How To Avoid Crumbly Stuffing

Stuffing is a deceptively simple dish. There are endless variations, most based on simple ingredients with minimal prep. However, while there's no one "right" way to make stuffing, there are wrong ways to do it. Stuffing is easy to oversalt, and cooking stuffing in a turkey can be downright dangerous. One element that can be particularly hard to perfect is the texture.

Ultimately, texture comes down to binding agents. As Food Fire & Knives explains, binding agents are ingredients that help hold the ingredients together for texture and shape. If you don't want your stuffing to crumble, you can't skimp on the stuff that holds it together. Butter, eggs, and milk can all be used as binding agents in stuffing, so if your recipe calls for them, keep in mind that they're there for a reason.

Whether you're making a classic country bread stuffing or experimenting with unexpected ingredients like jalapeño and bacon, here are a few tips to keep in mind to prevent your stuffing from turning into a crumbly mess.

One major mistake when cooking stuffing is using fresh bread that hasn't been properly dried. Sure, this is counterintuitive: Wouldn't fresh bread make for better-tasting stuffing? However, according to Eating Well, dry or slightly stale bread does a better job of soaking up moisture without getting soggy. Once you start to cook the stuffing, the liquid that the bread has absorbed will bind the ingredients together. If you don't have stale bread on hand, use a skillet or oven to make homemade croutons.

Once you've made your broth, carefully combine it with the bread and mix-ins, adding a bit at a time. Eating Well suggests adding a splash of broth, stirring, then letting the stuffing sit for a minute. That way, you won't pour in more broth than the bread can absorb. Stop before the broth starts to pool in the bottom of the dish.

While plenty of broth is a must, you should consider cutting back on the mix-ins. Vegetables, nuts, and meats are all critical elements that help add flavor, but adding too many can prevent the binder from doing its job. The Kitchn suggests that the perfect ratio is to use twice as much bread as veggies and proteins.

How your stuffing holds together (or doesn't) can make or break this side dish, so don't forget these binding tricks, if you want to avoid a crumbly mess.