My understanding, flawed though it may be, is that the eggs work as a "binder" so it can hold together and instead of being a bunch of loose bread cubes, onions, etc flopping around, it can come out as a piece, vaguely similar to pulling a cornbread or cake out of a pan. It's like the eggs and bread fillers in a meatloaf.

The best way to tell if the eggs are cooked is to use a thermometer and be sure it's at a safe temperature. Eggs don't need high temperature to cook but I'm more concerned about turkey juices and that in a stuffing getting to a high enough temperature.

Can't help you with the recipe request. I'm collecting different recipes but have none that fit your search. Someone here might have it. I'll do some looking though and see what I can come up with.

Oh, and another thing about whether eggs are done, think of the breakfast casseroles, which, when you think about it, are similar to a stuffing. The bread, eggs, sausage, onion, etc, are cooked in a pan and the eggs set up nicely and are cooked plenty. I don't think you have any fear that way.

I think egg adds richness to stuffing....and I cook it before I add to the stuffing.

Sometimes I will make a stuffing like this....in a huge frying pan...
Sautee a cup of chopped onion and a cup of chopped celery in 2 sticks of butter until very soft.
Add a 16 oz package of pepperidge farms herb stuffing mix and 2 cups of your own bread crumbs( I use my french bread, grated and then dried to crispy) I add 1/2 tsp dried sage, 2 T dry parsley and 2 cups of chicken broth wisked with 3 eggs, add to the still cooking stuffing, cook and stir and keep adding more broth until it's the consistancy you like....may take more than a quart. Then I finish off with the juice os a small lemon and a fairly good amount of black pepper.
The stuffing should be hot enough to cook the egg....put it into the bird and pop it into the oven!!

I would assume eggs are a binder in it. My grandma's recipe is one large loaf of bread tOrn onto Pieces and dried. Two wrap ks of celery one onion salt pepper and sage and an egg. Mom always ran everything but the bread and seasoning thru the blender. Put the dry bread in a large bowl. Salt pepper sage ( dried) then pour the milk egg celery onion mix over and mix. Add more milk as needed for the moistness you want. Stuff your bird or put in a pan and bake covered. For drier more crisp top remove cover for maybe 15-20 min before done. I have no idea for a temp for doneness for you. I usually bake it about an hour. Sorry for any typos. I'm on my phone.

You can use pepperidge farm stuffing mix in mine. I do it all the time. I buy the unseasoned. Also you can use chicken broth in place of the milk.

The eggs are definitely a binder and act similarly to the way they do in a souffle. The stuffing will be crumbly and fall apart without the eggs. I sometimes make a very quick stuffing using grits in place of cornbread, and my family likes it very much:

Grits Faux Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil or grape seed oil
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups finely chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth (or water)
1 tbsp soup base, mushroom, chicken, vegetable, or a combination
1/8 tsp cayenne or hot sauce
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1-2 tsp dried sage (according to your taste)
3/4 cup quick grits (be sure not to use "instant") - can substitute polenta
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
2 cups dry bread, in small cubes

Directions:
In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil and add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the onion, celery, and garlic, and saute for a few minutes, or until the onions begin to be translucent. The celery must stay crunchy. Add the water (or broth, if you have it), soup base, cayenne, and herbs, and stir to combine. Take the pan off heat, and add the quick grits slowly while stirring. Stir for one minute off heat, and return to low heat. Cover and cook five minutes more (for a total of six minutes), stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs with the 1/4 cup water, and then combine with the bread cubes. Transfer the bread to a 9x9 baking dish, add the cooked grits, and stir to combine.

Bake covered for about 10 minutes - longer if the grits have been made ahead and have cooled. If you like it less moist, you can bake it uncovered. If you want it more moist, add more chicken broth.

I frequently now make this recipe with cornbread instead of grits, but my method is similar. For a large group, I double the recipe. I bake the cornbread the day before in a cast iron skillet, and the recipe uses cornmeal, eggs, and buttermilk but has no sugar or wheat flour.

Lars

I don't think it's necessary if you are stuffing the turkey, but if you are baking it separate it does help to keep it moist and less crumbly.

I don't get the eggs, either. Seems to me if the stuffing/dressing resembles the crouton bowl at a salad bar, it's simply too dry. Remoistened stale bread binds itself. And IMO a traditional Thanksgiving meal needs no help in the form of richness. Even sausage in stuffing is borderline criminal to me, much as I love it!

Those opinion aside, I agree with cynic, when it comes to food safety I'd be a million times more concerned about the turkey and its juices than the eggs.

