Why do people think stuffing and dressing are the same thing?

Question

They are clearly two separate things, stuffings made with toast and dressings made with cornbread...Right?
Stuffing goes in the turkey and dressing is a side to eat with the turkey!

Answer 1

Actuall the recipe for stuffing or dressing can vary. Both can use different breads. As you point out the term stuffing came from putting it inside the turkey before cooking. Dressing is made seperately and served as a side dish. that is the only difference.

Answer 2

Alton Brown from the Food Network did a whole show on the food network some time ago. He said that in theory dressing & stuffing are the same things in terms of what they are. i.e. bread pieces (be it cornbread, muffins, whatever), veggies and whatever else you put in it, combined together and baked. But stuffing is what actually is put into the cavity of the bird and then baked. Dressing is put into some sort of casserole dish and cooked separately. It never touches the bird while cooking.

The biggest problem with stuffing, the kind that is inside the bird is coordinating the cooking time for when that is done vs. when the bird is done. You have to really watch the internal temperature of stuffing as it has been in contact with raw meat. Dressing you don't worry about that as it cooks separately.

My family calls it both.

Answer 3

In our house, Stuffing/Dressing was basically the same thing, just the method of preparation was different.......stuffing is the "stuff" which is placed in the open cavity of the bird and baked along with (inside) the turkey......the remainder of the "stuffing" that didn't fit in the turkey went into a buttered casserole dish and covered and baked for the last hour of the total time that the turkey roasts, that is what we called "dressing".......I prefer dressing, as it's crisper and not as "doughy and sticky" as stuffing......But, it's all good!!!

Answer 4

There are wide, geographical differences in the use of these words. People in some places "properly" use the words "stuffing" and "dressing" interchangeably. In some places, "dressing" is the "proper" way to address both inside and outside of the bird servings and preparations. Some places, it is "proper" to call inside, "stuffing", outside, "dressing". Some places, "dressing" refers only to mayonaisse or oil spreads, such as "salad dressings". The only actual "proper" way to address stuffing of any kind, though cornbread is my favorite, is to EAT it! But, cornbread "stuffing" isn't considered to be a "proper" stuffing OR dressing in most of the world.

Answer 5

Acutally the difference in words are purely regional. Usually northeners say stuffing, southerners say dressing. Whether it's in or out of the turkey, or even if it's made from white bread or cornbread. It's locale that determines what you call it!

Answer 6

Probably because most younger people have never had REAL stuffing. Most people take the easy way out and use products like Kraft Stove Top Stuffing strictly as a side dish.

Answer 7

uh, cornbread stuffing and dressing is made with cornbread. not all dressing is made with cornbread. really, they are the same. stuffing goes in the turkey. dressing does not, it "dresses" the bird, on the side.

Answer 8

Because stuffing was actually served to a queen who thought stuffing was too improper so she decided to call it DRESSING instead so regardless of what bread item you use the terms are actually interchangeable

Answer 9

Because people insanely use their colloquialisms to establish intellectual territory in support of their grand narratives through semantics.

Answer 10

People in different parts of the country call it different things.