Every family approaches the Thanksgiving meal in its own way. That includes deciding when to lean on convenience foods to fill out the feast. For some people, it isn’t the holidays without a quivering, out-of-a-can cranberry sauce. Others might pick up a prepared turkey or rolls from a local bakery to shorten their to-do list in the kitchen.

Stuffing is one dish where cooks might want to save themselves some effort. If you insist that grocery-aisle stuffing is a travesty and homemade is the only way, that’s fine. Do you! But for those who want to turn to a box or a bag instead, there are options — some far better than others. And, we found, there’s one clear winner.

(Of course, you can have it both ways, and the brand-name mixes can be customized, too. Growing up, my mother always made our stuffing by adding browned sausage and extra sage to the recipe on the Pepperidge Farm label.)

There are several types of products labeled as “stuffing mix,” each offering varying degrees of convenience. The simplest-to-prepare are the ones such as market-dominating Stove Top that call only for adding water and butter. Next are Pepperidge Farm-style variety that offer preseasoned croutons and require home cooks to add freshly sautéed onions and celery. And then there are the brands that offer only cubed bread, and leave it to customers to customize them with both their own seasonings and aromatics. For our test, we included only the first and second categories (this isn’t an unseasoned crouton taste test, after all).

Mild spoiler alert: The more “homemade” versions were not necessarily better. The three we tested (Pepperidge Farm, Mrs. Cubbison’s and Aleia’s) finished in the bottom tier, while our top spots went to the “ready in 5 minutes” crowd.

To identify the top-selling brands, we relied on market data from Chicago-based market research firm Circana, which draws its numbers from grocery, drug, mass-market, convenience, military and select club and dollar retailers, and covered the year that ended in September. For “private-label” or store brands — which are the third bestsellers behind the ubiquitous Stove Top and Pepperidge Farm — we chose from several top national retailers.

In addition to stovetop-only preparation, some of the brands gave instructions for finishing the stuffing in the oven (in a casserole dish) or inside the turkey. A couple even included options for microwaves and slow cookers to free up space. To keep the playing field level, we made them all using the stovetop-only method, with the same unsalted butter and chicken broth in the amounts specified on the packages. Another way we tried to keep things as apples-to-apples as possible was to omit cornbread versions, which are distinct from the standard options. And where there were options, we stuck to the classic chicken flavor.

We gathered six tasters to try eight brands in a blind test. Volunteers sampled each cooked mix on its own (no turkey or gravy accompaniment), and awarded each sample with a score of 1 to 10, taking into consideration flavor, texture and appearance, for a possible high total of 60.

So which is the right stuff and which is the stuff of nightmares? Here’s how the croutons crumbled:

8. Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Stuffing Mix

Score: 8

Two tasters broke the scoring rules and gave this sad, unappealing sample a zero. It was hands down the least favorite of the day, with one calling its flavor “the most artificial of the bunch” and another turning his nose up at the “unfortunate aromas.” The mushy, acrid “breadmash” was the clear turkey of our bunch.

(Price: $6.49 / 12.4 ounces)

7. Aleia’s Savory Stuffing

Score: 16

The two gluten-free varieties we tested took the bottom slots, sadly for those of us hosting gluten-avoidant guests. This one was like that cousin you see once a year and struggle mightily to make conversation with: He’s bland, bland, bland. “The bread flavor dominates, which is not what I want,” one said. “Just wet croutons,” echoed another. “Needs salt.”

(Price: $7.59 / 10 ounces at Giant / add broth and onions and celery sautéed in butter)

6. Mrs. Cubbison’s Traditional Stuffing

Score: 18

Tasters were pleased to see discernible vegetables in this one (it calls for adding softened onions and celery). But the spice mix was divisive, with some saying that it was a “nice change of pace” from the thyme-forward competition and others finding the profile “really different and not in a good way.” And they almost all agreed it was the Sahara Desert of stuffings. “Maybe the driest of the bunch,” according to one. “This puppy is dry,” said another. “He’s thirsty for water, stock or anything.”

(Price: $5.31 / 12 ounces at Walmart / add broth and onions and celery sautéed in butter)

3. (tie) Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Cubed Stuffing

Score: 21

The croutons of this vegetables-added brand seemed to remain more intact than in others, but tasters weren’t necessarily impressed by that feat of strength. “I’m a little put off by the discrete chunks of bread,” one commented. “Just cubed white bread on display,” as another put it. And although the name of the product promises a garden of green flavors, tasters didn’t pick it up. “Not much seasoning,” one complained.

(Price: $4.69 / 12 ounces at Harris-Teeter / add broth and onions and celery sautéed in butter)

3. (tie) 365 (Whole Foods) Traditional Stuffing Mix

Score: 21

Most tasters thought they identified seeds in the mix, which was probably the cracked rye berries listed as the second ingredient in the only organic version in our lineup. The “oddly crunchy” addition was novel — and perplexing. “It isn’t really traditional to me,” was one complaint. Another described it as “like eating a bagel.” And others found it otherwise pale and pastelike. “Elmer’s glue,” lamented one.

(Price: $3.79 /10 ounces)

2. (tie) Great Value (Walmart) Chicken Stuffing Mix

Score: 38

Two tasters saw strong similarities between the Walmart and Aldi stuffings, both of which mostly found favor with our carb-braving panel. Many store brands, including those chains, closely guard the sourcing of their products, so it’s possible these two boxes are actually factory kin (and they both retail for less than a buck). Regardless of their lineage, some tasters dug the “nice thyme flavor” and the balanced texture — “not too soft, not too dry, and it’s clear the bread was toasted first.” Another dissented, though, likening it to Play-Doh.

(Price: 97 cents / 6 ounces)

2. (tie) Chef’s Cupboard (Aldi) Chicken Stuffing Mix

Score: 38

Just like the Great Value, Aldi’s offering’s thyme-forward notes stuck out to several people. And like its co-medalist, it nailed the consistency game, according to some. “A springy texture I like,” said one fan. “The mixture isn’t too loose or too much of a mass,” said another. Some, though, found it veered a little “mushy” and another wished the herbs were “more pronounced.”

(Price: 97 cents / 6 ounces)

1. Stove Top Chicken Stuffing Mix

Score: 44

Stove Top is far and away America’s bestselling stuffing — it boasts 60% of the market share and more than three times the sales of the second most popular brand, Pepperidge Farm. Turns out, there’s a good reason it’s the reigning King Crouton. This sample pulled away from the pack with its good looks: “golden yellow with flecks of herbs” and “visible onions and herbs” distinguished it. The “buttery, herby” flavor was a hit, too, with a couple of tasters suggesting that the herbs had a fresher feel than its rivals.

It won the rare raves of this experiment, with one taster crowning it “delicious” with no less than three exclamation points. “Add some giblets and this is perfection for me,” swooned another.

(Price: $3.99 / 6 ounces at Safeway)