gravy...

[Elmo]

right, just been having this discussion with my lovely bf, and we seem to have a differing oppinion on how to make gravy....

his method:
1. add bisto to jug
2. fill with water
3. stir
4. serve

now, personally, i think this is the wrong way to make gravy that you want to taste nice....

Generally, you have gravy with roasted meat therefore, the following is the method i was taught by my grandmother:
1. add bisto to a small cup
2. add about the same amount of cornflour
3. top up the cup with water
4. pour this into a jug and add some of the water from the boiled veggies and the "juices" from the rasting tray
5. pour all of this into a sauce pan and stir till thick
6. serve

This way the gravy has all the lovely flavours of the meal

But how do YOU make YOUR gravy....

[Swafe]

i think we use method 2 when we eat

but i cant be bothered, so when i make it, i use the first one, because im lazy

[silent ben]

Mum = your bfs method
grandma = your method (grans are the best)

Ben

[daniel_owen_uk]

Yeah method 2 here too except without the cornflour.

[petrefax]

method 2 - but replace bisto with 1/3 teaspoon of marmite..mmm

[funnelhead]

Well personally i think bisto is only fit for use with chips and mushy peas, it's texture is like childrens funny glue and the taste is pretty artificial.

If cooking a roast then all the flavour should hopefully all be in the pan from the meat and the herbs (you did add herbs didnt you ), brought out with some choice ingredients added at the end. I find a roast chicken with lemon and Dill is yummy, esp if you add a little mustard to the gravy. Things like lea and perrins, onions, marmite, mustard, rosemary, horseradish, vegetable stock even brown sauce ... i find it fun to try and find something to really make the gravy complement the food....without resorting to bisto and feeling like i cheated.
[having said all that sometimes if cooking for the family and the gravy just has no meat flavour at all i panic and sprinke a bit in.. but i have to be really sh*tting myself...

Getting the right colour just means adding 1/2 an onion to the tin. As petrefax says, marmite is good for flavour and colour, though too much is obviously salty.

If you've not got a roast and no juices to work with eg your doing toad in the hole then i like this one:

Roasted Onion Gravy

1. Finely chop an onion, sprinkle with sugar and roast in oven tin for 10-15 mins till browning
2. Transfer to frying pan with a teaspoon of oil, and over a gentle heat gradually add a heaped tblspn of flour, stirring as you go
3. add 1 1/2 teaspoon of mustard, a teaspoon of lea and perrins, a pint of boiling vegetable stock and salt and pepper.
4. let it all mix for 5 mins as you bring it to serving temperature
5. Yum! and no bisto at all so pride intact when people ask

i hope someone tries that last one cos im quite fond of it !

right now back to looking for drivers for a 10 year old modem from a company that went bust 9 years ago....

[floppybootstomp]

Usually bung a small onion or two in with the roast. Then, depending on how lazy I am, cornflour/marmite/salt & black pepper/chopped roast onions/some of the roast meat juices, boil in a saucepan til thick and a little reduced, serve.

But tbh mostly I just use them granules or the posh paste gravy with red wine from Asdas (Asda's - posh? Now there's a whole different subject )

[Zak33]

all pretty close to perfect...

but not quite

With BEEF....which needs gravy....

Roast beef joint....when nealry done, take out wrap in kitchen foil and leave for 30 minutes.....iyt wont get cold, it'kk get better and moister and lovelier

mean time.....roasting tin.....pout all stockout of it, into a Stock Seperator....its like a measuring jug but with a spout that joins at the very very bottom....like a warped teapot....leave to stand for a minute and watch the oil float....and all the good beef stock sinks...and when you pour it out you keep pouring until the fat level gets tot he low bit wherre the spout is and then you stop pouring...

MEANTIME>......

Roasting pan on ther hob....heat it...pour in half a pint of red wine.....use the hot red wine to deglaze the pan. It will dissolve all the good stuff, ...go on...use a wooden spoon and stir that hot red wine around....boil it ......get all the good stuff off.....

once the red wine has gone down in volume...(this is strong stuff, not with alcohol cos its evaporated...but with beef niceness ) taste is for strength....this is STRONG GEAR>....keepit aside...all the fat is in the seperator ....for chucking away.

Empty the gunky fat out of your stock seperator out, rinse it clean, wash if need be.... and pour the hot red wine mix into it....let it settle....

then pour this new stock into the first stock...once again....UNTIL the fat layer....but no further...we dont want fat...we want JUICE and nice stuff

NOW TASTE>>>>>>>no stock cubes....no granules.....

just beef stock, red wine.....and a bit of pepper....and you're done

its dark, evil, powerfull and divine

Last....pour all the juice from the tin foil into it too.....cos there will be lots...

Dont forget guys and girls...a big beef joint will stay hot in foil for over 30 minutes.....long enough to do good roast spuds...so you dont need a big oven....do the roasties AFTER the beef is done...while it rests.

[funnelhead]

WAit Right there Zak - while your gravy method is flawless - what is this crap about doing roast potatoes in 30 minutes??? Good roast potatoes should be crispy. Ie once they have been par-boiled they should be scoreed or fluffed all over then plonked into hot fat with salt and rosemary and nailed for a good hour minimum, turning a couple of times. This will give what my family call a 'glass case job' lol. Golden and crispy outer with fluffy inards. Any less than an hour and you might as well be roasting fluff.

This is my opinion, and you should all bearin mind that i have been drinking zaks gravy mix for about 3 hours now..... but that doesnt change the facts!!

[Zak33]

you make your roasties BIG...
I make mine small

30 minutes....lots of basting and it needs a 50/50 of vegetable oil and lard...

and you're right...always fouur you potatos (that means par boil, drain and then shake in the pan until they gone fluffy....THEN roast)

but in the oven time.....30 minutes is normally ok....for a lot of ickle one

[Zak33]

its nice to have so many people into food on one forum

nice indeed

[petrefax]

if we're on the subject of roasties - how about adding a teaspoon of dijon mustard whilst fluffing them up, gives them a top notch crispy exterior with extra flavour (and adds to the flavour of the gravy)

[lynni]

no1 never replied to my request about sunday lunch and i still dont know how to!!

[floppybootstomp]

I'm going to try Zak's gravy, I like the sound of that (or maybe I should say taste of that...)

[BeelzebubUK]

Must admit I'll always just use Bisto as its easy but reading this thread has given me some interesting ideas whenever I next do a roast dinner.

For roast potatoes you can't beat roasting them under the meat and letting all those meaty juices doing the cooking for you

[Punky]

the mother mixes the veggy juices n that in with the juices n bits of meat in the pan the beef was cooked in and adds some other bits of stuff. i love the giblet gravy she makes with chicken too. can't beat a gravy made outta boiled up chicken guts