Test Kitchen
OH GOOD GRAVY
by EMILY TEEL
START HERE
Are You Cooking a Turkey?
Yes, deep-frying
You have party animal energy in the best way. Don’t walk away from that. Delegate the gravy to someone else or go with the Easy Make-Ahead Gravy.
Yes, smoking or grilling.
Do you have time to fire up the smoker or grill to prep before the holiday?
Sure.
Smoke or grill some turkey or chicken wings ahead of time and use them to make your favorite recipe for stock. Use this stock in place of broth in the One Great Gravy recipe to bring even more smoky savoriness to the table.
No, the bird is already on.
Prepare our Easy Make-Ahead Gravy while your bird roasts, and once it’s done, add some drippings from the drip pan, simmering to combine, to infuse the finished gravy with smoky flavor.
Yes, roasting.
No, but we still want gravy (and make it vegetarian).
Does everyone like mushrooms?
Yum! We love mushrooms.
THE FANCY VERSION
Soak ½ oz. dried porcini mushrooms in ¾ cup boiling water for 20 minutes. Strain, reserving both mushrooms and soaking liquid. Prepare Easy Make-Ahead Gravy, except use reserved soaking liquid and an additional 1 ½ cups vegetable or mushroom broth. Finely chop reserved mushrooms and add to thickened gravy.
THE QUICK VERSION
Prepare Easy Make Ahead Gravy, except use 1 ½ cups vegetable or mushroom broth. Whisk 2 ½ tsp. store-bought umami seasoning blend into thickened gravy.
(We like the mushroom-based versions from Trader Joe’s and Target.)
No fungi for us, thanks.
Prepare Easy Make-Ahead Gravy, except use 1 ½ cups vegetable broth. Need a boost of umami? Add 1 tsp. Marmite, a beloved British condiment spread made with yeast extract. (Think of it as a stronger, bouillon paste version of nutritional yeast.) It’s loaded with savoriness and is vegan, so it’s a great vegetarian friendly seasoning.
Do you feel good about making gravy while the turkey rests?
Totally.
MAKE THE ONE GREAT GRAVY RECIPE
Customize yours by adding in a few goodies.
But what if one of my guests can’t eat gluten?
No problem. Prepare One Great Gravy, except substitute gluten free all-purpose flour mix. If you don’t have any, omit the flour entirely. Bring fat and broth to boiling and stir in ½ cup instant potato flakes for a flour free gravy with a velvety texture.
No, that stresses me out.
I’ll be overwhelmed.
MAKE IT AHEAD
Prepare Easy Make-Ahead Gravy. Customize it by mixing in any of the extras on page 54. Want to add a nutty note, avoid any raw flour taste, and give the gravy richer color? Toast your flour first. Cook in a preheated skillet over medium, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes (you want a graham-cracker-brown color). Or spread flour evenly in a 9-inch pie plate and microwave on high, stirring every minute (use an oven mitt for hot dish), until toasted, about 10 minutes. (In the oven, this will take about 30–45 minutes at 350°F.)
BASE Recipes
ONE GREAT GRAVY
Makes about 2 cups. Stir 1 cup turkey broth into the pan with the drippings from a roasted turkey, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Pour mixture into a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Skim and reserve fat. If necessary, add enough melted butter to the reserved fat to make ¼ cup. Add enough additional broth to make 2 cups total liquid. Pour the ¼ cup fat into a medium saucepan (discard any remaining fat). Whisk in ¼ cup all-purpose flour and ¼ tsp. each salt and pepper until smooth. Add broth mixture all at once to saucepan, stirring until smooth. Cook and stir over medium until thickened and bubbly. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
EASY MAKEAHEAD GRAVY
Makes about 2 cups. Heat ¼ cup ghee, vegetable oil, or store-bought schmaltz (chicken fat) in a saucepan over medium. Whisk in ¼ cup all-purpose flour and ¼ tsp. each salt and pepper. Add 2 cups turkey or chicken broth all at once to saucepan, stirring until smooth. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Store in a closed container in the fridge up to 3 days.
Gravy SOS
If your gravy is runny, you can simmer it longer to thicken, but if it’s go time and the gravy still looks watery, there’s a faster fix: Whisk in a spoonful (and up to ½ cup) instant potato flakes. It might sound like a joke to add potato to a sauce for mashed potatoes, but this truly is an easy way to give gravy a velvety texture.
Lumps form in gravy when flour added to hot liquid sticks to itself and forms small dry pouches that no amount of whisking seems to break up. Sure, you can put it through a strainer, but an even easier solution is to throw it in a blender to smooth things out in a snap (take caution— carefully fill the blender only a third of the way and be sure to vent the top and cover with a dish towel to catch any splatter). An immersion blender is a great option too.
If your gravy looks curdled or has an oily top layer, it’s likely the emulsion of flour and fat that thickens the mixture has split or broken. Fix it by adding a splash of warm water or two and whisking vigorously to restore the balance of liquid and fat.
Underseasoned broth can sometimes make a gravy that tastes flat. Marmite is our secret ingredient. A tiny teaspoon of the sticky condiment (see “No Fungi for Us,” page 53) packs meaty savoriness even in vegetarian gravies. You also can try a splash of soy sauce.
NO GRAVY BOAT? Use a teapot. It’s easier to pour an even stream from a vessel with a handle and spout than it is to fiddle with a ladle. Plus, the lidded pot helps keep the gravy warm.
—EMILY TEEL, senior food editor
Gravy Mix-Ins
PHOTOS: (SMOKER) DANIIL MIGUKOV/SHUTTERSTOCK,
(ALL OTHERS) CARSON DOWNING & JASON DONNELLY
FOOD STYLING: CHARLIE WORTHINGTON
ILLUSTRATION: LAMONT O’NEAL
RECIPES BY: COLLEEN WEEDEN