Thanksgiving Turkey?

[dolphinluvr107]

Hi all, this is my first Thanksgiving gluten-free and although my mother-in-law is using a gluten-free turkey, the stuffing inside will not be gluten-free. Can I still eat it?? At first I thought yet, but now I'm thinking not. Because if stuffing gets in the pan and she pours the juices over the turkey while cooking, then it's contaminted. I think I'm out of luck and I hate to tell her because she tries so hard to make sure I have gluten-free things to eat. Help!

[Lisa]

I think that I'm telling you something that you already know. A gluten filled turkey will no longer be safe to eat.

Just tell her that you are learning new things every day. I would bring your own cornish hen to eat with the family. The little kids at my table thought it was wonderful, because I had my own "mini-me".

[psawyer]

As Lisa said, stuffing the bird with gluten will contaminate the entire turkey. The Cornish hen idea is good. You can make your own gluten-free stuffing if you want. For stuffing, just about any gluten-free bread will do (we use Glutino fiber cord bread ourselves). All of the things people gripe about regarding the texture of gluten-free bread actually make for a good stuffing.

[Wolicki]

Wouldn't she be willing to cook the stuffing on the side, instead of in the bird? We called it

dressing in the South

[dolphinluvr107]

Thanks everyone! That makes a whole lot of sense. I'm on my way to the store for my own cornish hen.

[TedL]

I had this debate with my sister for a few years until she started cooking the stuffing separately. Frankly the turkey cooks faster and it's actually recommended from a food safety perspective anyway. It sounds like it's too late for this discussion for this year, but you should have that in advance next year. It's not really a big sacrifice to ask someone to cook stuffing separately.

Regards,

Ted (in NY)