Pro Chefs Blind Taste Test Every Boxed Stuffing | The Taste Panel | Epicurious

Quick Overview

The professional chefs determined that the Williams Sonoma Organic Focaccia Stuffing Mix was the best overall stuffing due to its superior bread integrity, flavor balance, and depth of flavor, despite being the most expensive product tested at $19.95.

Key Points: Williams Sonoma Organic Focaccia Stuffing Mix ($19.95) was ranked as the best stuffing, praised for its superior bread integrity, flavor balance, and depth of flavor. Stove Top Turkey Stuffing Mix ($4.29) was criticized for being too dry and having bread pieces that were too small and broke apart easily. Chef Melba Wilson noted the Stove Top Turkey mix lacked flavor depth, while Chef Darrell Holder found it tasted like plain bread. Chef Chris Morocco praised the Williams Sonoma Focaccia Stuffing for having a nice savory flavor with notes of rosemary and garlic, and good bread integrity. Chef Darrell Holder stated that the Aleia's Gluten-Free Savory Stuffing ($6.49) was too sweet and lacked balance, tasting like couscous or quinoa. The Great Value Turkey-Flavored Stuffing Mix ($0.97) was described as tasting artificial, overly salty, and having poor texture. The final ranking placed Williams Sonoma first, followed by Stove Top Cornbread, Aleia's, Stove Top Turkey, Great Value, and finally Chef's Cupboard Hawaiian Stuffing Mix.

Context: Three professional chefs—Darrell Holder, Chris Morocco (Food Director for Bon Appétit and Epicurious), and Melba Wilson (Chef/Owner of Melba's in Harlem, NY)—conducted a blind taste test of six different boxed stuffing and dressing mixes to determine which one best met their ideal culinary criteria: bread integrity, balance of seasonings, and depth of flavor.

Detailed Analysis

The video features three professional chefs blind taste-testing six different boxed stuffing and dressing mixes against ideal criteria: bread integrity, balance of seasonings, and depth of flavor. The Stove Top Turkey Stuffing Mix ($4.29) ranked poorly because the bread pieces were too small and dried out, leading to a mushy texture. Chef Melba Wilson noted its lack of flavor depth. The Great Value Turkey-Flavored Stuffing Mix ($0.97) was criticized for tasting artificial, overly salty, and having a texture like couscous. Chef Chris Morocco found the Stove Top Cornbread Stuffing ($4.49) to have good flavor but too much salt and an overly sweet quality. Aleia's Gluten-Free Savory Stuffing ($6.49) was praised by the chef panel for its visible vegetables (carrots and celery) and savory flavor, but Melba found it too salty and lacking moisture retention. The Williams Sonoma Organic Brioche Stuffing Mix ($19.95) was the consensus winner; the chefs praised its excellent bread integrity (large, well-toasted chunks), good savory flavor profile (including butter, rosemary, and garlic notes), and superior texture, despite its high price. The final rankings placed Williams Sonoma first, followed by Stove Top Cornbread, Aleia's, Stove Top Turkey, Great Value, and Chef's Cupboard Hawaiian Stuffing Mix, which was cited as overly sweet and lacking complexity.