How do you make gravy?

[boredaccountant]

I have spent years only daring to use Bisto to make gravy. Would really like to make proper gravy, but there seem to be so many ways and some are really complicated. As simple as possible please!

[TanteRose]

This one is fab for chicken/Xmas www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/get-ahead-gravy/

[Mrsmorton]

Just a simple roux (fat, flour and water from cooking the veggies) plus some oxo, red wine and some horseradish. I want gravy now.

[CogitOIOIO]

I'd encourage you to try the Jamie Oliver one as well. There are a few processes so make plenty and freeze what you don't need

[boredaccountant]

Thanks. The Jamie Oliver one looks really complicated. What happened to making gravy with the juices from the turkey?

[MrsKringle]

I'd love to know too. I've tried making gravy using the meat juices when I've cooked a chicken. I've done the skimming off the fat bit but still the gravy comes out oily. Is one of those gravy fat separator jugs any good?

[CogitOIOIO]

Gravy using meat juices.... Use about 1 tablespoon of flour per 200ml reserved juice.

1. Pour off all the fat and juice from the roasting tin into a separator jug if you have one. If not, put the fat and juices into a basin, allow the fat to rise to the top, skim off one or two spoons of fat into the roasting tin and discard the rest. (This is easier to do if it goes in the fridge) Reserve the juices.
2. Set the turkey on one side to rest under foil and tea-towels... it will stay hot for a long time and you want the juices to settle inside the meat rather than run out when it is carved. Give it at least half an hour.
3. Add the flour to the fat in the roasting tin and whisk it all together
4. Place the roasting tin over a low light and allow the flour/fat to cook a for a few minutes, scraping in any toasted bits stuck to the tin as you do so
5. Add back the reserved juices a little at a time, whisking as you do so. As it heats up the gravy should thicken. Transfer this to a small saucepan
6. After the turkey has rested more juice should have run off. Add this to the pan and reheat. Check the seasoning.

If you want something extra festive, add a little red wine and cranberry sauce to the gravy towards the end.

[AdorableAbbie]

Ingredients
Quick Gravy
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoon butter
1 cup broth

Procedure

1. Heat 1 cup of broth (stock) in a pot over medium heat. What kind of stock? Whatever you want! Chicken, beef, and vegetable are all good – it just depends on what you're pairing it with (chicken goes with chicken, etc.) and what your personal preferences are.
   

As this recipe only makes 2-4 servings, you won’t need a very large pot. However, you can easily double (or even triple) the recipe if need be. The more gravy you need to make, the bigger the pot you’ll need.

1. Put 2 tablespoons each of butter and flour into a small bowl and cream together. Make sure your butter is soft, but not melting (otherwise it will be nearly impossible to cream). It will eventually turn into a smooth paste – what the French call a “beurre manié.”
   

If your butter is just chunking up, leave it alone to sit for a bit – it's too cold. Move your broth to low and come back in 5 or 10 minutes. Then resume as normal.

1. Add the butter-flour paste to the stock, whisking vigorously. It’ll start out just like the butter and flour – a bit chunky and not at all appealing to the eye. Then slowly the paste will infuse into the broth, thickening it slowly.
   

Keep whisking throughout the rest of this recipe. This keeps the air flowing and will result in your gravy thickening more quickly.

1. Turn down the heat to low and wait for it to thicken. If the gravy is too hot, it will start to boil – which is not what you want, as that thins it and makes it foamy. On low, keep whisking lightly, keeping an eye on how thick it is getting. This could take up to 10 minutes. Be patient!
   

Once you think it's thick enough, give it the spoon test. Dip a spoon in and then lift it out. Does it stay covered? Does it drip off like a gravy should?

5.Season to taste. Especially with quick gravy (that doesn’t have pan drippings or cream), you may find that you prefer it with a bit of salt and pepper, or any other spice you're particularly fond of. Give it a taste test regularly to make sure you don't over-season it.
Remember that the gravy will likely be eating in tandem with another food. If the gravy itself isn't strong, that's fine. It will be combining with other flavors anyway.

[RojaGato]

Skim some fat off meat juices, add juices to a wide base shallow pan, add some stock, reduce down til thicker, add a little balsamic vinegar if it needs some depth of colour, little wine if I have it handy, pinch of dried parsley if I fancy it, little sea salt/black pepper if I fancy it.

Great thing for getting more juices out of a roast chicken/bird is to stuff with some roughly chopped citrus fruit. Oranges, clementines, bergamots, grapefruit, lemon, limes. Pop in the cavity and roast the bird upside down. Citrus juices flavour the breast and the meat is moister, there are usually more juice sin the pan and the gravy is citrus flavoured too.

[TyneTeas]

I make veg stock, add meat juices (and sometimes a stock cube too) and thicken

tyne-teas.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/gravy-from-home-made-stock.html