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Homemade Gravy Recipes
The Very Best Homemade Gravy Recipes
There is no such thing as the perfect homemade gravy, just because everybody has slightly different ideas on what constitutes a great gravy recipe. For example, some people enjoy very thick gravies.
Others like more watery gravies, which soak better into the mashed potatoes and meat. Some people like herbs and spices in their gravy and others prefer to keep the flavors more simple, just using the meat juices and some flour as well as salt and pepper.
The Truth About Homemade Gravy
Despite the wide range of possible homemade gravy recipes, there are some things that all the best gravies have in common. First, they have a taste, which complements the meat, or poultry you are using. A good chicken gravy will have the flavor of chicken, as well as some other tastes, which will go well with the whole dish.
A good beef gravy does not have to be fortified with red wine or port, or contain strong flavors (although it can, if you like) because there are many ways to make beef gravy and they are all different. If you want the flavor of your beef or steak to shine though, you might want to keep the gravy ingredients to an absolute minimum, just thickening up the meat drippings a bit and adding a little salt and black pepper for flavor.
The best homemade gravy recipes are also easy to make. There is no point spending hours making gravy when you can make something just as delicious in a few minutes. Since you are using the meat juices, in most cases, to make the gravy, the meat will be cooked when you begin to make the gravy. Most meats benefit from resting for five or ten minutes, to allow the juices to redistribute, so this is when you prepare the gravy.
Classic and Copycat Gravy Recipes
You can either make classic gravy recipes, adapt these recipes to make your own or make copycat gravy recipes. No matter whether you are planning to serve beef, turkey, lamb or something else, there are copycat gravy recipes to go with these, based on recipes from your favorite restaurants.
The one mistake you could make would be ruining a carefully cooked roast meal by using a gravy mix. Why cook a delicious joint of pork or beef or a chicken or turkey and then pour something over it, which you got out of a box?
Packet gravies contain nothing but chemicals and artificial flavors. Homemade gravy recipes are so simple that they are the best choice every time. Once you have tried making your own gravy you will never want to use a boxed gravy mix again.
Why Making Brown Gravy is So Easy
Brown gravy, which is heavenly with meat, mashed potatoes, or vegetables, is so simple to make. This is largely because you can just stir flour and broth into meat drippings to make it. Once the gravy is thick, it is ready to serve.
A basic brown gravy is especially simple to make, and therefore great for cooking beginners, because it is so quick and you only need a couple of ingredients to transform your meat juices into the finished product. Why use an inferior gravy mix when you could be making brown gravy so easily?
The best homemade gravy recipes are those, which use the best ingredients, so you need to add various things to the meat juices. You will need flour, cornstarch, or something else to thicken the gravy up, else it will be the consistency of water and, even for people who like thin gravies, that is too thin.
You also need seasonings; salt and black pepper are popular gravy seasonings or you can add Tabasco sauce, chili powder, spices, herbs and anything else you fancy or whatever the recipe calls for.
A spoonful of butter whisked into the gravy at the end gives it a glossy sheen and an extra rich flavor. Do not use margarine for this because butter suits the flavor of the drippings so much better.
The Difference Between Poultry Gravy and Other Gravies
Poultry gravy is not that different that gravies made for dark meat but they tend to be lighter in color and flavor. The lightness in color is because the juices from white meat like chicken are paler than juices from dark meats. The lightness in flavor is because you do not want to overpower the taste of the poultry.
Not only are there homemade gravy recipes for beef, chicken, lamb and other meats but there are gravy recipes for a homemade biscuit recipe, for vegetables and much more. Whatever you want to serve a gravy recipe with, there is a perfect gravy recipe that you can make to go with it.
So, enjoy browsing our extensive collection of the best homemade gravy recipes ever and happy cooking!