If your stuffing contains a lot of cornbread (and especially cornbread made without flour), it will be crumbly without eggs, but if you omit cornbread, you can get away with not using eggs. I personally have never made stuffing without cornbread.

Lars

Tami, that's much like my Grandma's stuffing. She'd melt a chunk of butter, then saute a couple of onions and some chopped celery in it. She'd "save" stale bread and the "heels" of loaves, cube them and toast them and keep them for the stuffing. The melted butter and seasoning mix went over the bread cubes with salt and papper, a couple of eggs were added, then enough broth to make the stuffing sufficiently moist. Stuff that into the turkey and bake the whole she-bang. She said the eggs helped the stuffing to stay moist, my family likes it very moist so I put them in.

elery grew up on cornbread stuffing and his version also has eggs. As cynic stated, I'd be more owrried about the turkey juices cooking thoroughly than the eggs. I would assume that salmonella is the concern with the eggs, and that's killed at 165F, if it was ever present to begin with.

kel, I don't see any reason why Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix couldn't be used in place of the bread, I've just never done it that way.

Annie

Somewhere I read. . . but then I could have made it up, that if you put eggs in a precooked dish it should not go into the freezer.

I would like to make my stuffing, haven't decided on the egg or not yet, and sweet potato casserole, with an egg, and freeze them before baking. Do you see any problem with this?

Due to physical problems I need to do things early and in steps. If they're not frozen, how long would they keep in the refrigerator? We're having our Thanksgiving on Saturday.

The only time I've seen using eggs in a stuffing recipe is when I was searching for a slow-cooker stuffing recipe.

After making the recipe the first time, 2 years ago, it's the only way I make dressing now.....in the slow-cooker. It calls for an egg.

There are lots of stuffing/dressing recipes, and many do not call for eggs. Just check our different recipes if the eggs have you concerned. And I think worrying about the eggs being "done" is like worrying about the eggs in a cake being done. Not an issue.

I have never added eggs to stuffing.

One of the best turkey dressing I ever ate had cooked pork sausage, mushrooms, chopped hard boiled eggs, the usual assortment of sage and thyme and parsley, corn bread and dried bread....celery and onions and who knows what else.
It's long process but is the best stuffing I have ever eaten.

I have never added eggs to stuffing.

Never added eggs to stuffing but for some reason, was just thinking about doing so this year to see what happens.

And I always make cornbread for the stuffing and it's never crumbly. Just moisten it with some broth. If you marinated your turkey, you can also use some of that but be careful because a little goes a long way and you'll also be using some in your gravy if you use the pan drippings. Same thing if you're going to use cut up pieces of bread. If you're using something from a box, I have no clue.

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and responses! Gosh, you guys/gals are the best! :)

So, it sounds like the eggs are just for a "binder" and not flavor etc. Think I might try it just to see if I notice any difference. And like one of you said, it's really not any different than eggs getting "done" in a cake--hadn't thought of it that way.

Tami and Annie-- your recipes sound like they are what I was looking for.

Jasdip--would you mind sharing the slow cooker recipe? That would be such an oven space saver. I would really like to try that!

Thanks again to each and every one of you that took the time to respond!

If you use cornbread made with wheat flour, you will get different results than if you use cornbread made without flour, which is what I prefer. This is the recipe for cornbread that I use when making stuffing. It's very typical for Texas but may not be as common in the North.

Lars

Kel3, here is my slow cooker recipe. My mom and I have always added leftover cooked rice to the dressing, so I toss that in there as well.

The first time I made it, everyone raved about it, and I've cooked it this way ever since.

Slow-Cooker Stuffing/Dressing

1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
12 cups dry bread cubes
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 1/2 cups chicken broth, or as needed
2 eggs, beaten

Melt butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, and parsley in butter, stirring frequently.

Spoon cooked vegetables over bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. Season with poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, marjoram, and salt and pepper. Pour in enough broth to moisten, and mix in eggs.

Spray slow-cooker with non-stick spray and transfer mixture to slow cooker.
Cook on High for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to Low, and cook for about 4 hours.

Publickman that's the real deal. A few years ago I started adding the stuffing ingredients directly to that - fried up some onions, added sage and thyme and such from the garden. You get more intensity of flavor in the stuffing that way. And this year I kept some sweet corn from the last ears of the season - cut the kernels off and froze them. Can't stand the frozen corn you buy in the supermarket - I tried it once but ended up throwing it out into the compost pile.

Thanks jasdip! I think I'm going to try this!

