The Best Gravy | Slimming Eats Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good gravy? ›

Bonus: Seasoning for Tasty Gravy

I only season my homemade gravy with salt and pepper, and it's delicious! If you want to add more spices, avoid anything with large pieces (such as dried rosemary) to keep gravy smooth. Thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, paprika, and oregano all taste great.

Add Herbs. Try thyme, sage, chopped parsley, a teeny bit of tarragon, and some chives. When using fresh herbs, add them toward the end of cooking. Lemon verbena, lavender, rosemary, basil, and mint for simple syrups.

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.

A traditional roux uses roughly an equal amount of flour and fat, but gravies often call for a bit more flour than that, to ensure the gravy is thick enough. (The classic ratio for gravy is three:two:one, so 3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons fat, and 1 cup of hot stock.)

One of the most popular forms is onion gravy, which is eaten with sausages, Yorkshire pudding and roast meat. Throughout the United States, gravy is commonly eaten with Thanksgiving foods such as turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. One Southern United States variation is sausage gravy eaten with American biscuits.

If the gravy lacks oomph, adjust seasoning as necessary with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. If you used canned stock instead of homemade, the gravy might not be as flavorful. Homemade stock, even made with chicken stock rather than turkey, will produce a superior gravy—so it's worth the effort.

If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch. But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.

The liquid needs to be very hot before thickening the gravy with flour. Combine ½ cup cold water and ½ cup flour in a container with a tight-fitting lid and shake to mix it. I find if I use cold water to mix with the flour, lumps do not form in the container.

Another way to add thickness using flour is to add water to flour and whisk until you have a smooth paste. This is known as a slurry in cooking, and is defined as a mixture of an equal amount of flour and water. Add the slurry to your gravy and stir constantly, as the sauce heats up it should begin to thicken.

What to add to bland gravy? ›

The first thing you should try is adding a little more salt, as salt helps bring out the inherent flavours of the gravy that you didn't taste before. If that doesn't work, add umami (savoury)-heavy condiments like soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce. Bacon fat.

Soft, fragrant, sautéed vegetables lend a sweet, earthy, warm flavor to your store-bought gravy. Use any combination of onions, leeks, shallots, celery, carrots, and mushrooms cooked in butter, olive oil, or pan drippings. When the veggies are sufficiently sautéed, stir in your jarred gravy and simmer on low.

Adding in some veggies is an easy way to elevate your store-bought gravy. Here's how to do it: Before the gravy hits the pan, sauté a combination of vegetables like onions (or swap in leeks or shallots), celery, carrots, or mushrooms. Once the veggies are soft and fragrant, stir in the gravy and simmer on low heat.

If you want creamier gravy, feel free to use milk rather than water. I've done that many times.

A splash of red wine of course enhances any gravy however it is made. Depending upon what you will be doing with it: little ketchup or tomato paste, dry mustard or brown mustard,bacon, steak sauce, worcheshire, wine, some broth, sautéed carrot and celery, melted butter.

Their experiments have proved the best gravy should be made from meat juices, vegetable water – and a dash of soy sauce to bring out the umami, or meaty taste.