On Saturday, November 7, 1992 at 9:45:48 AM UTC-6, John David Auwen wrote:
> This is the best gravy advice I've read in my 4 years of reading
> this newsgroup. Carol is still a major contributer to this group so
> I'd like to thank her for her good advice that I'm reposting here.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> From rec.food.cooking Tue Oct 8 16:27:09 1991
> From: (Carol Miller-Tutzauer)
> Some time ago (1 yr), I posted my "gravy-making bible". Because I
> figured others might be interested, I decided to re-post.
> A couple comments to the person originating the request: I never
> use cornstarch for gravy. I think it only results in making a
> gravy taste "gummy." As for the color of your gravy not being
> dark enough, I recommend below making a roux -- that is, sauteeing
> flour in oil until it "cooks." The longer you cook the flour,
> the more brown it becomes. It is relatively easy to cook the
> roux until it turns the color of peanut butter. This will give
> you a very nice beige color. For beef gravy, often your pan
> drippings will add the necessary darkness. If you want something
> deep rich brown, then you must cook the roux until it is the
> color of a Hershey's milk chocolate bar. It takes a fair amount
> of skill (or, rather, practice) to be able to cook a roux that
> long without burning it. If you cook it over a VERY LOW heat,
> stirring constantly, for about 1/2 hour, you can probably get
> it pretty dark. But if it burns, you have to start over. What
> I do, as a quick fix, to darken up gravy, is to add some Kitchen
> Bouquet (or Gravy Master; found near the Worcestershire sauce
> in the grocery store). In this way, you can safely make a
> medium-color roux (peanut-butter color) and then "fix it up"
> with some Kitchen Bouquet.
> Flavor MUST come from pan drippings, and if you dilute them too
> much, your gravy will be equally flavorless. Carmelized onions
> can help, and so I recommend throwing some onion chunks into
> the roasting pan with your meat. You can also throw in some
> chunks of carrots and celery. This will help stretch your
> meat drippings, flavor-wise. Sometimes, adding some salt
> "tricks" your palate into thinking there is more meat flavor
> in the gravy. However, be careful not to add too much salt.
> Another option is to add a seasoning mixture -- my mother used
> to add about 1/2 tsp of season salt to her pork chop gravy with
> good "stretching" effects. I like to use Paul Prudhomme's
> Cajun Magic for Poultry seasoning, but it is salty, so be careful.
> Some fresh herbs added just at the end of cooking your roux
> and before adding liquid to the roux mixture can also add flavor
> and help stretch "thin" drippings.
> Anyway... here goes:
>
> =================
> Gravy-Making Tips
> =================
> For roasted meats (like roasted turkey or chicken, beef or pork roast):
> 1. When meat has finished roasting, remove from oven. Let meat sit
> for at least 20 minutes before doing anything.
> 2. Remove meat to a serving plate (or a cutting board if you want
> to carve it first before putting pieces on serving plate). Now you are
> left with the roasting pan and the "drippings."
> 3. Pour about 1/2 c of water into the pan with drippings. With a
> spoon, keep stirring the liquid around until nearly all of the "crusties"
> from the pan have dissolved in the liquid. (Note: In the case of
> poultry, don't worry about scraping up all the skin that sticks to the
> pan; just the crusted-on browned juices. Also, since turkeys are so much
> larger pieces of meat, you should probably pour off most of the grease and
> then use more water -- about 1 c to 1 1/2 c. Reserve the extra grease if
> you would like to use it; otherwise, pitch it. It's tasty to cook veggies
> in, like bacon grease; but don't overdo it -- think of your arteries!)
> 4. Now...if you want your gravy to be "clean" of meat/skin
> particles, strain the meat juice through a sieve into a bowl or other
> vessel. Set this aside. You will need it soon.
> 5. Get a heavy saucepan. Using vegetable oil (or some of the
> poured off extra grease) -- about 4 T unless you are doing turkey and then
> you should use about 1/2 c --, heat the oil in the saucepan. Now throw
> in slightly less flour than you used oil (i.e, 3 T or a little less than
> 1/2 c in the case of turkey). Fry the flour over a medium heat for a bit
> to "cook out" the raw taste of the flour. If the mixture is thick or
> gummy, just add small amounts of oil until the mixture runs to coat the
> bottom of your pan. If you want, you can let the flour brown a bit but
> be careful not to burn it. If you do, then you MUST start over. Now pour
> your reserved juice into the flour/oil mixture, stirring steadily. Cook
> until the gravy begins a gentle rolling boil.
> 6. If at this point the gravy is too thick, add some water to thin
> it. If the gravy is too thin, either lower the heat a bit and simmer away
> some of the liquid OR cook up a small amount of flour/oil mixture to add
> OR mix a bit of flour into either some solid shortening or butter and add.
>
> 7. Adjust seasonings (salt, pepper, & the like) to taste.