Enjoy and thanks for visiting,
Christine and everyone here at Homemade Gravy Recipes
Mexican Recipes and Mexican Article Links
Beef Gravy Recipe
Lamb Gravy
Pork Gravy
Turkey Gravy Recipe
Chicken Gravy Recipe
Gravy Recipes
Vegetable Gravy
Biscuit Recipe
Gravy Articles
Beef Gravy Recipe
The Best Beef Gravy Recipe
Every cook needs a good beef gravy recipe in his or her repertoire. If you are going to cook a juicy piece of meat and team it with roast potatoes and vegetables, not having a beef gravy recipe would leave the meal unfinished. The perfect addition to roast beef is a nice homemade gravy and it is so easy to make. There are usually not many ingredients in a beef gravy recipe and if you have beef drippings left after cooking the meat, that is usually the perfect basis for a rich and flavorful gravy. Some beef gravy recipes will call for wine, either red or white, and others might call for milk, herbs, spices, mustard or other flavorings, depending on the appearance, consistency and overall flavor you are aiming for.
Tips for the Most Delicious Gravy for Beef
There are a few things to bear in mind when making gravy recipes, such as using top quality ingredients like good stock, butter and other flavorings. Also, some gravy recipes will tell you to keep whisking the gravy as it cooks if you want it to be lump-free. If you are new to making gravy and you want to make the best beef gravy recipe, pick a good recipe to follow and then follow it carefully. A good homemade beef gravy recipe is a hundred times better than something, which comes in a box so it is worth learning how to make this delicious recipe yourself.
Rosemary Gravy for Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetable Pasta
Homemade Gravy Recipe with Mustard and Garlic
Juicy Steak with Shallots and a Homemade Beef Gravy Recipe
Short Ribs in a Red Wine and Mushroom Gravy Recipe
How to Make Tomato Gravy for Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Easy Broiled Steak with a Port Wine Gravy
Stuffed Green Peppers with a Tarragon Sour Cream Gravy
How to Make a Basic Gravy Recipe
Open Face Hot Roast Beef Sandwich with Gravy
Spicy Meatloaf with Brown Gravy
A Basic Beef Noodles in Gravy Recipe
Beef in a Rich Old Fashion Coffee Gravy Recipe
How to Make Beer Gravy for Braised Beef Shoulder
Garlic and Thyme Beef in Creamy Garlic Gravy
How to Make a Home Made Brown Gravy Mix Recipe
Crockpot Meatloaf with Slow Cooked Gravy
Spiced Orange Marmalade Steak Recipe in an Easy Gravy Recipe
Basil Beef Patties in an Onion Gravy Recipe
Simple Swiss Steak with Tomato Gravy Recipe
Crockpot Rump Roast with Au Jus Gravy
Port Wine and Mushroom Gravy Recipe
One of the Best Hamburger Steak Brown Gravy Recipes
Lamb Gravy
How to Make a Luscious Lamb Gravy
Perhaps you have never made gravy in your life or maybe you have only made it with bouillon cubes or used pre-packaged gravy. In any case, learning how to make lamb gravy is relatively straightforward and this tasty sauce can be made in various ways. Mint is popular with lamb, as is rosemary, and these herbs can be added to the meat before you cook it or used in the lamb gravy. If you prefer a red wine-based lamb gravy, rather than a mint one, that is also a flavorful option. Not everybody likes the taste of mint, although mint lamb gravy can be very popular. If you do not use this ingredient, you can always serve a mint sauce or mint jelly on the side in case anyone does want it.
Popular Lamb Gravy Ingredients
Using the juices from your roast lamb is a great basis for the best lamb gravy and other ingredients might include onion, red wine, onion, redcurrant jelly, or garlic. If you cook onion with your meat, it will caramelize with the meat juices, making it a wonderful addition to your lamb gravy recipe because it will give sweetness as well as flavor. Lamb is a rich and tasty meat so most recipes for lamb gravy will call for flavorful ingredients like these, because the lamb meat is capable of standing up to a full-flavored gravy. As always, homemade gravy beats store-bought gravy hands-down every time, so forget anything that comes in a box and make your own mouthwatering recipe for lamb gravy.
How to Make Gravy for Lamb
The Best Leg of Lamb Gravy Recipe for Braised Lamb
Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Red Wine Gravy Recipe
Pork Gravy
Making a Perfect Pork Gravy
Pork gravy goes amazingly with roast pork and you can serve it instead of, or in addition to, applesauce or another sauce. Pork gravy is usually made by combining the drippings from the meat with pork broth or stock. White wine or sherry can be used instead of the broth or stock and flour or another thickener gives the gravy a nice consistency. If you do not get enough pork drippings to make the right amount of gravy, you can add vegetable oil, lard or butter instead, so you get the quantities right. Sage and tarragon are amongst the most popular herbs to pair with pork, so some pork gravy recipes might call for these.
