Why Bobby Flay Prefers To Make Dressing (Not Stuffing) For Thanksgiving

Once Halloween passes, the food world immediately goes into Thanksgiving mode, and for good reason, as the American holiday follows All Hallows Eve by just about four weeks. For its Instagram page, Food Network asked Bobby Flay a series of Thanksgiving dish-related questions, from what to do about gravy that's too thick to his secret for extra creamy mashed potatoes. When asked about his opinion on dressing versus stuffing, Flay chimed in, "I don't make stuffing, I make dressing. Stuffing is in the bird, dressing is outside of the bird. I make dressing for two reasons: I can control it in terms of how long I need to cook it, and also, it gets a really nice crust on the outside, so it's got that good contrast."

As to controlling the cook time, Flay's answer makes sense. In fact, the USDA doesn't recommend stuffing your bird at all due to the risks of cross-contamination. Because the stuffing comes into contact with raw poultry in this method, you run the risk of the stuffing not getting hot enough to kill all the harmful bacteria. Furthermore, the presence of dense stuffing in the turkey cavity could also affect the bird cooking properly. You're much better off following Flay's advice or even making bread stuffing balls, an old-school Thanksgiving staple you rarely find on tables anymore.

Other than where you choose to bake your dressing or stuffing (in the bird or outside it, like Bobby Flay prefers), the two are basically the same thing, so sometimes people use the terms interchangeably. Still, some folks use one term or another based on where they live. In the southern states, most people refer to the side dish as dressing, whether it's stuffed in the turkey or not. In the Northeast, it's called stuffing for the most part.

While there are tons of dressing/stuffing recipes to choose from, they are usually bread-based and contain aromatics, seasonings, mix-ins, and some sort of liquid to hold everything together. Some exceptions are the Midwest, where wild rice is sometimes used, and Louisiana, where you're likely to find a dirty rice-like white rice dressing. In New England, oyster stuffing is a common dish due to the area's location near the ocean. In the South, you'll see a lot of cornbread dressing, and in the Southwest, you might find various chile peppers in local recipes. Making stuffing or dressing is a wonderful opportunity to utilize local ingredients and embrace regional style, whether you stuff your turkey or not. You can even start with a boxed stuffing; just use broth instead of water, and you'll already be on your way to a tastier result.