My sister was originally hosting Thanksgiving this year but is now unable to so it is now going to be at my house. She brought over 3 bags of the pepperidge farm herb seasoned stuffing mix that I would really like to use if I can. Do you think I could use this for the stuffing? If so, would I just cut back on the seasonings? It feels (haven't opened one) that its more like crumbs rather than bread cubes--any problem with that?

Thanks again! :)

I searched for "eggs in stuffing" because my cousin mentioned she'd left them out today and was concerned. Now... my mother was a bad cook... and I use Martha Stewart's basic stuffing recipe... with Italian Sausage added... and I've never even considered adding egg. I mean, I love egg in fried rice, but it doesn't really appeal to me in stuffing. I think the trick to making it bind is to use plenty of chicken stock and that stuff will bind.

Oh, and... at least in fried rice... the egg cooks really fast when it's all mixed around... I'm sure it's the same in stuffing.

If eggs are used in a stuffing recipe, I would assume it would be a binder, but like you, I use either milk or broth to bind mine. I also put sausage in mine.

Both ways are good, and both ways can be not so good. Good stuffing is one of life's mysteries to me, like pie. Both are ridiculously easy and yet I rarely make what I consider really good versions. I can use the same exact recipe someone else does and mine doesn't turn out. Or it turns out good one year and not the next. One thing I am going to try is Lars recipe for quick cornbread stuffing adding polenta. I have two bags of the stuff in my pantry, because I bought two by mistake, so I'm always looking for ways to use polenta. Plus I just love the stuff!

I've never used eggs and it turned out a bit too wet. It was perfect this morning topped with a fried egg. It just needed a bit of drying out.

My mother always adds egg and it is always dry and crumbly. She insists on following her same recipe every year even though it needs at least another cup of stock. (and she says the same thing every year...that it is dry and needs more stock, lol). Dad just adds a cup of gravy on top and calls it perfect.

In my family eggs are always used in homemade dressing. I can remember my Grandma making it that way and I am 80 years old. So when I make it, it will have eggs.

Sue

I lied. Sorry. My grandmother's recipe, which I use, calls for a pound of bread, dried, 2 stalks of celery, 1 med. onion, dried ground sage to taste, 2 eggs, 1 cup of milk.

My mom followed this recipe, but sometimes added about 1# of fresh bulk sausage. I run everything but the bread thru the blender, pour that over the bread and sage, mix, and add more milk or broth as needed. I like it best in the bird, as I like moist stuffing. DH likes it drier. So he gets the crunchy part at the edges if I make extra, or make it in a dish when I don't have a turkey to stuff.

Add a lot of onions, sautéed mushrooms and stock to breadcrumbs or crackers

I use either Mrs Cubbeson or Pepperidge Farm. i start by sauteeing a chopped large onion and several stalks of celery in 1/4 c butter. Saute on low heat till the vegetables are soft. i pour them over the stuffing mix, and i add more sage, thyme, and whatever. Poultry seasoning is good too. Spices are already in the dry mix i buy, but i always add these spices, about 1/2-1 tsp sage, less of the others. Then I moisten it with a can of chicken broth,. Rinse the inside of the bird, dry with paper towels, stuff the cavity and neck, skewer the neck shut. Once the stuffing ingredients are mixed, promptly stuff the bird and put it straight in the oven to avoid risking food poisoning.

Why use eggs when there's already butter and broth in it? I don't have a problem with texture and moistness and I wonder if it would make the dressing a little heavier. I would like to make it fluffier if possible.

I think that probably the idea of a bread stuffing came from the older idea of bread pudding and that used eggs. It is, essentially, an extension of that.

I use an egg or two in my bread stuffing/dressing. I find that it gives a nice rich and sturdy texture to it. It is probably just fine if you dont, but I do.

I quit stuffing it inside of a turkey a long time ago . It just did not seem to be of any real need to do so and it muddied up the carcass when it came time to make that required soup with the leavings. So, I guess I make "dressing" , rather than "stuffing". That is my very favorite part of the meal . I love my own that i make, but, dont we all love our own?

lars, you are real texas with your cornbread dressing. Me too! I do mix in a bit of white bread into the cornbread, for the texture. Cornbread and cornbread dressing are two of my favorite things, ever! i often bake a skillet of cornbread when the oven is on just to have it around. I find that it freezes well and it also heats up nicely in a hot skillet. If I have cornbread and a can of good beans, I have dinner......cornbread and beans!! We had it last night, with buttter beans. I still cant stop hubs from wanting his beans in a bowl and molasses on his cornbread, After all, he is Jersey Italian! They know nothing of cornbread and buy corncakes at the bakery.....sweet ones! Ugh!

Now I have to bake another skillet of cornbread for the dressing!