Types of Pork to Serve with Gravy
You can serve pork gravy with roast pork, pork chops, belly pork, or even a cooked ham. If you boil a ham bone in your pork gravy, the taste will be even richer. If you have some pork drippings or pork broth as your base, you can even serve this tasty recipe over mashed potatoes or vegetables. A lot of gravy recipes are versatile, in that they can be served over anything you like. White wine is usually used in pork recipes, unlike with lamb or beef recipes where red wine is more prevalent. Some pork gravy recipes might contain red wine but the lighter, sharper flavor of white wine suits this meat better. Whether or not you have made gravy recipes before, there is nothing difficult about making pork gravy.
A Gourmet Pork Gravy Recipe for Pork Chops
Bavarian Pork Knuckle with a Beer Gravy
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with a Creamy White Gravy
Recipe for Lemon and Thyme Gravy for Pork Roast
Mashed Potatoes and Sausage Gravy Recipe
Country Sausage Gravy and Celeriac Mash
Perfect Pork Chops with an Apple Gravy for Pork Recipe
How to Make White Gravy with Pork Sausage
Turkey Gravy Recipe
A Very Tasty Turkey Gravy Recipe
Turkey is a wonderful tasting meat and it is especially popular at thanksgiving. If you are taking the effort to make a fantastic roast turkey, what about making a delicious turkey gravy recipe to go with it? Sometimes the nicest way to make a turkey gravy recipe is to boil the giblets, neck bones and wing tips with vegetables and other ingredients, and then strain it to make a stock. This is very easy and always gives excellent results. This pure, wholesome, and nicely flavored stock is what gives turkey gravy its magic. These pieces of the bird would otherwise be wasted but they give an incredible flavor to a homemade turkey gravy recipe so do not be surprised if a recipe for turkey gravy calls for these parts.
Other Recipes for Turkey Gravy
If you do not have stock or giblets there are other ways to make a tempting turkey gravy recipe and you can still make the gravy from scratch, adding wine, sherry, butter, flour, herbs or any other ingredients the recipe calls for. The fat that comes out of the meat as it roasts is one of the best ingredients to make the gravy with because not only will it have a fine flavor but it will also have a fine depth of flavor. Flavor can be added with salt and pepper but a depth of flavor is something that comes from using the best ingredients and a good gravy cooking technique.
Gourmet Turkey Gravy with Apple Juice and Thyme
Turkey in a Dark Ale and Rosemary Gravy Recipe
Garlic Roasted Turkey with a Citrus Sage Gravy
Turkey Giblet Gravy Recipe
Chicken Gravy Recipe
A Classic Chicken Gravy Recipe
Chicken gravy differs from the richer kind of gravy that might go with beef or lamb. Although chicken is a versatile meat in that it can take on different flavors and be just as nice cooked with bold, vibrant flavors as with delicate ones, a chicken gravy recipe is usually a lot lighter, in color and flavor, than its red meat counterparts are. A good gravy is capable of rescuing a mundane meal and a chicken gravy recipe can make your chicken extra juicy. If you have accidentally cooked poultry a bit too long it might be slightly dry, in which case a delicious chicken gravy recipe can disguise this. Even if your chicken comes out moist and delicious, chicken gravy adds flavor and completes the dish.
Easy Recipes for Chicken Gravy
The simplest way to make gravy for your chicken is to blend the drippings from the bird with flour and water. This gives you a basic gravy recipe, which you might want to add to or serve as it is. If you use seasoning on your chicken to cook it, it will transfer some of its flavor into the gravy. You might want to add some bouillon powder, wine or herbs to liven the chicken gravy up even more. It really just depends on your personal preferences, how you cooked the chicken, and what else you are serving with it. Chicken gravy takes no more than a few minutes to make and, served piping hot, it is a very welcome addition to a roast chicken dinner.
