Is Turkey From A Stuffed Bird Safe?

[RWWolfe]

My dad, who is 82, was diagnosed with Celiac last February after a difficult 6 months and is now gluten free and feeling much better. Is it safe for him to eat meat from a bird that has been stuffed with wheat based stuffing? It would be nice to be able to continue to stuff the bird with traditional stuffing but I obviously don't want to endanger him. He doesn't eat stuffing so replacing it with gluten free is not really an issue. Thanks for any thoughts you might have.

[kareng]

Simple answer, "NO!"

There is no way you could keep the crumbs away from his turkey. Why don't you just make the stuffing in a separate pan? It's recommended from a food poisoning stand point. Saw a thing on TV about how lots of people end up with food poisoning Thanksgiving night from the stuffing in the turkey. The turkey juice drips in and isn't cooked hot enough.

[pricklypear1971]

No.

I just made a turduckporken roulade and can tell you that crap (stuffing) gets on everything.

On top of that, I'd bet there was basting going on...and that would have stuffing drippings in it.

And it is quite possible to cook a stuffed bird without killing people (use a thermometer). Cooking an unstuffed bird is easier, IMO.

[kareng]

No.

I just made a turduckporken roulade and can tell you that crap (stuffing) gets on everything.

On top of that, I'd bet there was basting going on...and that would have stuffing drippings in it.

And it is quite possible to cook a stuffed bird without killing people (use a thermometer). Cooking an unstuffed bird is easier, IMO.

Good point on the basting & juices.

But most people put the thermometer in the bird meat, not the interior where the stuffing is. I just thought it was one more reason to make her gluten separate and not poison her dad.

[Skylark]

Not safe. Try a cornbread stuffing made with gluten-free cornbread, or make your stuffing from gluten-free bread. I hear the inedible Ener-G bread actually makes quite good stuffing.

[pricklypear1971]

Good point on the basting & juices.

But most people put the thermometer in the bird meat, not the interior where the stuffing is. I just thought it was one more reason to make her gluten separate and not poison her dad.

You're right. I tested mine in several places to hit stuffing and meat. Most people stick the thermometer in the leg area but not the stuffing.

[Leper Messiah]

Absolutely no. Separate all the way.

[Strawberry-Jam]

just gonna echo what everyone else is saying: absolutely NOT. you'll CC the entire bird, no matter how hard you try.

make the stuffing separately and add it to the turkey on your plates, in a separate place from where your celiac family serves their food.

[RWWolfe]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll cook the stuffing seperately.

[Strawberry-Jam]

I just want to check back in and add that it is very sweet and good of you to actually care and actually check up on this rather than making assumptions. It makes me sad when my aunt offers me a piece of delicious-looking pie with the crust cut off, which I know would not be safe at all, but she doesn't get it.

so, on behalf of celiacs everywhere--thanks

[SabineHP]

This year, was my first time contending with the question of turkey stuffing.

Despite communicating to the Thanksgiving host/cook (well ahead of time) that I had read that it is NOT safe for me to consume turkey meat that had been stuffed with glutinous stuffing, somehow regular stuffing was used. The hostess swore that NO stuffing touched the outside of the bird at any time during the cooking process; this bird was smoked on a grill and the thermometer was inserted in ONE place during the entire time. My well meaning friends cut me the first slices "far away from the stuffing center" and I took a chance. Celiac gluten exposure symptoms started with severe bloating, nausea and insomnia(<day 1) followed by headache, droopy eyes and tiredness (<day 2) and finally brain fog, severely droopy eyes, fatigue and joint pains (<day 3). Acute symptoms stay in effect for a full five days

I don't know how the gluten gets inside the meat, but my personal tried and true conclusion, regarding Thanksgiving turkey cooked with stuffing inside the bird: it is NOT safe for individuals with Celiac. 

[squirmingitch]

I'm sorry you got glutened but this is a prime example of why you take your OWN food & do NOT rely on others to get food right for you. They do not know the rules & honestly, they are not responsible for keeping you safe. They may love you, family & friends mean well, but we shouldn't expect them to get everything right. It's hard enough for us & we know the rules. 

