Gravy

RE: Gravy (oltheimmer)

Sat, 09 Sep 2006 12:07:44 GMT

Of course one of the best things about gravy is that it's such a great diet food. As my dear departed father used to point out, any time you smother a dish with gravy, whether its cream gravy, sausage gravy, brown gravy, chili gravy or whatever, you automatically cut the fat and calories by half.... so ladle it on .

(and be sure to sop up all of it with biscuits or whatever).

RE: Gravy (ann peeples)

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 06:15:03 GMT

The only truly good gravies I have had when dining out at have been German restaurants....

RE: Gravy (tkitna)

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 03:52:38 GMT

Man this thread hits home (even two years later). Its true, a good gravy is almost impossible to find when you go out to eat. I never really thought about it, but its true.

My mother has always made fantastic gravy whether it was brown gravy, chicken gravy, red gravy, squirrel gravy, etc,,,,always good. Wish I could duplicate some of them.

RE: Gravy (fabulousoyster)

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 12:23:43 GMT

gravies and sauces can change an ordinary chicken cutlet into many different meals. Sometimes I think its all in the sauce.

RE: Gravy (SassyGritsAL)

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 10:57:56 GMT

Oh yes, I forgot, I also add salt and pepper to the milk mixture.

RE: Gravy (SassyGritsAL)

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 10:56:39 GMT

I make sausage gravy or gravy from bacon drippings every Sunday morning. I leave about 1/4 inch of the drippings in a fry pan and add 2 heaping tablespoons of flour to the drippings (at med. high temp). I take a fork and smash the gravy around the pan in the drippings until it turns med. brown, I then add milk (how much milk, depends on how much gravy I want). Start light and then you can always add more. I take a wisk and wisk away until the gravy becomes thick. This method works for me all the time, and I have never had lumpy gravy.

RE: Gravy (chickenqueen)

Sun, 03 Sep 2006 18:07:29 GMT

I know that this is an old thread but in response to the chocolate grave question my family is from the south and one of the things that my favorite aunt makes is chocalate gravy. It is sweet and delicious without being too sweet and she just served in on buttered biscuites for breakfast and it was a treat whenever I stayed there. I have made it before and it came out very well but a lot of my friends who were raised here in the north with not a lot of southern influence were apalled when I told them about it until I made it for them for a brunch. I thik that a lot of them were expecting something more along the lines of Hersheys syrup but chocolate gravy is thick but without as intense of a sweet flavor. It really is very good when made right and swrved simply on biscuits.

RE: Gravy (Rusty246)

Fri, 26 Mar 2004 15:04:55 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by emsmom

I myself prefer the brown gravy. Cooking the roux to the desired shade is tricky though. You have to be really careful. Years ago,
my Mom used to make gravy with fatback (salt pork ) but with all the health warnings, we now just use Canola oil. What I really like is fried chicken gravy, make after I fry my chicken in Canola gravy and use the crumbs from the chicken in the gravy. Now thats comfort food.
Personally, I don't like sausage gravy, but I do like chipped beef gravy. I brown by flour into a roux, add the jar on dried beef and let sizzle for a minute or so, then add my milk and water.

I make my fried chicken/pork chop gravy the same way, by making a roux, I wonder though, what this type gravy would be like if you browned the flour in the oven as in Liketoeats story before making your roux. Would you need less stirring and cooking time for the roux,or should something's that not broken not be fixed??

RE: Gravy (emsmom)

Fri, 26 Mar 2004 13:18:51 GMT

I myself prefer the brown gravy. Cooking the roux to the desired shade is tricky though. You have to be really careful. Years ago,
my Mom used to make gravy with fatback (salt pork ) but with all the health warnings, we now just use Canola oil. What I really like is fried chicken gravy, make after I fry my chicken in Canola gravy and use the crumbs from the chicken in the gravy. Now thats comfort food.
Personally, I don't like sausage gravy, but I do like chipped beef gravy. I brown by flour into a roux, add the jar on dried beef and let sizzle for a minute or so, then add my milk and water.

RE: Gravy (fdm813)

Fri, 13 Jun 2003 02:47:54 GMT

Please don't ban from this site,but I like the sausage gravy at McDonalds. I know that's a awful thing to say but considering the stuff that is available in local resturants, with a few exceptions on the other side of town, it is quite tasty. It is also less then 5 mins. away. Since I cook for one it's tough to make gravy in that small portion.

