Forget The Oven, This Kitchen Appliance Is The Key To Easy Stuffing

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Stuffing is a staple of Thanksgiving dinner, but depending on how many dishes you're making, it might prove to be a difficult addition to the table if you plan on making it in the oven. Anytime you make food inside of another food, it presents some additional difficulties. For this reason, it might be better to make stuffing outside of the turkey (a technique many believe classifies the side dish as dressing) and outside of the oven. If you're looking for an easy way to cook up some stuffing on Thanksgiving, making it inside a slow cooker is your best bet to get a tasty side dish without the headache.

As is the case for many simple, autumnal recipes, the slow cooker is a true lifesaver since it helps you get more done with less hassle so you're prepped and ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Not only can stuffing be made a full day ahead of time if need be, but it only takes 30 to 45 minutes on high then 3 to 4 hours on low to complete, a relatively short amount of time compared to some other slow cooker recipes which require more patience.

The beauty of making stuffing in the slow cooker (beyond being a generally easier method) is that it allows you to have more control over how long it cooks and what its texture ultimately turns out to be compared with making the side dish in the turkey itself. This is one of the reasons why Bobby Flay prefers making dressing rather than stuffing. And while Flay does still make his version of it in the stove in order to obtain a nice crust on top, similar results can be achieved with the use of a slow cooker. It's notably more difficult to get a crispy top on your slow cooker stuffing due to its tendency to trap in moisture, but you can always grease the kitchen appliance beforehand to improve the crispiness of the stuffing's edges.

Beyond just stuffing, however, the slow cooker can be used for several other Thanksgiving favorites if you're limited on oven space or just want to be able to walk away from the kitchen to attend to other things. Great examples of simple slow cooker recipes are mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and macaroni and cheese; all of which can be made in just a few hours. While making all these dishes at once might necessitate a triple slow cooker to get the job done, there's no doubt that Thanksgiving can be made much easier with the countertop appliance at your disposal.