terrified of gravy

[Anonymous]

An easy recipe.

Equal parts butter and flour (2 or 3 TBSP each). Melt butter, add flour and stir until it makes a thick paste (you might need to add a touch more flour). Add in one packet of Golden Onion Soup mix (I usually get Lipton's Golden Onion, but you can use any onion soup mix in the recipe section). Just don't get the Beefy Onion flavor as that will add a dark brown color and a little too strong flavor. Then slowly add chicken broth. If you use canned or store-bought chicken broth, then get a low sodium brand, so that it doesn't get too salty. Add broth slowly stirring throughout. I like a slightly stronger flavor, so I get Better Than Bouillon Chicken and add a TBSP of that. Add enough broth to get the consistency gravy you want (some like thicker and some like thinner).

If you want to use your turkey drippings and you don't have a fat separater, take a large funnel or sieve and line with paper towel. Pour the pan dripping through that. It will take out the little bits and pieces and filter out some of the fat. Use the filtered pan drippings in place of the chicken broth above and it will give you much stronger flavor (you won't need to add the bouillon). If you don't have enough drippings and you still want to thin it more, then add canned chicken broth.

It's pretty easy you can make this ahead of time, leave it in the pot and then reheat and add a little more water/broth as needed to get the right consistency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, I'll give you my process for making drippings gravy - it'll look complicated because I'm typing everything out in beginner steps like I did for my sister 2 years ago when I got a panic call on Thanksgiving day, but it's really not hard.

1. When the turkey goes into the oven, put the neck, a quartered onion, and a few slices of celery in a small pot. Cover with water, and simmer for a couple of hours. When it's ready, remove the neck to cool; strain the broth. Shred the turkey meat off of the neck and reserve separately. Alternatively to this whole step, buy a quart of chicken broth.

2. When the turkey comes out of the oven, pour the drippings into a fat separator. If you don't have a fat separator, pour them into a glass measuring cup or deep bowl. The fat will separate into a oily-looking layer on top of the juice.

3. Once it settles, separate the fat into a different container. If you have the fat separator, this is easy. If not, just use a metal spoon to skim it off and dump it into another bowl, or stick a turkey baster deep into the bowl to suck the juice out, and transfer it to a separate bowl, leaving the fat in the original one.

5. Add enough of your broth to the "juice" part of the drippings to make 2-4 cups, depending on how much gravy you want (I like to make a LOT of gravy).

4. In a smallish pot or deep skillet, heat up about 2-4 Tb flour - one for each cup of broth. Over med/low heat, add an equal # of Tb of flour, whisk until it turns amber-colored. Slowly add the broth, whisking constantly.

5. Once it's all bubbling, turn the heat down as low as you can - you want it barely simmering. If it gets lumpy (usually from too much heat), take it off the burner and whisk like crazy until it smooths out. Add the shredded turkey meat from the neck. Simmer for at least 15-20 minutes, or until you're ready to eat - it won't hurt it to simmer for much longer than that.

6. Taste before serving. If it's too thick, add a bit more broth (or water if you're out of broth). Add salt and pepper as desired. If it's too thin, turn the heat up to medium and whisk constantly until it thickens. If you REALLY screwed up the ratios and it's still way too watery, combine 1 Tb flour and 1 Tb fat in another saucepan, heat and whisk to make a roux, whisk a cup of the gravy into the roux, then stir the whole thing back into the gravy pot.

You can also add the giblits with the neck. When you remove the neck and shred the meat from it, chop the cooked giblits into tiny pieces. Add them with the shredded meat. Or, you can skip all of the meat if you prefer a smooth gravy.

+1 You've done a great job of outlining the steps I've been using for 30+ years. Learned this recipe from my dear mother-in-law. I'll also add that on a couple of occasions when my gravy was too lumpy, I put it all in a blender to mix for a few seconds. (*but in step 4, did you mean to say heat up 2 - 4 Tbs butter?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Buy the trader joes, get everyone out of the kitchen, and add some of the drippings, some extra seasoning and a good splash of white wine, so it's not too thick (dead giveaway). They will think you're an amazing cook. When they ask what you did, you say you don't know -- just the regular stuff but the turkey was extra juicy this year.

+ 1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK, I'll give you my process for making drippings gravy - it'll look complicated because I'm typing everything out in beginner steps like I did for my sister 2 years ago when I got a panic call on Thanksgiving day, but it's really not hard.

1. When the turkey goes into the oven, put the neck, a quartered onion, and a few slices of celery in a small pot. Cover with water, and simmer for a couple of hours. When it's ready, remove the neck to cool; strain the broth. Shred the turkey meat off of the neck and reserve separately. Alternatively to this whole step, buy a quart of chicken broth.

