Let's talk about stuffing (dressing)

I've often wondered how to properly cook stuffing outside the turkey. There are many reasons to do this:

• You may want to cook more stuffing than will fit in the bird
• Stuffing the bird is not extremely easy
  
• You may want to start cooking the bird before it has completely thawed, ergo you can't remove the removables from the cavity
• You may want to ensure that the stuffing is cooked properly (165F) and that often doesn't happen when cooked in the bird
• You may want to cut down on bird cooking time or temperature (stuffing adds to the time)
  

Well, I pulled it off and it was marvelous. I prepared the stuffing as normal, then plopped the whole mess into one of those Hot Bags made of aluminum foil. Before I put it in the oven, I used a baster to remove some of the turkey juice and moisten the stuffing. Iused about 3 or 4 basters full of juice - it can dry out fast cooking in the bag. I only folded the bag once, to make sure the thing could breathe. I put it in the oven next to the bird for about the last 80 minutes at 325F. It came out done, a little crispy around the edges in fact (just the way I like it). So if you like your stuffing less crispy, go for 60 minutes instead. Note: those Hot Bags are not leak-proof. Sit them in a pan or something so juice doesn't leak all over.....