RE: Gravy (Bushie)

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 19:32:47 GMT

Thanks for the advice, Eric! And, thanks for the good story, too!

RE: Gravy (VibrationGuy)

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 19:25:50 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Bushie

VibrationGuy, you obviously have had some culinary training. Please let me ask a couple of questions.

1) I don't bother separating the grease from the drippings anymore, and I haven't experienced negative results. What is the benefit of doing that in terms of the finished gravy?

2) I'm not familiar with the "mounting" technique (biting my lip here, trying not to think of the obvious mental picture...) What does that do?

I appreciate any info you can share.

The reason I separate the drippings is so that I can use the fat to make roux, and not risk the flour seizing up in nasty lumps due to moisture. You could just cook the water out of the drippings, but this runs the risk of burning the flavor-y bits. Also, given my proclivity towards meat with large volumes of surface fat and excessive marbling, the drippings I get from a roast can be extremely fatty - upwards of 30% most times. Thus, there's usually more fat than I need for the gravy. (Don't throw it out; it's nice to saute potatoes in).

As for mounting, it's a clever trick of emulsifiers. Butter is rich in compounds known as phospholipids (lecithin would be one specific phospholipids). Thanks to their structure, phospholipids like to help oil and water hang out together without separating. So, whisking a few cold chunks of butter into a hot sauce or gravy makes it hold the fat without a dreaded oily sheen appearing on the top, makes the sauce smoother, and adds that nearly-unctuous texture that I crave. I'd say for huge cast-iron chicken fryer full of turkey gravy, I'd use about 3 oz. of butter (3/4 of a stick) cut into six pieces, added one at a time, and for two cups of gravy, probably 2 T., as three hunks.

And no, I haven't had culinary training, per se; I grew up around big eaters and great cooks, in a culture of good food (I've never, for example, tasted Hamburger Helper, and Kool-Aid *never* entered our house). Both of my parents are scratch cooks, my maternal grandmother is a fantastic baker, her husband is a PhD in Food Science and a serious food geek as well, and my late Great-Aunt was the child of Greek restauranteurs, and a passionate foodie herself.

On the subject of gravy being a dying art, I agree wholeheartedly. It's a darned shame, too. It's not rocket science to make gravy.

I remember a Christmas a few years ago at Grandmother's house. Grandmother was relaxing, the baking done, the table set. Dave (her husband) was getting things ready to go on the table, and decided he'd be in charge of the gravy making. Mother, realizing that Dave was going to use slurry rather than roux (the one exception to her slurry fetish is her turkey gravy, based on Grandmother's recipe). We both knew this was Just Not Right (mom's logic, btw, is that turkey isn't "rich" enough on its own for optimum gravy, but she refuses to carry this logic forward and recognize the much leaner beef and pork now being produced), so as Dave turned his attention to other matters, mom distracted him as I tossed in chunks of butter and whisked everything to glossy perfection. When Grandmother complimented Dave on the "nice, rich" gravy, Mom and I couldn't keep from howling. Aaah, a family brought together by fat.

Eric

RE: Gravy (Sundancer7)

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 17:52:17 GMT

I have had a chocolate sauce over a chimichanga which I suppose was similar. I did not think it was all that good.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

RE: Gravy (Bushie)

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 17:42:30 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Jennifer_4

I have only heard of this concoction, but has anyone here made or eaten "chocolate gravy" ?? I hear many people like it with biscuits.

Interesting question, Jennifer. When I was growing up, my dad hated chocolate. The reason he gave was that when he was a boy, at their Sunday dinners they would serve plates of food with "chocolate gravy" poured over everything. He hated it, but of course back then kids didn't get to pick and choose like today, so he had to eat it.

He made it sound awful, and I've never tried it, but I haven't thought of that in I don't know how many years.

RE: Gravy (Jennifer_4)

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 16:39:00 GMT

I have only heard of this concoction, but has anyone here made or eaten "chocolate gravy" ?? I hear many people like it with biscuits.

RE: Gravy (kland01s)

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 12:18:20 GMT

Sadly, cooking is a dying art, at least true from scratch cooking. The problem is time, just last night I "whipped up" crayfish etouffe and understand why I make it so seldom(as in once every 3 years), its a LOT of work!I was given a pound of crayfish, other wise I would never have done it. I think I did a pretty good job of the roux, real butter, cast iron skillet and slow cooking but oh, my, is that work!