Juicy Roast Chicken in Spiced Garlic Gravy
The Best Kentucky Style Gravy Recipe
Stuffed Chicken with an Easy Homemade Chicken Gravy Recipe
Spiced Chicken with Sour Cream Gravy
Roast Chicken with Parsley and Mushroom Gravy
Smoothered Fried Chicken and Gravy with Apple Cider
Aromatic Tomato Gravy with Chicken
Gravy Recipes
The Many Kinds of Gravy Recipes
There is no one recipe for gravy because different people have different ideas about how the perfect gravy should be. Maybe you like your gravy rich and thick or perhaps you prefer a thinner texture. You can make gravy with the drippings from your meat, and this is usually the best way, or you can use bouillon cubes, homemade or store-bought stock, vegetables, herbs, spices and more. Butter and flour can be used to make a roux, which is a great gravy base, acting as a blinder, thickener and flavoring agent all in one. Not all gravy recipes use a roux but quite a few do because this technique gives very good results.
Different Gravies for Different Dishes
You might already know how to make turkey gravy, maybe because you made it last thanksgiving, or perhaps you know how to make a classic beef gravy. If you are a fan of gravy recipes, you will already know that different flavors suit different dishes. You might add a little sherry to gravy for veal but a full-bodied red wine would be a better addition to a beef gravy or lamb gravy. Mint is nice in lamb gravy but tarragon or sage would suit pork gravy better. You can tinker with existing gravy recipes, adding a little bit of this or a little bit of that. If the recipe calls for dried herbs and you have the fresh equivalent growing outside, you might like to use those instead, for example.
Gourmet Veal with Vermouth Veal Gravy Recipe
Country Fried Steak with Milk Gravy
Super Easy Indian Dhal Gravy
How to Make German Mustard Gravy for Ham
Country Ham with a Red Eye Gravy Recipe
Decadent Chocolate Gravy Recipe
How to Make Gluten Free Gravy
Mashed Potato Gravy with Cheese
Caramelized Onion Gravy with Brandy and Thyme
Giblet Gravy Recipe with Garlic and Parsley
Best Country Gravy Recipe
Vegetable Gravy
How to Make a Tasty Vegetable Gravy
A simple vegetable gravy recipe can be created with butter, flour and seasoning. You will need to begin with a high quality vegetable stock - preferably one you have made yourself. Whether you are feeding vegetarians or you just want a meat-free gravy recipe, learning how to make a good vegetable gravy is a handy skill to possess. Vegetable gravy can be served with meat, poultry, or vegetables and it is also very good served over mashed potatoes, so if you are making different meals for different people you can still serve the same gravy and it should complement everything. If you have made a biscuit recipe for vegetarians, what better accompaniment to serve them than a vegetable gravy made with love and care.
Which Vegetables to Use
The sky is the limit when making a vegetable gravy since every vegetable has its own flavor and there is no reason at all why your vegetable gravy should come out bland. You can even use herbs and spices to add more flavor to it, or what about a dash of wine or sherry? Perhaps you would like to use classics such as carrots, celery, onion, and rutabaga. Using roasted vegetables to make the stock give more depth to the end flavor of the gravy and grilling the vegetables would do the same. You can caramelize onions by cooking them slowly in fat and the resulting onions are sweet and delicious. Knowing tips like these can help you to make a really good vegetable gravy recipe.
Vegetarian White Gravy for Vegetables
How to Make White Gravy to Serve Over Fries
A Very Good Vegan Gravy Recipe
Biscuit Recipe
A Biscuit Recipe Needs a Good Gravy Recipe
Homemade biscuits are something that a lot of people do not seem to have time for these days. That is very unfortunate because homemade biscuits really are mouthwatering and when you compare them to the lackluster biscuits that come in a box, there really is no comparison. If you are going to make light, fluffy biscuits like your mother or grandmother used to make, it is a good idea to make a nice biscuit gravy recipe to do them justice. The first pigs were introduced to the United States in the early 1600s and wheat and meat were extensively used to make tasty food including pork sausage gravy. This dish was especially popular after the American War of Independence when some foods were in short supply.
Mouthwatering Gravy for a Biscuit Recipe
Traditionally gravy for biscuits is made with flour, sausage and milk and these rich-flavored ingredients go together to create the perfect biscuit gravy. This is a popular breakfast in the south of the United States and the soft dough biscuits and thick, meaty gravy complement each other wonderfully. Black pepper and bacon might feature in some recipes. Sausage gravy is the most common gravy to serve with a biscuit recipe but you could also make an egg gravy by whisking beaten eggs into boiling gravy or by scrambling eggs in bacon grease and then adding milk and flour to the mixture, as well as crumbled bacon. Any of these gravy recipes would be wonderful with a delicious biscuit recipe.
