Michael Symon Just Claimed He Is 'Anti-Stuffing'

If you ask someone what the most important dish on the Thanksgiving table is, or at least the most traditional, they'll probably say turkey. But there's another element to the meal that's almost just as iconic. In fact, 27 percent of people surveyed by Mashed said that it was their favorite side dish to make for Thanksgiving. Any ideas of what it could be? Sorry, green bean casserole fans — it's stuffing, of course. 

People may debate the difference between stuffing and dressing, but they're essentially the same thing — the usage of each term mostly depends on where you live. The dish, made of bread, sautéed aromatics, and broth, can be baked in a dish by itself, or cooked — stuffed — inside the turkey. But not everyone is a fan of the classic, latter method. There are a couple of reasons why stuffing shouldn't go inside of a turkey, and chef Michael Symon recently took to Twitter to share why he's against it.

It might be shocking to hear a chef like Michael Symon say he doesn't like one of the most iconic Thanksgiving sides, stuffing. But he's not anti-stuffing, as in the dish. He's anti-stuffing, as in the practice, meaning he doesn't think it's a good idea to put your stuffing/dressing inside the turkey cavity before roasting. His reasoning? "Have to over cook bird to get stuffing to 160," he told one Twitter user when they asked.

Not only do you often have to overcook the turkey in order for the stuffing in the center to come up to temperature, but you have to bring the temperature even higher than 160 degrees, according to the USDA. They say that the stuffing needs to reach 165 degrees for it to be safe to eat. That's the same temperature that they recommend for the dark meat on the turkey, too — but because the stuffing is packed into the center of the bird, it takes longer for the heat of the oven to fully penetrate it. Unfortunately, that means by the time the stuffing is at a safe-to-eat temperature, the turkey will be overcooked and dry. You really don't want to ignore this temperature rule for Thanksgiving stuffing, because if you do, it could actually make your or your guests sick. Now we totally get why Symon is anti-stuffing. Maybe it's time to try a new stove-top stuffing recipe this Thanksgiving.