RE: Gravy (ocdreamr)

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 10:38:37 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Lone Star
For someone wanting to learn how, I suppose mastering a basic white sauce recipie would be a good start as it is made from a roux of flour and butter. It would help the cook learn the fat/flour/liquid/timing ratio.

My husband tells me it is a dying art form.

Lone Star

I know what you mean, I work in a large office (think Federal Government) and if the gals here start talking about cooking you can bet if they are under the age of 35 that when the subject turns to gravy they start to name their favorite jarred or packaged gravy mix.
If you even ask them about gravy from scratch they look at you like you are from Mars. The thing is most of their mothers don't make it from scratch either, so they don't even know what it is.

RE: Gravy (Lone Star)

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 10:02:55 GMT

I feel lucky I suppose, that my grandmothers, my mother, and my father, all taught me various ways to make different gravies. My husband tells me I can make a gravy out of anything, but it is not something I know how to tell, or write down.

Like tortillas, tamales and scratch biscuits, it is just something you "know" how to do. My husband will many times start dinner, and leave the gravy making to me.

For someone wanting to learn how, I suppose mastering a basic white sauce recipie would be a good start as it is made from a roux of flour and butter. It would help the cook learn the fat/flour/liquid/timing ratio.

My husband tells me it is a dying art form.

RE: Gravy (Michael Stern)

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 04:32:10 GMT

I love the soulful sausage gravy that comes with biscuits, like this stuff, in the background, behind biscuits at the Florida Avenue Grill in DC:

RE: Gravy (Liketoeat)

Wed, 11 Jun 2003 22:54:08 GMT

Sundancer, that country fried steak and its gravy your mother makes surely sounds wonderful. I've never had country fried steak or its gravy prepared in that manner. Would love to, though. And Ruby Rose, the closest approximation of the vinegar-mustard roast & gravy recipe I can come up with is contained in my above 6/11, 13:03 and 16:58 postings. Liketoeat

RE: Gravy (Sundancer7)

Wed, 11 Jun 2003 21:15:06 GMT

I am not an expert on gravy and probably never will be. Simple sausage and fried chicken gravy works with me.

My mother who lives next door makes a great country fried steak gravy. She does her country fried steak quite different than most as she uses a real steak, browns it and then slow cooks it with onions and other spices in the oven for several hours at around 200 degrees. The gravy is made from what is left and it is thick, oniony and brown. Great over her yeast rolls whick she has with every meal.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

RE: Gravy (RubyRose)

Wed, 11 Jun 2003 20:52:53 GMT

Me too. If you'd like to post your closest approximation of the recipe, I'll try it.

RE: Gravy (Bushie)

Wed, 11 Jun 2003 17:20:38 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Liketoeat

...You may not want to try it after learning the recipe's original source. I've never tried and can't stand dipping snuff, but trust me, this Snuff Memo recipe was great...

Just as long as I don't have to put Garrett Snuff in the gravy itself, I'm cool with it.

RE: Gravy (Liketoeat)

Wed, 11 Jun 2003 16:58:49 GMT

Bushie and Ruby Rose - Thanks for your comments and hope your goes at this roast turn out decent. My mother just automatically made up that vinegar, mustard, etc. mixture but the recipe did have quantities specified. When we've tried it, particularly after misplacing her recipe, we've just had to kinda do that part by taste (being careful not to overpower everything with vinegar); also being careful not to overly brown the flour. Wish I could provide more details and will be anxious to know how your efforts come out. As said, ours have been "ok", but certainly not hers. Don't know if either of you know what Garrett (dipping) snuff is or if you are familiar with the old Garrett Snuff pocket memos; a little booklet shaped like a jar of Garrett Snuff which farmers carried in their pockets to jot down memos. It also contained a few bits of "Farmer's Almanac" type info, including a few recipes and household hints for the ladies. For a few years one of the recipes included in it was this vinegar-mustard roast-gravy recipe. You may not want to try it after learning the recipe's original source. I've never tried and can't stand dipping snuff, but trust me, this Snuff Memo recipe was great.

