For years, a relative of mine served boxed stuffing at her holiday gatherings, spiced up with cut-up pre-cooked turkey sausage. When I offered to make some homemade stuffing one year, she waved me off. “No one can the tell the difference, anyway.”
Funny, but I could absolutely tell the difference. Was it just me? I contemplated on how real mashed potatoes, gravy, fresh green beans and cranberry sauce would stack up to their processed cousins. What about supermarket turkey versus a fresh, organic bird?
To find out, I made two dinners, one with fresh side dishes and a fancy turkey, the other with packaged sides and a supermarket bird. To test them, I gathered a panel of objective judges — the firefighters from my local firehouse. The result? Find out in our in-depth look – plus get my favorite recipes — in the Firehouse Challenge on my new site, CookFearless.com
Reblogged this on High Desert Green and commented:
If you have any doubt that the investment of a little extra time to cook your holiday dinner fresh from scratch is worth the effort, check out this side-by-side taste test judged by a group of firefighters.
Hi Katherine! I enjoyed reading your test group results on homemade vs. convenience Thanksgiving. I really want to respond to your book “The Sharper your Knife the Less You Cry”. (I guess I was late to discover you.) I happened to check out the audio version from my library and loved the experience. You’ve inspired me to put more of my heart into the daily task of cooking for my family.
Great, I am so glad to hear it! I’ve started another site http://cookfearless.com with lots of recipes and so on to help inspire. Maybe you’ll become a recipe tester? Drop me a line info@ kathleenflinn.com