Traditional Biscuit Recipe with Rich Gravy
Multi Grain Dinner Roll Recipe
Ultra Soft Easy Dinner Rolls
Bread Machine Dinner Rolls
Simple Sourdough Biscuits Recipe
Easy Breakfast Biscuit Recipe
Sausage and Cheese Biscuits with Sour Cream
Easy Biscuits with Milk or Cream
Recipe for Cheddar Cheese Biscuits with Poppy Seed
Traditional English Scone Recipe
Beautiful Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe
How to Make Bread Machine Biscuits
Easy 2 Ingredient Bisquick Biscuits Recipe
Sensational Biscuits with Sharp Cheddar
Yummy Egg Biscuits
Wonderful Whole Wheat Biscuit Recipe
Skillet Biscuits with Buttermilk
Kentucky Style Biscuit Recipe
Gravy Articles
Helpful and Informative Gravy Articles
How many different kinds of gravy are there and where did gravy originate? What is the difference between gravy and sauce? These are some of the things you might be wondering if you have recently started to experiment with gravy recipes. There are some very handy gravy articles explaining how to make the perfect gravy and which meats, poultry, or vegetables you can serve the gravy with. Gravy troubleshooting is also popular and if your gravy has ever come out too thin, too thick, too salty, too bland, or too pale, you will hopefully find the gravy troubleshooting section very enlightening.
All the Best Gravy-Making Tips
Our gravy articles are helpful for beginner gravy-makers as well as experienced ones who might just be browsing for a new and exciting way to make gravy. Perhaps you are bored with the standard chicken or beef gravy recipe you usually make and you want to know how to make an onion gravy or a tomato gravy. There are literally hundreds of different gravy recipes and you can get a totally new flavor just by using a different stock as the base or by adding some fresh herbs or a pinch of spice to the mixture. Our gravy articles cover these topics and much more besides. If you want to discover some tips about how to make a luscious lamb gravy, a meaty beef gravy, a classic chicken gravy, or an impressive turkey gravy, you will find all the information here.
A Delicious Guide to the History of Gravy Recipes
Gravy Recipe History and its Rise in Popularity
A Few Homemade Gravy Recipes Facts and Tips
Some Useful Gravy Cooking Tips
How to Make Gravy Like a Pro
Different Types of Gravy Recipes
Which Type of Gravy to Make
Cooking Tips for Perfect Gravy Recipes
How to Thicken Gravy and Other Gravy Making Tips
An Introduction to Homemade Gravy Recipes
Five Reasons to Make Your Own Gravy Recipes
Why Homemade Gravy Recipes are Wonderfully Unique
How to Make Memorable Gravy Recipes
Different Kinds of Gravy Recipes Around the World
Homemade Gravy Recipes for Everyone
Top Tips for the Best Homemade Gravy Recipes
How Can I Defatten Gravy
How Much Gravy to Make
How to Get Gravy Out of Carpet
How to Make Brown Gravy - Tips and Suggestions
How to Make Turkey Gravy Your Family Will Love
Southern Cooking - How to Make Sausage Gravy
How to Make Biscuits and Gravy
How to Make Chicken Gravy Like a Pro
How to Make Gravy from Scratch
How Do You Make Gravy Out of Bouillon Cubes
Learn How to Make Beef Gravy Like a Top Chef
How to Make Ham Gravy - Red Eye Gravy for Ham Recipes
How to Thicken Gravy and Other Great Gravy Tricks
Flour and Other Gravy Thickening Agents
Asian Gravy - How to Make Gravy Using Yoghurt and Curry Powder
How to Make Milk Gravy
How to Make Powdered Gravy Mix to Save Time
How to Make Vegetarian Gravy for Mashed Potatoes
How to Make Gravy in Dutch Oven
How to Make Bacon Gravy for Biscuits or Mashed Potatoes
Is There a Gravy Boat that Will Keep Gravy Warm
How to Make Gravy Like a Pro
Making brown gravy is not rocket science. In fact, it is really easy. If you can manage to cook a roast, you will be able to transform the meat juices into a mouthwatering homemade gravy recipe. If you want to learn how to make brown gravy, you will find the process very simple and quick too.
