How do you make gravy??

[alliannie]

I know this is a strange question but I just cant manage to make gravy. How do you do it? I keep doing something wrong but I dont know what. Tonight was the worst..it was just totally wrong. I have used different recipes and I cant master it. DH is highly entertained at this and told me he is going to have his mom teach me :o . I dont want that so can you all help me!?!?! Please!!!!

[Dotsie]

I use the drippings from the meat. I usually make it in the roasting pan. I will add some beef or chicken broth to it. I simmer it for a minute or two. I add a pat of butter to deepen the flavor and then I take a cup of flour and add cold water to it. I stir it to get out most of the lumps (consistency of yogurt, maybe a little more watery) and then I stir it into the pan dripping, remember to stir very well or it will get very thick and lumpy. I usually add Gravy Master to beef gravy. I taste it and add salt and pepper if needed.

[solongtogo]

When I make biscuits and gravy, I brown the sausage, and then push it off to the side of the pan. With the oil taht collects from the sausage (or in my case, we use turkey sausage, which dosen't produce any-so just add a little to the pan, I add milk, salt, and flour and mix it up until it's a good consistency. It's white gravy, and damn good.

[camberne]

We use the drippings from the meat and then just add corn starch as needed to thicken it up. Personally, I'm not a gravy person, I prefer au jus.

[Hello Kitty]

If you're starting out with no drippings, here's what I do:

Heat a few T butter in a saucepan. Add an equal amount of flour and stir together. Keep heating for a few minutes until it gets a little golden. Then add in your broth/stock and whisk away. Heat mixture to boiling (over med-low heat) and then turn it down. You can heat it until it's the consistency you like.

If you have drippings, I do the same thing, just omitting the butter. Drippings are pretty oily, so they work. The reason you want to cook the butter/flour together is that it makes a mixture that is easier to incorporate which prevents lumps. You have to bring it up to a boil, which will cook out the floury taste.

If you've already got something you want to thicken, mix maybe 1/4C of water and a few T of flour (or 1 T cornstarch) into a slurry. Use cold water! Then slowly pour it in to your already simmering sauce/soup/whatever whisking away.

I think the key is to go slow, and make sure you can incorporate it along the way. Use a low flame at first, as you can always bring it up to a boil when it's incorporated.

[mom_to_zoe]

I only know how to make gravy after roasting beef or chicken. What I do is take the meat or chicken out of the roasting pan, place it on a cutting board and loosely cover with foil (or not). I pour all the pan drippings into a measuring cup. I skim off most of the fat and then pout the rest back into the roasting pan, which I place on the stove top and turn the burners on under it to low heat. I add some butter and some flour to make a roux. Cook for a few minutes, constantly whisking to get rid of that raw flour taste. Then slowly add warmed beef or chicken stock (depending on if you are making beef or chicken gravy) and keep stirring under it starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

[alliannie]

Thank you for all the replies!!! Last night I did it almost as solongtogo said but it tasted to floury. I think I may be using to much. :eek: I am going to write down all of these so I can see them next time. I am convinced to learn how to do this!

[Hello Kitty]

Flour needs to either be cooked with a fat or brought up to a boil in order to get rid of that floury taste. If you're making sausage gravy, you can cook the flour in the drippings for a while, and then add the milk and whisk over low heat. Just don't bring the milk up to a boil.

[Etoile]

I was about to post but Seb's Kitty has it exactly right! Mixing the flour with butter or fat first prevents lumps!

[BTB]

I open the can. But the ways listed here sound much tastier. :)

[alliannie]

BTB~I just wanted to say your post made me laugh :p . If I try again and dont succed I might take your advice!

[solongtogo]

alli--I've added too much flour before, I just add a little more milk to thin it out a bit..

[Jad]

I just made a gravy-like substance for the first time on Saturday night, and I've got a follow-up question. How long should it take? I was following the Joy of Cooking recipe for creamed chicken/chicken pot pie: make a roux w/ butter and flour, add stock and cream, whisk constantly over medium heat until it simmers, remove from heat, return to heat whisking until it simmers again. It took for-freaking-ever, so I wonder if I'm doing something wrong. I swear that it was a good 35 minutes, which is a hell of a lot of constant whisking.

Could I cook it faster? Whisk less constantly? It tasted *great*, but with all that work, I don't know that I'll be making it very often unless I can find another method.

[Aimee]

The key to making a good roux is to add your flour very slowly, maybe a tablespoon at a time, and make sure it's entirely incorporated before adding more. Also, I'll cook some vegetables (onions, garlic, belpepper, etc) in the drippings or oil before I brown the flour. That always gives it a really rich taste.

Down here, it's a mortal sin to add something like cream or milk or whatever to gravy. It's simply a roux made with the pan drippings and flour and vegetables for seasoning.