Comments on: Let’s Talk Gravy

By: Chelsea

Chelsea — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 18:27:34 +0000

The secret to my gravy is a healthy dose of red wine. I fry up the giblets in butter to get some nice brown bits of flavor in the pan, then I remove them and add the pan drippings from the bird and red wine. Let the alcohol simmer out and add good chicken stock and then a flour/water slurry. Occasionally I will add finely diced onion after I fry the giblets. Using bacon fat sounds fantastic as well.

By: Inesa

Inesa — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 17:51:25 +0000

Hot Stuffing right from the bird or dressing if we are having fried turkey.

By: Elizabeth Fitzmaurice

Elizabeth Fitzmaurice — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 17:10:19 +0000

I can’t say this always works for me but it’s how my Grammy and Mom taught me to do it. No matter what you’ve roasted, remove the meat, skim off excess fat, while leaving a fair amount to work with. Sprinkle flour all over the pan, especially on top of the puddles of fat. DON’T TOUCH IT. That’s always been my biggest downfall, stirring it too soon. Let it brown over a medium-low heat. Meanwhile, fill your tea kettle with water and bring to a boil,.

After you can see (and smell) the flour browning, very slowly start to stir the flour with the back of a big spoon. Kind of like making it into a paste and scraping up the bits adhered to the pan. After doing this for a bit, start to add the boiling water….just a very little bit…stir some more. A little bit more boiling water….stir…..a little bit more. On and on. It definitely takes awhile but when it works, man, is it good.

That’s how I was taught to make “real” gravy. My Gram and Mom were true gravy snobs and apparently so am I:)

By: Nancy @ Coupon Clipping Cook

Nancy @ Coupon Clipping Cook — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 00:14:48 +0000

I love these gravy tips and can’t wait to try them. I’m definitely gravy challenged.

By: slickquilter

slickquilter — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 05:38:18 +0000

I don’t care for all the additives in dry mixes or gravy in a jar so make mine from a simple roux of flour and seasonings mixed with the drippings in a large skillet. I will occasionally saute finely chopped onions and/or mushrooms in the drippings before adding the flour. I heat the liquid, usually a mixture of homemade chicken, turkey or giblet stock and milk or cream to almost boiling before adding to the roux, stirring constantly to keep the mixture from curdling. It is important to cook the gravy well so I make it while the chicken or turkey is ‘resting’ prior to carving.
I didn’t like gravy as a child or young adult but once I had southern biscuits and gravy I was totally hooked. Bacon (or ham) fat/grease makes the absolute best gravy so I keep all the bacon drippings in a jar in the fridge to use as needed. Now I’m hungry for mashed potatoes and gravy!!

By: Grammy

Grammy — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 21:41:09 +0000

I’m a cheater, too and I don’t feel one bit bad about it! I do the whole meal for my large family and I was always trying to get the gravy done at the last minute, wanting it fresh and hot, while in the meantime, the rest of the meal was getting cold. So two years ago I discovered Williams Sonoma gravy in a jar. Before anyone gets here, I pour two jarfuls in a pan. I stash the empty jars in the bottom of the trash can so no one knows. Then at the last minute I add warm milk and some of the turkey drippings. It is so good and so, so easy. I still make gravy for a small meal, but I’ll never go back to scratch when it’s a crowd!

By: Nancy W

Nancy W — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 21:04:35 +0000

I love gravy….I keep it very simple…I take the drippings from the turkey {minus giblets} bring to a boil…then add flour gradually to make a roux…let it brown….then add water or a mixture of water and chicken broth I always add a drop or 2 of Kitchen Bouquet … just to give it a nice color…

I learned that gravy can not be rushed…I have had over the years some successes and some failures…usually the failures were because I tried to rush…

By: SuperCutePetContest

SuperCutePetContest — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 20:05:17 +0000

For me, it’s all about waiting long enough after adding flour. The times I’ve had trouble making gravy has been because I added the liquid too early.

Basting the turkey in bacon grease sounds amazing. I might just have to hoard some before this Thanksgiving!

By: Kim

Kim — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 16:39:09 +0000

I too am a gravy cheater, but just a little. I make a very traditional turkey gravy, mixing flour with some of the fat from the drippings to make a roux, which I cook till golden, then add giblet stock and the de-fatted juices from the turkey. Sometimes I add a little splash of white wine if the bottle happens to be in the kitchen and open. It’s old-fashioned delicious gravy. But because there’s just never enough gravy for the leftovers, when no one is looking I add a large jar of store-bought turkey gravy. It really doesn’t affect the taste of the homemade, you can’t tell it’s been added, but now there’s a coupla cups more gravy.

By: Elaine P.

Elaine P. — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 15:03:30 +0000

Oh, I’m SUCH a cheater! I use all the drippings from roasting the turkey, and add gravy MIX to it! I use Knorr Roasted Turkey Gravy, mix it with the recommended amount of water, and stir it into the drippings. If it’s too thin, I thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. Now, I didn’t always do this, but I have to now – my grown kids are such gravy hounds that we never had enough to make everyone happy. They put it all over the turkey, the dressings, rice…. they’d put it on the pumpkin pie if I let them! Their favorite thing to do is sop up the gravy with the buttered rolls – it’s like dessert to them.

Knorr is a good mix with great flavor, & they’ve never noticed that I cheat, so don’t tell!