How to Make Brown Gravy from Scratch
Brown gravy is so easy. You simply need to add some thickener to the meat juices and some liquid like water, broth, or wine. Whisk the gravy over a low heat as it cooks and you will notice it getting thicker. When it is thick enough, it is ready to serve.
How to Make Southern Brown Gravy
There are different types of southern brown gravy, including red eye gravy, which contains coffee and ham or bacon. Other southern brown gravies might just contain a thickening agent as well as salt and black pepper, but onions and garlic are also popular in these recipes. Sausage and bacon are other popular ingredients for a southern brown gravy recipe.
If you want to make southern brown gravy, you will probably want to make an authentic southern dish to serve it with, and this might be a meat or poultry dish or even some wonderful homemade biscuits.
Troubleshooting Tips - How to Make Brown Gravy Perfect
If your brown gravy is not perfect, you can still fix it. If it has come out too salty, add quarter of a teaspoon of vinegar or a pinch of brown sugar and cook until the saltiness diminishes. If it is lumpy, process it in a blender for half a minute. Take care not to over-blend it because you will not want frothy gravy.
Using instant mashed potato flakes instead of flour can work well and this will not produce lumps like flour can. If you are going to use instant mashed potato flakes as a gravy thickener, you might need to add extra salt to the finished gravy. Also, use a high-starch, low-protein flour if you are going to use flour. These include all purpose flour, cake flour or pastry flour. The reason for this is that using one of these types of gravy will discourage the gravy from forming a skin on top as it sits.
Arrowroot is also good for thickening the gravy but it more than twice the thickening ability of flour so you will not need much. Cornstarch is almost as powerful. If you are using a roux to make your gravy, add the liquid slowly, and whisk it all the time, else you might get lumps.
Do not use an aluminum pan to make the gravy because it can give it an unattractive gray color. If you are not happy with the color of your gravy, you can add some liquid gravy browner to it, to make the color more intense. Add a teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder or instant coffee per two cups of gravy if you want a deeper color and flavor. Do not worry; you will not be able to taste either of these.
Scrape up all the stuck-on bits when making the gravy and deglazing the pan. These are full of flavor. You can whisk a tablespoon of heavy cream or butter into your brown gravy recipe just before serving it, to give it a satiny, rich consistency.
Photo Description:
Herbs feature in many of the best gravy recipes and specific herbs are commonly teamed with specific meats. For example, tarragon and sage are nice with pork, and thyme and rosemary are great with lamb. Mint is also nice with lamb but not all gravy recipes call for the addition of fresh herbs. If you are going to add herbs, add these to the gravy near the end of the cooking time because the longer you cook fresh herbs the more of their flavor they lose. You can use a mortar and pestle to grind the herbs, like in the picture, or use a sharp knife to cut them into tiny pieces.
Different Types of Gravy Recipes
If you serve the meat juices as a gravy, without adding any flour or other thickener, salt, pepper, broth, butter or any other ingredients at all to it, this would be called God's gravy. Usually however, there is a little bit more to making homemade gravy recipes than serving the juices from the meat in a gravy jug!
Onion gravy is a very popular gravy and to make this you need to sweat onions. Sweating a vegetable means cooking it in a little bit of fat, in a covered pan on the stove, until it is soft and cooked without being burnt.
You can also sweat vegetables in the oven. The sweated onions are combined with wine and stock and this gravy is fantastic with fried or grilled meat, chops, or sausages. It is often served with meats or meat products, which do not produce their own juices.
Giblet gravy, redeye gravy, cream gravy, and Italian-American tomato gravy are other variations of gravy and, of course, you can make lamb gravy, pork gravy, turkey gravy and other gravies, from various meat juices.
Make Ahead Gravy Recipes
Gravy is usually made quickly. Since you are using the meat juices, it is best to make the gravy while the meat rests for five or ten minutes, then you can serve everything together. It is also possible to prepare a make ahead gravy. This is an option if you are slow cooking meat and you want to use the juices in the slow cooker as the gravy.