>
> --------------------------------------
> For a quick stovetop gravy from stock:
> --------------------------------------
> 1. Follow the same basic procedure as above, except use stock/broth
> (either fresh or canned) as the "juice".
> 2. If you want a "brown" gravy and your stock isn't very dark, then
> just be sure to slowly brown the flour/oil mixture first. Also feel free
> to quickly fry some seasonings in the roux mixture just before adding the
> stock/broth (e.g., herbs or combinations w/ salt, pepper, cayenne, dry
> mustard, whatever).
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> For a stovetop gravy from pan-fried meats (like pork chops):
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> 1. Make up your roux in a saucepan.
> 2. Remove your meat from the pan to a serving dish. Be sure to
> cover the meat with a lid or aluminum foil to keep it warm, or place in
> a warm oven on an ovenproof platter.
> 3. If the pan drippings are not already "dried onto" the pan, keep
> the pan over a medium-low heat until there is no meat liquid in the pan
> and the juices stick and brown on the pan bottom. Now "de-glaze" the pan
> by using a some water (or broth, if available).
> 4. Add the meat juice to the roux in the saucepan, heat to the
> point where gravy just starts to boil. Adjust consistency of gravy as
> explained above (cook down or add a bit more liquid). Adjust seasonings
> (salt, pepper, whatever you want to add).
>
> -------------------
> Fried Chicken Gravy
> -------------------
> 1. Remove cooked fried chicken to plate lined with paper towels or
> to a brown paper bag.
> 2. Pour off all but about 1/4 c of the oil in your pan, leaving as
> many of the "crusties" as possible.
> 3. Add somewhat less than 1/4 c flour to the pan and fry over
> medium heat for a few minutes (don't burn!).
> 4. If desired, at this point, add about 1 t of a mixed seasoning
> mix (like cajun seasoning or Mrs. Dash or other concoction of your own).
> Saute for about 30 seconds.
> 5. Add 1 large can of chicken broth (or about 1 quart of homemade
> stock -- good way to use your leftover parts & giblets). Cook until
> desired consistency is reached.
> 6. Adjust seasonings (salt, pepper, whatever).
>
> *Variation: Some people like their gravy made with milk or cream. In
> this case, use less flour and you won't need it to thicken the gravy as
> much. Also, leave less oil in the pan too, BUT KEEP THOSE CRUSTIES. You
> can also add chopped cooked giblets to the gravy. I have also (during
> oyster season), added whole fresh oysters to the gravy and served on top
> of a good cornbread dressing or on rice & lima beans for a North
> Carolina/New Orleans favorite (at least in our family).
> --------------------------
> Final note: I've tried to be explicit and detailed with this, but it
> really is quite easy. Combining oil and flour into a "roux" prevents the
> flour from caking or making lumps. Cooking the flour a bit first takes
> away the pasty raw flavor. Light rouxs are French; darker rouxs are
> Cajun.
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> From rec.food.cooking Sat Aug 22 10:08:52 1992
> From: (Nicholas J. Simicich)
> I was amazed to see, on the shelf in the store a while back, a can of
> gravy. I was surprised that something so simple to make would be
> canned as if it was hard to make. At the end of this lesson, you will
> be able to make your own gravy, from scratch, amazing your friends and
> confounding your S/O.
> You might want to be able to make gravy at any time. The ingredients
> are basically staples, that you'll be able to keep on a shelf for over
> a year. You can buy gravy fixins once, and you'll have them for a
> year, except for the milk. I'm going to give both a method and a
> philosophy of gravy below. But if you could make gravy at a moments
> notice, think about how the addition of gravy would change the six
> things you can make (no, macaroni and cheese with gravy is not an
> option).
> Things you should buy and keep:
> Wondra flour. Get the tube with the shaker top. Yep, this flour is
> really a wonder. Why? Because it dissolves without tending to form
> lumps, instead of lumping up. This phenomenon, 'lumpy gravy' was
> the bane of many moms, and the name of at least one record album.
> You still have to stir, some, but not as much.
> Boullion. I'm not a fan of boullion cubes, but they are better than
> nothing. However, these little jars of Bouvril are really good.
> Get beef and chicken. Or whatever you think you will like.
> Salt. Yep. But if you use boullion, you probably won't need it.
> Pepper. "Makes no difference if its black or white."
> Do you like dark brown gravy? Chances are that it arrives at this
> color with a concoction called "Kitchen Bouquet". This only has
> limited use in the kitchen, or so I feel. It is carmelized
> vegetables, and is the home cook's version of caramel color. But
> for making dark brown gravy without sweat, it works real well.
> Herbs. Sage helps the flavor of gravy. But you will probably be
> perfectly happy with something that you can buy called 'Poultry
> Seasoning' that contains sage and some other stuff. You can use
> this in lots of stuff, and it does well in gravy, and keeps you from
> using an herb mix that is too unbalanced.