[SabineHP]

Very true. I guess I'm a little slow in the acceptance process of the facts and differentiating between "well meaning" and "knowing". 

Also, am I the only one, who doesn't want to hurt other people's feelings, after they spent a.l.l. day preparing and cooking? I know, I understand, I comprehend that,  I, myself have to protect me and my health. I just wish it could be done in a gentler way; a way that makes me seem less demanding, self-centered, (eccentric, neurotic).

Also: I don't know how to get my friends to understand Celiac and how debilitating gluten ecposure is to me. I get it, they don't have to understand and I have to do what I have to, but stil...

[GFinDC]

Hi Sabine,

It doesn't really matter if they understand, as long as you protect yourself by not eating their food.  Ask yourself how many conditions your friends have that you have really delved into and studied up on to learn all the ins and outs of it?  Are you up on all the latest treatments for diabetes?  Heart disease? Arthritis?  Not many people are, including doctors.  Medicine is a huge field  of study, that's why doctors often specialize in one area.  It's not easy.

You are still learning yourself or you wouldn't have gotten sick.  We all go through a learning phase where we make mistakes starting the gluten-free diet.  But over time we get smarter about it and do better.  Our friends may never "get it", but if we do that's the important thing.

Holidays can be harder because they are so food centric.  I hope your next holiday is better.

[Ennis-TX]

3 hours ago, SabineHP said:

Very true. I guess I'm a little slow in the acceptance process of the facts and differentiating between "well meaning" and "knowing". 

Also, am I the only one, who doesn't want to hurt other people's feelings, after they spent a.l.l. day preparing and cooking? I know, I understand, I comprehend that,  I, myself have to protect me and my health. I just wish it could be done in a gentler way; a way that makes me seem less demanding, self-centered, (eccentric, neurotic).

Also: I don't know how to get my friends to understand Celiac and how debilitating gluten ecposure is to me. I get it, they don't have to understand and I have to do what I have to, but stil...

We have joked about comparing rat poison, ortho powder or antifreeze as a comparison for gluten for us IE, asking them would they eat something that knowingly had rat poison mixed in then picked out, dusted with ortho powder, or cooked with a bit of antifreeze (DO NOT ACTUALLY OFFER THESE OR FIX IT, This is a VERBAL suggestion to them not something to do. Or comparing it to a extreme allergen, fact is out body thinks gluten is a foreign intruder to destroy and reacts like it is a germ and then some.

Comparing a gluten exposure for a normal person...depending on reactions can be like the flu with explosive Diarrhea minus the fever but with all the aches. Sorta like getting a stomach bug/food poisoning with the aches of a flu and the mental issues....of someone in a asylum for a few days. I really do wish we could convey how bad it makes us feel to others better.

Guess you could ask for a sit down and convince family to eat a chocolate pie with 3-4boxes of exlax and drink a orange soda with 6-8 tsp of magnesium Calm powder then ask them to add in the feeling of the flu with it while they in the in the bathroom for a sympathy session.

For Future sessions bring your own versions in your own containers with your own silverware, company with family is what matters. Perhaps one day do what I do, I host for holiday dinners and fix everything myself.

[squirmingitch]

15 hours ago, SabineHP said:

Very true. I guess I'm a little slow in the acceptance process of the facts and differentiating between "well meaning" and "knowing". 

Also, am I the only one, who doesn't want to hurt other people's feelings, after they spent a.l.l. day preparing and cooking? I know, I understand, I comprehend that,  I, myself have to protect me and my health. I just wish it could be done in a gentler way; a way that makes me seem less demanding, self-centered, (eccentric, neurotic).

Also: I don't know how to get my friends to understand Celiac and how debilitating gluten ecposure is to me. I get it, they don't have to understand and I have to do what I have to, but stil...

I get it. I think we all do because we've been there, done that to a lesser or greater extent. It's hard to speak out clearly & make absolute declarations. We worry about hurting people's feelings but at some point, all of us come around to the realization that we're worrying about the wrong thing when we should be worrying about protecting ourselves at all costs. You just have to put your foot down. You don't have to be cruel, you just have to be firm. For some of us that's easier & for some of us, that's harder.