You might want to remove the cooked meat or poultry when it is done and keep cooking the gravy until it is thicker and richer in flavor. You can also do this on the stove or in the oven. You can also refrigerate cooked gravy for up to two days and reheat it gently when you are ready to serve it.
Tips for Making Gravy Without Lumps
Lump-free gravy is something that a lot of people seem to have trouble with but the truth is that all you need to make the best gravy recipes is the right ingredients and some practice. You also need to realize that different kinds of gravy require different ingredients and techniques.
One of the simplest gravy recipes is breakfast gravy. For this, you will need self-rising flour, evaporated milk, and butter. Do not use margarine. Melt the butter in a skillet and add some flour. Cook it for ten minutes, and then add the evaporated milk.
The problem with this recipe is that a lot of people do not have the liquid at the same temperature as the mixture in the skillet and the whole thing will separate, causing lumps. Once you have combined the ingredients, add salt and black pepper to taste and serve. You can use sausage grease instead of some of the butter if you want.
With other kinds of gravy, or at least most of them, you will be combining drippings with broth, water, or wine. The best way to make these gravies is to follow the recipe carefully and if it tells you to whisk the mixture without stopping, do that, because that is to stop lumps from forming.
If you follow these gravy-making tips and tricks, your gravy ought to be delicious. Making gravy is pretty straightforward and, even though it's easy to make, your family will still be very impressed when you serve a homemade gravy recipe with dinner.
Which Type of Gravy to Make
If you are new to making gravy, choose one of the easiest gravy recipes to begin with. Of course, most gravy recipes are easy but something that requires a roux, constant stirring and the addition of fresh herbs will require more effort than, for example, something just made with meat juices, salt, pepper and broth.
Choose the gravy based on what you are serving it with. Most gravy recipes tell you whether they are meant for chicken, turkey, lamb, or another meat. Some gravies are versatile and would be nice with a variety of meats and others are more specific and would only go with lamb or only suit biscuits, for example.
Standard brown gravy is the most popular recipe and gravy mixes come in this variety. A brown gravy is made primarily from drippings and you can enrich the flavor and color by adding various other ingredients.
How to Store Brown Gravy
Cooked meat chills and freezes better when it is in gravy, since it stops the meat from drying out, so do not worry if you have gravy as well as meat left, because it will keep better than meat alone.
Gravy starts to break down if you store it for too long. Chill it in the refrigerator as soon as you can and use it within a couple of days. If you do not use it in this time, you can boil it for three minutes to kill any bacteria and put it in the refrigerator for up to another two days. Technically, you can do this three times but it is best to use the gravy as soon as you can, while the flavor is still fresh. You can freeze flour-thickened gravy in an air-tight container for up to four months.
If you are going to make extra gravy deliberately, use as little milk and fat as you can, since these thaw when you reheat them. Run the gravy through the food processor or blender before you freeze it, to minimize the chances of separation when you defrost it again.
Attractive Looking Gravy
A common problem with gravy recipes is that the gravy comes out too pale. If you want to enrich the color of your gravy, there are a few ways to do this. You can brown the flour before adding the liquid to the gravy to stop it from being lumpy or pale.
You can use unbrowned flour to make a dark gravy by heating some fat and an equal amount of flour. Cook this mixture over a moderate heat, stirring it all the time until it is dark brown. Gravy made like this will not be as thick, so you will need more of it.
You can also add some cocoa powder or coffee to intensify the color of the gravy. You will not taste either of these in the gravy. If you are going to use cocoa powder, use the unsweetened kind.
Sometimes pale-colored gravy is nice to serve and it goes well with lighter meats like veal, pork, or chicken. Some light-colored gravies use cream or milk and this is not just to change the color but also to give the gravy a nice creamy flavor and to make the taste and texture richer. Darker colored gravies are better for beef, lamb, and other dark meats.
Cooking Tips for Perfect Gravy Recipes
A simple pan gravy is usually perfect to serve with beef, chicken, or another meat and these are made by combining drippings with other ingredients like flour, broth, and seasonings. If you want a gravy for biscuits, rice, or pasta, you will probably want a thickened gravy. A pan gravy, which is also known as a reduction sauce, can be made by scraping the stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pan and adding some wine or butter. These gravies can be quite watery but they will be rich flavored and meaty and suit the meat or poultry you are going to serve with them.
