just hasn't been up to par, watch out for these common mistakes—and get the quick fixes you need to win Thanksgiving this year.
1
Your Stuffing Falls Apart
If you don't get the ratio of liquid to dry ingredients right, you could end up with stuffing that falls apart. If you want toavoid all that stress altogether, bake it up in a bundt pan and serve it by the slice.
Get the recipe from Delish.
2
You're Adding All The Stock At Once
One of the best things about goodstuffing is that it's crispy and soft at the same time—but in order to achieve this, you need to add your stock gradually,about a1/2 cupat a time. Dumping it in all at once can get the bread all soggy.
3
Not Cooking Your Mix-Ins
Just because it's all going into the ovendoesn't mean you're good to go with raw veggies. If you want to make sure your mix-ins are fully cooked, you need to cook your celery, onions and meatbefore mixing themin with the bread.
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4
You're Sick Of Soggy Stuffing
Does your stuffing always end up soggy (AKA, gross and inedible)? Try cooking it in a muffin tin instead—crispy edges for all!
Get the recipe from Delish.
5
Baking It Inside Your Bird
I know it's classic, but it could be screwing up your dinner. Baking stuffing inside the turkey could result in soggy stuffing, or even an overcooked turkey, because for the stuffing to get to 165 degrees (the temperature needed to cook it), the turkey will get to 180-190, which is too high. Instead, bake it in a separate dish, "dressing" style.
6
Using Too Many Mix-Ins
Thanksgiving is a time to indulge, but that doesn't mean you should go hogwildon your stuffing mix-ins. Adding in too many things will make it difficult for your stuffing to bind together, so narrow it down to a few complementary flavors.
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7
Your Boxed Stuffing Is Flavorless
If you prefer to keep things simple with a boxed mix, but find that it always tastes bland and flavorless, we've found the solution: Cream of mushroom soup.Combine the box mix with two eggs, a can of cream of mushroom soup and fresh vegetables, then bake according to the package's instructions and get ready for creamygoodness.
8
Your Bread Is Too Fresh
There's nothing better than soft, fresh bread—except for when it comes to stuffing. If you want your stuffing to hold up and not end up a soupy, soggy mess, make sure your bread is dried out or staled for a few days.
