The Basic Components

• Pan dressings vary widely, and there are almost as many family recipes as there are families, but most of the ingredients are reasonably constant. The base is usually bread, cut into croutons and dried, though cornbread dressing has its adherents, too. The dressing usually includes aromatic ingredients, such as onions, celery and herbs -- especially fresh sage -- to complement the flavors of the chicken or turkey, and many also include crisp bacon, well-rendered sausage or other savory ingredients. Finally, the mixture is moistened with chicken or turkey broth. Whether or not you cover the pan often boils down to the texture you prefer in your dressing.

Wet or Dry

• The dry croutons of bread can soak up a considerable quantity of broth, like many tiny sponges. That's a good thing up to a point, because the broth has flavor of its own and also helps convey the flavor of the herbs and aromatics into the bread. But it can also leave the dressing dense and soggy. Cooks who favor a light, fluffy dressing tend to use relatively little broth. Those who like it wetter, with a greater resemblance to dressing cooked inside the bird, typically add more. This has an impact on how you bake it, and whether you cover the dish.

Going Topless

• If you fall into the light-dressing camp, you might not need to cover the dish. Dry dressing cooks relatively quickly, because of the limited quantity of steam escaping from the dish, and can be baked briefly at high heat until the top is golden brown. Wet dressing is different, needing longer baking time for the croutons to absorb the broth and set to a firm consistency resembling bread pudding. It's typically baked under a lid or a covering of foil, to prevent the top from becoming dark before the middle sets. If you want a textural contrast, you can remove the foil once the dressing is nearly cooked and finish it topless, so it can brown and crisp.

As a Fix

• Occasionally you might find that you've added more broth than you wanted, or more than your bread could absorb. You can fix this, to some extent, by removing the top. Carefully pour off as much excess liquid as you can, then stir the dish so the wet bread from the interior comes to the top. Put the dish back in your oven, uncovered, so moisture can evaporate. After 20 minutes or so, take out the dressing and repeat the process. After two stirs, the stuffing should be drier and less stodgy, with a pleasantly toasty flavor.