> You've spent about 10 bucks. You can now make gravy about 20 times.
> What should prompt you to make gravy? Well, pan drippings from frying
> for one, or the liquid from cooking the fowl that you are too inept to
> cook. In fact, whenever you look at the liquid in a pan, you should
> be thinking, "Is it time for gravy? How about these burgers. What if
> I made gravy and served them open faced with hot gravy? How about
> this liver and onions? Would it taste good with gravy? Should I make
> gravy with this chicken that I wasn't supposed to cook because I was
> so inept? Instead of eggs for breakfast, how about gravy made with
> the bacon drippings over Pillsbury poppin fresh biscuits, (which can
> be made by anyone who has an oven and a timer)." One of my favorites,
> that I eat very rarely these days, is fried kidneys made in Kidney
> gravy.
> For that matter, some folks like gravy so much that they will fry
> onions until they get real brown to make onion gravy, or they will fry
> a little beef fat to make beef gravy (but that doesn't work as well).
> Step 1: Pour off most of the grease. You want only a couple of
> tablespoons of drippings to start with, unless you plan on making a
> whole couple quarts of gravy, you don't want it too greasy. If you
> don't have a couple of tablespoons of grease, supplement with
> vegetable oil. If you must, you can start with plain vegetable oil.
> Add extra boullion to the water in step two. Consider browning a
> little onion or garlic in plain oil, or a slice of bacon.
> Step 2: Prepare the stock that will go into the gravy, eventually. If
> you have non-greasy pan drippings, (or skim the grease) well, just
> warm them over low heat or zap them. If not, boil a couple of cups of
> water, and drop in your favorite boullion liquid or cube. One secret
> is to put nearly boiling liquid into the mix at the appropriate point.
> If you know you are going to make gravy, start heating your boullion
> about the same time you start your burgers, or a few minutes after you
> turn your chicken.
> Step 3: Heat the pan to slow-medium frying temperature. Put in about
> a half again as much flour as you have grease. In other words, if you
> started with two tablespoons of grease, put in three tablespoons of
> flour. Fry. Stir. The mixture should be pretty stiff. If it isn't
> stiff enough to where it seems a little dry, use the shaker top to
> shake some flour on. If you get it too dry, don't worry. Keep
> stirring. When it browns just a little, or is sticking to the pan,
> you are ready for step 3.
> Step 4: It is time to make the gravy. Real simply: Add the hot water
> a little at a time. Stir lots between additions. A whisk helps here,
> but a fork will do. You know what consistency you want your gravy to
> be. Add more liquid a little at a time, stirring between additions,
> until it approaches that consistency. At one point, you may have a
> single lump, sort of attached to your fork. Add more hot liquid, and
> stir, stir, stir. Allow it to boil. Taste it. It probably tastes
> flat. Add some pepper. Add some salt. Taste it again. If it gets
> too thick, add some more liquid. If it is too thin, add some flour.
> Too thin is better than too thick. Add some herbs, not too much.
> Maybe 1/4 tsp, then boil for a minute, then taste, then maybe add a
> little more. Let it boil, not too hard, for 3-4 minutes after you add
> flour the last time.
> Step 5: Brown gravy only --- add a couple of drops of Kitchen Bouquet
> (the jar will stick closed, hot tap water will loosen it). White
> chicken gravy should probably be finished with a dollop of milk.
> [My grandmother used to add her water a tablespoon at a time, and use
> a little soy sauce for color. Your job is much easier, because you
> have Wondra and Kitchen Bouquet on your side.]
> Now, if you were cooking stuff in the pan, probably some crud got on
> on the pan, like if you were cooking burgers, bits of browned meat
> stuck to the pan. This will boil off of the pan, and become part of
> the gravy. If you browned onions, the onions will partially dissolve
> in the gravy and add flavor. This is a feature, a desirable goal, and
> is one of the marks of an excellent gravy, unless the stuff on the pan
> was really burned black.
> Again if you are making chicken gravy, I find that adding a dollop of
> milk (not more than 1/4 cup) after I turn off the gas off and stirring
> it in helps the flavor.
> Advanced topics: If I have prepared a seasoned/herbed flour to dredge
> chicken in, I will always make the gravy with that seasoned flour.
> Cayenne pepper dresses up a gravy in moderate quantities. There are
> many other styles of gravy, but this is the one I think you are likely
> to use the most often. It is also the simplest.
> Gravy is one of the simplest things I make. Sometimes, if I'm feeling
> charitible to the dogs, I'll make gravy anyway, even though I don't
> want it, and pour it over their food. They tell me that they like it
> a little blander than I usually make it. It is so easy that it really
> doesn't take up any extra time.

Or you could just be lazy and use a cornstarch slurry.

--Bryan