And Mayor, surely enjoyed your comments re moms and grandmothers, both sources of some of my most wonderful memories. Your description of your grandmother's days reminds me so much of what I remember of my grandmother's days being. However, my mother was in a little different position in that in addition to being small farmers we also had an old country general merchandise store to which my mother devoted a lot of hours of work. In the rush seasons of spring and particularly fall (back then times of manual labor cotton chopping and cotton picking), she would have to let some of her housekeeping chores and even her cooking go due to the long hours that store demanded; but she surely made up for those times in winter and summer and whenever else she could. I spent my career in industry, and I surely admire the current day working moms; how they do what they do, I'll never know (fear I could never have done it), but I'd not previously stopped to think that a future loss of this type of life we all now have is going to be current younger and future adults not having the wonderful memories of their mothers and grandmothers which we enjoy. Take care all. Like to eat.

RE: Gravy (Bushie)

Wed, 11 Jun 2003 16:29:02 GMT

VibrationGuy, you obviously have had some culinary training. Please let me ask a couple of questions.

1) I don't bother separating the grease from the drippings anymore, and I haven't experienced negative results. What is the benefit of doing that in terms of the finished gravy?

2) I'm not familiar with the "mounting" technique (biting my lip here, trying not to think of the obvious mental picture...) What does that do?

I appreciate any info you can share.

RE: Gravy (Jennifer_4)

Wed, 11 Jun 2003 16:15:09 GMT

This gravy topic also brings to mind a dish I loved in our highschool cafeteria... "Hamburger Gravy".. nothing more than browned ground beef in brown gravy, ladled over mashed potatoes...ahhhhh.. I've made it for my family several times, but using a satisfactory brown gravy mix... true comfort food.

RE: Gravy (VibrationGuy)

Wed, 11 Jun 2003 16:08:16 GMT

My grandmother makes great gravy, my mother makes crappy gravy; what's the difference? (aside from grandparents and grandchildren being united around a common enemy?) Fat.

My grandmother makes roux, and my mother, hopelessly modern, uses starch slurries. Feh. You cannot make gravy without roux. Slurries and adding flour after the liquid component is added invariably mean a raw, starchy taste. Ptuii. Mom's not the first one to be wrong; Escoffier predicted that we'd all move to pure starches, too.

My gravy formula, invariably, uses a butter-and-rendered-fat roux, degreased drippings, stock, a little hooch of some sort, and seasonings. Finally, in a shameless attempt at gilding the lily, I enjoy "mounting" a gravy with a few hunks of cold buttter whisked in at the end, in the manner of ost french pan sauces. *drool*

Some of the best gravy I've ever had out-of-home was at Butte View Elementary School in Emmett, ID. Those lunch ladies (enormous girls, they, all rolls and folds) made *superb* hamburger and turkey gravy out of USDA commodities. It's a damn shame they served it on top of instant potatoes...and this, in the heart of potato country. For shame, ladies. Your gravy nearly redeems you, however.

RE: Gravy (mayor al)

Wed, 11 Jun 2003 15:36:55 GMT

Mom's and Especially GrandMom's are endowed with special God-given DNA that makes them capable (and willing) to spend hours in a kitchen doing things that only Executive Chef's dream about.
I know that times change, and the "modern mom" has a much more complex schedule than my (our) GrandMom's did...but I acknowledge with the deepest respect the memories I have of watching my grandmothers daily routine of Breakfast- house chores- Lunch- Then the afternoon was spent preparing the evening meal. A typical day would have at least 6 hours of food-prep in it. How many of us (either gender) do that on a daily basis..outside of those compensated for it at work? It is no wonder that their gravy---roasts---pies--soups--dumplings--etc all turned out as they did.
You don't gain that kind of experience trying to juggle a career, family raising and Household chores in the same time span.
This was not meant to be a put-down of the working mother...instead, you folks have brought to the front of my recall some wonderful memories of a day that doesn't exiest anymore...and that is my lose.

RE: Gravy (RubyRose)

Wed, 11 Jun 2003 14:36:18 GMT

Liketoeat, my mouth is watering reading the description of your mother's roast and gravy. My grandmother and mom used to keep a glass jar of previously browned flour on the counter for thickening all kinds of gravies and sauces so I'm familiar with a part of that wonderful flavor.

RE: Gravy (Bushie)

Wed, 11 Jun 2003 14:31:24 GMT

Wow, Liketoeat, what a story! I'll definitely make my next roast and gravy using your mother's technique. I guarantee you it won't come out as good as hers, but it sounds wonderful. (This is really the wrong time of year down here to be cooking roasts in the oven, but I may have to make an exception for this one! ) Thanks!