Evidently, stuffing is no longer just served on the fourth Thursday in November. Just look at all the stuffing mixes on the grocery shelf.

And why not eat stuffing year-round? It's a passable starch-on-the-side when you're weary of pasta and potatoes, and fast to make if you're using a mix.

To find the best mix, we asked the Taste Team to blindly sample five brands of chicken-flavored (chicken appears to be the most common flavor) stuffing. We made all of the samples in the microwave, using only water and butter as directed on the packages.

Although the team made it clear none of the quick stuffings would pass muster at Grandmother's house on Thanksgiving, they chose Kraft StoveTop ($1.99 per 8 servings) as the favorite, because it was moist, had good sage flavor and tasted "closest to homemade."

The Butterball One-Step Stuffing ($1.99 per 4.5 servings) finished second in our taste test. Pepperidge Farm One-Step ($1.99 per 4.5 servings) and Kroger Stuffing Magic ($ 2.99 per 8 servings) tied for third, and the Brownberry Homestyle Stuffing Mix ($1.69 per 6 servings), which the Taste Team described as "pasty" and "bland," finished last.

Maybe you shouldn't try to pass that one off on Granny next week.

Chuck Martin