Taste Test: Judges knock store-bought stuffing mixes

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, how could the taste test not revolve around this big food holiday?

It couldn't.

A big part of Thanksgiving is the stuffing. (There was no way five or six turkeys were going to be cooked for this test; sorry, folks.)

Studies have shown that stuffing really shouldn't been cooked inside the cavity of the turkey as many people leave the stuffing in overnight. Stuffing left in a turkey overnight can mean a trip to the emergency room because of the bacteria from the turkey. Or just some harsh pain because the stuffing wasn't cooked property.

Not something anyone wants on a long holiday weekend.

So the best, and safest, route is to prepare the stuffing outside the turkey. It may not taste quite the same as mom's or grandma's, but it probably will be a lot healthier.

If you are a die-hard traditionalist and must cook your stuffing in the turkey, be sure to invest in a good food thermometer so you know when the stuffing is really cooked. Do a little research, too, so you know how long everything is going to take to cook -- a full cavity alters the cooking time.

Stuffing, it seems, isn't the most popular food around here. Getting people to participate in this taste test wasn't the easiest thing ever. Next month I may have to test chocolate just to get a crowd.

Rating the five different kinds of herb stuffing, or dressings if you prefer, on taste and texture were Banner staffers Chad Gillis, Christina Holder and Kristen Zambo. Our guest judge this time was Phyllis Neyer of Bonita Springs.

At 71, this mother of eight and grandmother of 32 is a little rusty on cooking as her husband prefers to take her out to eat.

But back in her cooking heyday, she'd make casseroles, soups and chilis for her brood and even now still prepares Christmas and Easter dinners for the masses, although she relies on take-out a lot more.

Even though she doesn't cook much anymore, this seasonal Bonita resident, who spends summers in Cincinnati, managed to eat part of five helpings of stuffing.

And it went a little something like this...

Stuffing Number One: Butterball One-Step Stuffing, Seasoned; $1.39 for a 6-ounce box at Publix; judges rating: 3.

Gillis: "Tastes like herbs, rosemary, and thyme. Not too bad, but it sure ain't grandma's."

Holder: "I like that it's moist enough that it sticks together, but it tastes a little dry when you first taste it. The spices are light, not overpowering. The stuffing wouldn't compete with the turkey."

Neyer: Familiar taste; reminds me of one I've used already. I like the mild flavor of the ingredients."

Stuffing Number Two: Stove Top Savory Herbs; $1.33 for a 6-ounce box at Publix; judges rating: 2.3.

Neyer: "Taste is very good. Seems more homemade, more ingredients involved."

Zambo: It's so firm and compact and stuck together that you could probably line a jungle gym floor with it and the kids would be safe."

Holder: "The texture is diverse. I think that it is both chewy and crunchy; that makes it more interesting. It's also more colorful, mixed with the golden brown croutons and the darker bread."

Stuffing Number Three: Kellogg's Stuffing Mix Seasoned with Five Savory Herbs; $1.79 for 6-ounces at Publix; judges rating: 1.7.

Zambo: "It looks like croutons and feels like croutons, just soggier croutons. It tastes funky."

Gillis: "Not too bad. Actually has the texture of dry stuffing. Tastes like fake butter and little else."

Neyer: "Has a buttery taste -- too much bread taste. I like dressing to almost disguise the bread taste by adding onion and spices."

Stuffing Number Four: Pepperidge Farms Herb Seasoned Stuffing; $2.50 for 16-ounces at Publix; judges rating: 1.

Zambo: "This looks like something you'd line a rock garden with, or the gravel you give large birds to help them digest their food. It tastes awful and leaves a yucky aftertaste."

Holder: "It's too crunchy. It tastes like someone skinned a fried chicken and chopped the crust into tiny pieces."

Stuffing Number Five: Arnold Premium Stuffing Herb Seasoned; $2 for 14-ounces at Publix; judges rating: .33.

Gillis: "No flavor whatsoever. Wouldn't even be considered the best looking kid in the leper colony of dressings."

Holder: "It looks like someone added water to a bowl full of salad croutons."

Neyer: "Taste is all butter -- Nothing else comes to mind. Would definitely not buy this one."

Although each of the stuffings had a different look and a different flavor, all the judges agreed that homemade was better. And it should be said that most of the packages did come with recommendations on how to jazz up the stuffing mixes. According to the scores by our average-Joe judges, they needed it.

But here is how it all played out (and here is to a better Thanksgiving for all the judges.) From best to worst: Butterball One-Step Stuffing, Seasoned; Stove Top Savory Herbs; Kellogg's Stuffing Mix Seasoned with Five Savory Herbs; Pepperidge Farms Herb Seasoned Stuffing; and Arnold Premium Stuffing Herb Seasoned.

(Contact Features Editor Kristen Smith at 213-6043 or kmsmith@naplesnews.com )