Gravy

[Christmasgravy]

I know IABU posting here!

Please tell me how you make your Turkey gravy?
I use the juices/scrapings from the pan, mix with cornflour and veg water but that's where it begins to go wrong.

Oxo chicken too sweet
Knorr chicken too salty (even low salt one)
Kallo are flavourless.

What do you (or even restaurants) use to make gallons of gorgeous gravy?

I thought I'd try Swartz Turkey gravy mix but it has thyme added and a strange taste!

Please help!

I use gravy browning.

I do the same as you with the meat juices and vegetable water then add gravy browning and leave the gravy to simmer for about 5 mins.

Can you make some stock from a roast this week and save it (it freezes fine)

Like you:
Turkey stock
Veg stock
Gravy browning
Cornflour

What is going wrong with yours?

Should have added, I don't use the turkey juices for gravy but I cook a joint of pork and use the juices from that.
We always have turkey and pork for dinner.

I do the same as you but with plain flour rather than cornflour, but I also use Marigold stock powder (I use the reduced salt version).

I tend to just reduce the juices from the turkey and I might add a drop of port our a dollop of cranberry sauce if it needs sweetening. Hungry now!

I use bisto best onion gravy granules. Add the meat juice and veg water rather than just boiling water, bit of extra water if too thick.
Always find it tasty.

I use meat juices veg water not potatoes and oco and cornflour x

Does gravy browning have a flavour?

No help but I agree the Knorr pots are so salty! I was making a risotto the other week & cba to make a veg stock as it was a last minute meal choice so picked up some of those, it was all but inedible.

We've tried bisto best in beef, chicken and onion...

I want to know what restaurants use too! Always lovely gravy when we go out for Sunday roast. It's never 'chicken' gravy though...)even if we order chicken)

I've done Jamie's make ahead gravy before and it has turned out nice. You can do that now and freeze for Christmas or I've done it a day or two before and kept in the fridge. Then you reheat for Christmas day.

My favourite gravy recipes require some mashed roasted veg so:

Roast 1 carrot, 1 parsnip and 1 small potato with your meat.
Remove meat when cooked from roasting dish and cover in foil
Mash vegetables in roasting dish with potato masher
Put dish on gas hob (presume this only works if metal!) on low-Ish heat.Deglaze the roasting dish with port or red wine (is scrape all the nice meaty bits off the bottom)
Bubble for a bit to reduce
Add chicken stock cube and some water. Wait for stock cube to dissolve
Then strain it all through a sieve
Yum

The Tesco Finest chicken stock in a pouch is really good and not salty

I steam my turkey sit it on onions, bay leaves , leaks , carrots and herbs. White wine and water. Cover turkey and roasting tin in foil then take foil off for last half hour to brown.

Take the veg out and add corn flour and a chicken stock cube and thicken.

Turkey isn't dry and lovely gravy.

I think you need to either make or buy a really good quality stock, rather than using a stock cube.

I use Phil Vickerys method. It's not let me down yet !

Add chicken stock cube

They are all so different though!

Knorr full of salt
Oxo weirdly sweet
Kallo bland

Do you cook the meat on onions?

That's key I think. Then just flour, juices and veg water. Add salt to taste.

The Tesco Finest chicken stock in a pouch is really good and not salty

I'll give it a go!
I bought the Tesco finest beef gravy (it looks quite light) to try today...

Get turkey out to rest. Drain off some fat. Over heat - flour in (tablespoon or two). Mix vigorously over heat, add in best quality chicken stock (pref fresh). Mix to combine and bubble away. Season. Delish.

If your turkey has been cooked over a trivet is veg (ie carrot celery onion underneath it in roasting pan) this is even better - just strain gravy after making as above with veg still in it . Chicken stock best made with carcass, carrot celery onion bay leaf peppercorns and then reduced until its deeper in colour and flavoursome.

Do you cook the meat on onions?

No! I haven't tried this!

Roast chicken pan scrapings make the tastiest gravy base but I'd get about a mug of gravy out of them!

The stick cubes are used to get more gravy but ruin the taste.

add in best quality chicken stock (pref fresh).

Where from though?!!

Ah... so cook a chicken this weekend and boil the bones for stock at Christmas?

I boil the giblets with an onion, carrot, the stalk of a brocolli and fresh herbs if available - rosemary, thyme, parsely
Add veg water and white wine and use a chicken stock pot.
Add juices from the meat (skim of as much fat as possible.
If we've had a chicken recently then I'll put the carcass back in the oven for a bit so it goes dark and a bit crispy and boil that up for extra stock.
I like a slight sweetness so add a small amount of redcurrant jelly.