WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STUFFING AND DRESSING? [View all]

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STUFFING VS. DRESSING

At its most basic and technical level, stuffing refers to the side dish that is stuffed inside the body cavity of a turkey (or chicken). It cooks while the bird cooks, soaking up juices that supposedly make it more flavorful.

There’s a catch though: food safety experts say that this method of cooking raises the risk of food-borne illness (you are, after all, cooking the stuffing instead a raw bird).

Dressing is cooked outside the bird, often in a casserole dish or other baking pan. It’s got tons of flavor because it’s prepared with seasonings and mix-ins that give it flavor. As you can imagine, food safety experts prefer this method of cooking.

But could there be more to the difference between stuffing and dressing?

In an analysis by Southern Living, the magazine ruled that the real difference between stuffing and dressing isn’t how it’s cooked, but where a person lives. They looked at search terms in all the states and determined that — no surprise — northerners tend to call it stuffing, and southerners call it dressing (regardless of whether it’s cooked inside or outside the bird).

https://www.thanksgiving.com/recipes/side-dish-recipes/what-is-the-difference-between-stuffing-and-dressing