Tasting Packaged Stuffing

We were surprised at how much the boxed stuffings varied—and at how much some missed the mark. A few were bland, tasting of only bread and salt. The rest were intensely seasoned. Our tasters liked both “chicken-y” and “herby” stuffings, but even the best from each category had an “artificial” quality. Tasters thought they seemed “chemically designed to taste savory,” more like a “Lipton soup packet” or “instant ramen” than real stuffing.

The stuffings also varied in texture and, more important, moisture. One product was so dry that tasters asked, “Is this plain bread cubes?” Another was very “wet” and “mushy,” and a third was “moist in some spots and dry and crouton-like in others.” Worse, some had a weirdly “gluey,” “slimy” quality. Tasters much preferred evenly moist stuffings. Our favorites struck a balance between wet and dry, with visible pieces of bread that clung together to form a “cohesive” texture.

After reviewing the results of our tasting, we compared the package instructions. Most required heating butter and water to a simmer, stirring in the stuffing, and letting it sit for a few minutes to rehydrate. Two lower-ranking products replaced the water with broth and called for first softening diced celery and onion in the butter. Neither addition made for better or more flavorful stuffing, and some tasters thought the vegetables “overwhelmed” the mild bread.

As it turns out, the higher-scoring stuffings already contained plenty of flavor boosters. All six products had a fair amount of sodium, from 263.5 to 530 milligrams per serving, and our top two were in the middle of that range at 390 milligrams. The best also had slightly more sugar per serving. Most important, our favorites contained a slew of additives to amp up their umami, or savoriness, including hydrolyzed soy protein, monosodium glutamate (MSG), disodium guanylate, and autolyzed yeast extract. Their dry mixes also contained dried chicken, chicken broth, vegetables, and herbs. Our least favorite stuffings, deemed “bland,” had fewer umami-enhancing ingredients and no dried chicken broth or meat.

There were two more big variables: the amount of butter and the amount of liquid used to rehydrate the dry stuffing mixes. Although stuffings with more butter generally scored better, one butter-heavy product landed at the bottom of our rankings. The amount of liquid, however, showed a clear trend. Our top two products contained the same amount of liquid: 3 cups of water for 12 ounces of stuffing. (We used a standard 12-ounce serving size for comparison.) The stuffing that had been “almost puddingy” in consistency called for more water, almost 3½ cups. And the dry ones contained 1½ to 2 cups, roughly 30 percent less than our favorites. It’s no surprise that more liquid makes for wetter stuffings and less liquid makes for drier stuffings; the best ones were right in the middle.

We wondered if we could improve low-ranked stuffings by tweaking the amounts of butter and liquid, but we learned that it’s not quite that simple. The wet stuffing was less soggy when we used a bit less water and butter, but one dry stuffing actually got worse when we added slightly more water and butter. It didn’t rehydrate evenly, so the cubes stayed firm on the inside and became unpleasantly squishy and soggy on the outside, like marshmallows softening in hot chocolate.

Although most stuffings could probably be improved with some fiddling, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to achieving the perfect texture. We also think that a convenience product such as packaged stuffing should have reliable instructions and be at its best without any tweaking.

We can fully recommend just one product, which had “good, moist texture” and the big, bold flavor we were after. StoveTop Stuffing Mix—Chicken ($2.29 for a 6-ounce box) beat the competition with its intensely “meaty,” “savory” flavor. We don’t think it will convert people who are used to homemade stuffing, but if you like the ease and familiarity of the packaged stuff, this is the one to buy.