Making a Thick Gravy
A thickened gravy will contain cornstarch, dairy products, flour, or arrowroot. The amount of thickening agent you need to add depends on the amount of gravy you are making, as well as the fat and meat content. You should be able to judge by eye what you need, and whether your gravy requires more flour or more liquid. The best cooking tip for making gravy is to trust your instincts. If you feel it needs more salt, add some. If you think it is too thin, add more flour. The more gravy recipes you make, the better at it you will get.
How to Thicken Gravy and Other Gravy-Making Tips
Gravy, which is too thick, can be thinned down by whisking extra liquid into it, but what about if your gravy is not thick enough? If your gravy comes out too thin, you can simmer it over a moderately high heat. This will allow it to reduce and therefore thicken. If this does not make it as thick as you want, you can make a paste using equal parts of cold water and flour and add this, a bit at a time, to the gravy. Keep whisking it all the time.
Another option is to blend a teaspoon of corn flour into a cup of water and mix some of this into the gravy. Cook it for a while to get the corn flour flavor out. A third way to thicken the gravy would be to mix a tablespoon of cold water, wine, or broth with a tablespoon of cornstarch. Add this to the hot drippings from the pan and stir the mixture. This will taste starchy unless you cook it for long enough. However, these gravies can become thin if you cook them too much or stir them too much so take care. Take the gravy off the heat before you add anything acidic, else it might go thin again. You can use one tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken up to two cups of gravy.
Thickening Gravy with Arrowroot
Arrowroot will give you a transparent gravy with a light consistency. It is a flavorless ingredient and you do not have to get rid of a floury flavor because it does not have one. Arrowroot is great for making egg-based sauces or any gravies, which you don't want to boil.
Arrowroot gravy cannot be reheated so do not make too much. Add the arrowroot less than ten minutes before serving it and mix it with some cold water before adding it to the hot gravy.
Remember that stirring the mixture too much or heating it too much will make the gravy thinner rather than thicker, so be careful when using it! Two and a half teaspoons of arrowroot is enough to thicken one cup of gravy. This will give you quite a thick gravy.
Other Gravy Problems
If you have doughy or chalky gravy, the flour might not have been cooked for enough time. When you add your flour, whisk it all the time until it smells nutty and is a golden brown color. If the gravy still has a chalky or doughy flavor when the gravy is almost done, turn the heat up and simmer it fast for a few minutes. Then you can thin it again with some more water, wine, or stock.
If your gravy is greasy, you can use a fat separator. Skim off as much of the fat as you can, using a wide spoon. Lumpy grave can be strained through a sieve or pureed in a food processor or blender.
A bland gravy can be livened up by adding more salt and black pepper. If you are using a canned stock rather than something homemade, the depth of flavor might be lacking, so always try to use homemade stock for its superior flavor.
Knowing how to thicken gravy is very useful, as are other gravy-making tips, if you want to be sure of making the very best gravy.
Is There a Gravy Boat that Will Keep Gravy Warm
Gravy boats range from very basic stainless steel and china ones to more expensive electric models. An electric gravy boat is probably something that most people would not bother with, just for the rare occasions they serve gravy.
However, if you frequently make gravy or you make so much that it gets cold before everyone has had some, you might considering buying a gravy boat that will keep gravy warm as a worthwhile investment rather than a gimmick.
Not Just for Gravy
If you invest in a gravy boat that will keep gravy warm, you can use it for any hot sauces. Cheese sauce, hollandaise sauce, béarnaise sauce, and white sauce are just some of the options.
You can also use it for sweet dips, syrups, and ice cream toppings. This versatile machine comes with a detachable cord so you can place it on the dinner table and most models are dishwasher and microwave safe. Expect to pay around thirty dollars for an electric gravy boat that will keep gravy warm.
Some electric gravy boats have a stainless steel warming base, which will keep your homemade gravy recipes piping hot. The gravy boat itself is ceramic. If you do not want to spend so much, why not look for a gravy boat with a lid? This is not going to keep the gravy hot as long as an electric gravy boat will but the lid does keep it warmer than gravy boats without lids. You can get double wall thermal insulated gravy boats with lids to keep your gravy hot at the dinner table.
