The Ratio To Follow For Perfect Thanksgiving Stuffing Every Time

Stuffing is an open canvas ready for your preferences of flavors. Whether you're making a rich and crunchy pistachio, guanciale, and chicken liver recipe or a spicy, meaty chorizo cornbread stuffing with poblano peppers and chorizo, you have options when it comes to choosing recipes to set onto the dining room table. We admit that stuffing recipes can get pretty unhinged, however, and seem particularly overwhelming during holiday seasons. Add in the pressure of hungry friends and family ready to eat, and following even a simple country bread stuffing recipe can seem like a monumental chore. 

To put together a recipe that is neither soggy nor chalky and packed full of flavor that will complement and not distract from the rest of the dishes planned for your special Thanksgiving menu, we consulted executive chef Bryan Ogen of Bourbon Steak New York by Chef Michael Mina. Nestled inside of the JW Marriott Essex House, Bourbon Steak New York offers plates of caviar and shellfish, trolleys of foie gras, and wagyu and steaks cooked over a wood-fired grill. 

With sides of loaded baked potatoes and roasted mushrooms doused in garlic herb butter, this is the kind of establishment that no visitor will leave famished. Ogen helpfully provided us with a convenient ratio to keep in mind as we start to tear up pieces of bread and collect ingredients to make stuffing. For every 5 cups of diced bread used, Ogen recommends adding 1½ cups of stock and one egg to the mixture. 

While the type of bread may be the fluctuating variable used in your chosen stuffing recipe, remembering Bryan Ogen's suggested ratio of ingredients can help keep your stuffing on the right track. No matter what spices and various ingredients you dump into the mixing bowl, ensuring an adequate and proportional amount of bread and liquid can keep stuffing flavorful and moist so you have one less task to worry about as you work to cook a memorable meal. For every kind of stuffing you make, this 5 cups of bread to 1½ cups of liquid ratio can help maintain a reliable structure as you season and stir ingredients.

Speaking of ratios, the best way to ensure the perfect texture of your stuffing is to keep all of your add-ins to around half of the amount of bread you're using, so 2½ cups or less if you're applying Ogen's suggestion. And if you're catering to dietary restrictions and prefer to omit the egg in your stuffing recipe, be sure to choose a similar binder for your ingredients. A flax egg, for example, aquafaba, or a gluten-free egg replacer can be suitable vegan-friendly alternatives. Just be sure to heed Ogen's advice to create a recipe that is balanced, regardless of the ingredients used, and you'll be able to scoop delicious stuffing onto places with confidence and ease.