2. When the turkey comes out of the oven, pour the drippings into a fat separator. If you don't have a fat separator, pour them into a glass measuring cup or deep bowl. The fat will separate into a oily-looking layer on top of the juice.

3. Once it settles, separate the fat into a different container. If you have the fat separator, this is easy. If not, just use a metal spoon to skim it off and dump it into another bowl, or stick a turkey baster deep into the bowl to suck the juice out, and transfer it to a separate bowl, leaving the fat in the original one.

5. Add enough of your broth to the "juice" part of the drippings to make 2-4 cups, depending on how much gravy you want (I like to make a LOT of gravy).

4. In a smallish pot or deep skillet, heat up about 2-4 Tb flour - one for each cup of broth. Over med/low heat, add an equal # of Tb of flour, whisk until it turns amber-colored. Slowly add the broth, whisking constantly.

5. Once it's all bubbling, turn the heat down as low as you can - you want it barely simmering. If it gets lumpy (usually from too much heat), take it off the burner and whisk like crazy until it smooths out. Add the shredded turkey meat from the neck. Simmer for at least 15-20 minutes, or until you're ready to eat - it won't hurt it to simmer for much longer than that.

6. Taste before serving. If it's too thick, add a bit more broth (or water if you're out of broth). Add salt and pepper as desired. If it's too thin, turn the heat up to medium and whisk constantly until it thickens. If you REALLY screwed up the ratios and it's still way too watery, combine 1 Tb flour and 1 Tb fat in another saucepan, heat and whisk to make a roux, whisk a cup of the gravy into the roux, then stir the whole thing back into the gravy pot.

You can also add the giblits with the neck. When you remove the neck and shred the meat from it, chop the cooked giblits into tiny pieces. Add them with the shredded meat. Or, you can skip all of the meat if you prefer a smooth gravy.

+1 You've done a great job of outlining the steps I've been using for 30+ years. Learned this recipe from my dear mother-in-law. I'll also add that on a couple of occasions when my gravy was too lumpy, I put it all in a blender to mix for a few seconds. (*but in step 4, did you mean to say heat up 2 - 4 Tbs butter?)

Yes, thank you for catching that about Step 4! I actually use 2-4 Tb of the fat that I skimmed off of the turkey drippings, but butter works too.

[Anonymous]

This is FOOL PROOF - it was my grandmother's technique and I taught my sister-in-law, too. Trust me. (Do not use store bought gravy - yuck, yuck, yuck.)


Use a baster and suck up the drippings in your turkey pan. (Don't worry about separaing fat or anything).

Shoot the dripppings into a sauce pan and add three chicken bullion cubes. Turn on medium heat and let bullion melt into drippings.

In a drinking glass, add a couple of tablespoons of flour and about a cup of water. Use a fork to mix them together until there are no lumps.

Slowly pour the flour/water mixture into the bullion/drippings pan. Whisk.

If it gets too thick, do another flour and water mixture and then pour in some more.

Slow and steady is best.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Buy the trader joes, get everyone out of the kitchen, and add some of the drippings, some extra seasoning and a good splash of white wine, so it's not too thick (dead giveaway). They will think you're an amazing cook. When they ask what you did, you say you don't know -- just the regular stuff but the turkey was extra juicy this year.

+ 1000

Awesome advice. Add a lump of butter too. Everything tastes better with butter.

[Anonymous]

Make sure you use a strainer

[Anonymous]

Op here: thanks for all of the great tips. After the great turkey disaster of last year, I am dreading Thanksgiving this year. These all helped and some of them made me laugh out loud! This Grasshopper will probably buy some as a back-up, but attempt my own too.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

What about the stuff in the glass jars? From Heinz, or whichever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about the stuff in the glass jars? From Heinz, or whichever.

I've had it, and it burns my tongue it's so salty. If you like it, go for it.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes I add a little milk or cream to my gravy which gives it a richer flavor. My sister uses mushroom soup which I find to be overkill. Either straight drippings and flour or drippings, flour and a little milk are the way to go IMO. A whisk is your very best friend when making gravy. Hope all goes well, and I am definitely interested in hearing about The Great Turkey Fiasco of 2013. Sounds like quite a story.

[Anonymous]

OP- No gravy recipes for you (I have lots, but it's all covered here). However, my turkey fell on top of the dog's head one year. Yes, there was alcohol involved. My MIL threw a huge drunken tantrum after it happened and we all just laughed at how insane the whole situation was while she gave herself a long nap in time out.