Gravy

I remember seeing Burdall’s Gravy Salt on our pantry shelf, Ann, so I presume my mother used it, but I mostly remember the bottles of gravy browning. I smiled at your Hancock quote! Very fitting for my gravy sometimes!

Meat juices, vegetable water, maybe a knorr stock cube, cornflour, possibly a glass of red wine and something nobody else seems to have mentioned (no wonder it's getting increasingly difficult to find in supermarkets) - gravy browning! Not always needed, but just makes the gravy look a better colour if you don't use gravy granules or bisto, and doesn't have any flavour, so doesn't make gravy overly salty (which I find bisto and granules do).

I like a thick dark gravy made with flour, meat juices and stock from giblets and onions plus Oxo.

This thread puts me in mind of one of Tony Hancock's sayings. It was something like 'I thought my mother was a bad cook, but at least her gravy used to move about'

I drink the red while I'm making the gravy.

Sometimes I slosh some into the pan, sometimes not.

Meat juices plus veg water plus, occasionally, a Kallo low-salt stock cube and maybe a slosh of red wine.

the meat juices and Bisto in this house , DDs were horrified at this one C......s , but Sons in law lapped it up , literally !
My lot hadn't taken any interest in my cooking when the lived here so watched fancy TV Chefs and couldn't make gravy

I’m traditionally a bistro/meat juices/veg water kind of person but I noticed that granules come in different animal flavours.....so I tried making lamb gravy from beef and chicken granules.

My reasoning (?) was lamb wasn’t such a red meat as beef so I did 3tsp beef, 1tsp chicken. My SiL, poker faced, asked me how I made pork gravy - easy, Pork is paler than lamb and beef but darker than chicken. So three parts chicken granules to one part beef.

Their tears told me all I needed to know so I had another small sherry.....?

Meat juices from the roasting tin after I’ve spooned off most of the fat. Add stock (my own or Knorr stock pot, whatever is available), scrape pan to dislodge flavourful bits, into a little pan to simmer with a glass of wine. Don’t bother with flour and definitely no granules or Bisto! The very idea!

I use meat juices,- if there are any, - and gravy granules, and a tiny bit of chilli powder or paprika to give it warmth.
Sometimes I simmer it in a saucepan with chopped up onions.

I don't like gravy to be very thick, but also not so fluid it just soaks into the solids.
I asked the question because the other day I made a pie with some leftover chicken and the pastry was very leathery. So I quickly made some gravy from a stock cube and a little bit of juice from the chicken. But it was too salty. Horrible in fact.
I think you need a little bit of thickening agent, but I once made some onion gravy for roast sausages. Sliced some red onions thinly and stewed slowly in veg oil until they nearly dissolved. Then added some red wine and half a chicken stock cube dissolved in hot water. It was quite thick by then, probably from the onion residue, so didn't need flour etc.

DH has never forgotten the first gravy I made when we had just got married.
Thin stock with lumps floating in it (I used SR flour in hot stock ).

I've got one of those jugs!!

This thread reminds me of the time we went away for Christmas, my son was horrified and said in front of his new wife “but who’ll make the gravy?” I thought it was a bit thoughtless of him, then a few days later she asked me how to make gravy. When I told her she said” oh it’ll go lumpy” so I gave her my cheats recipe. Just do use instant, pre packed or what ever and add a dessert spoon of port and he’ll think it traditional home made. Works every time.

I've got one of those Nanagem, they are very good.
(available from TK Maxx and other stores)

I bought a gravy straining jug a few years ago, the fat floats to the top then the spout pours from the bottom so you just get the meat juices no fat. This mixed with cornflour and vegetable water to make a nice thick gravy. My MIL didn’t always thicken, just an oxo cube in veg water !, the odd time she thicken it she used oxo and plain flour. When she cooked chicken she would add a chopped onion to the giblets cover with water and a oxo then cook in the oven with the chicken. Ok so far, I would then do as my mum did, strain off the liquid and thicken. Not MIL she would put the casserole dish on the table with a spoon so you could ladle the “gravy” onto your meal, it was like very greasy washing up water with giblets floating about. She wasn’t much for cooking

I have a vegetarian instant gravy powder which whips up decent gravy to the desired thickness in a minute or two. Not sure if anything like it is available in the UK.

I used to use Burdalls! Sometimes had to shave it into the pan with a potato peeler as it went solid.

I'm not so keen on very thick gravy so don't need to use anything jalima I just reduce and reduce.

Meat juices, boiling water added and bits scraped off the bottom of the roasting tin. All poured through a sieve to remove lumps, seasoned with salt and pepper, thickened with cornflour. I never use gravy granules, have never felt the need.

Anyone alse remember Burdalls gravy salt?

I use Aldi granules, they do chicken and beef, with the mear juices and potato water.
Last Sunday I overdid the granules and was reminded of Tony Hancock saying to Hattie Jaques, " At least when my mother made gravy it moved"

Juices from the meat, water from the veg and gravy granules. If there are no meat juices I will use a stock cube in addition to the above. My mother used flour and gravy browning. My mother in law used flour and a tablespoon full of sugar caramelised in the fire! On the odd occasion I get to cook myself a rare steak, I will deglaze the pan with red wine, and reduce it. Heaven on a plate!

Cornflour is OK I think kittylester, if you do want thicker gravy.
At least in the UK it is fine but in Australia we found that cornflour can include wheat flour

I roast my meat on chopped onion, also carrot and celery (if there are any lying around) a few peppercorns, bay leaves and possibly a clove of garlic, deglaze with wine, reduce and add stock of some sort and reduce again. Strain.

I never useful as I can't eat gluten. Lots of granules contain gluten too.

Meat juices, veg water and Bisto, just how my Mum made it .

Very rarely maybe twice a year and it's instant granules.