Turkey Gravy

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Of course I do. The pan drippings are part of the hot stock as is whatever fond there is on the roasting pan.
After I have removed any fat floating on the drippings I stir in boiling water to loosen the fond.
Then I pour this hot stock over the chilled roux while stirring.
I pour ALL the stock at once onto the roux. I don't like the wallpaper paste effect you get by dripping in the hot stock a little at a time.

OK. It wasn't clear to me from your earlier post.
 
Maybe you can teach them :)

So how did they like it?

You mean the Pioneer gravy mix?
They loved it and had no idea. It was also so easy and i did not have to make roux.
I did use turkey stock in place of the water though.
I had all the separated drippings and had to put it in the freezer. Had no use for them this time.

I guess those drippings can accompany the stock in my next week turkey soup. I have a carcass and about 1.5 quarts of stock left.
Maybe a drippings floater for each bowl?
 
No, you had said you didn't know what they would think about brown gravy, as opposed to milk gravy.

Roux is so easy to make, and so cheap, why do you need a mix?

With the fat removed, the drippings are just juices - essentially flavored water. They won't float - just whisk them into any new poultry gravy you make.
 
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For me, a flour slurry is easier to handle than a roux, as you can always add more slurry if the gravy isn't thick enough. Just shake flour and stock in a jar.

Naturally, the gravy must be simmered and stirred long enough to cook out the flour taste.
 
For me, a flour slurry is easier to handle than a roux, as you can always add more slurry if the gravy isn't thick enough. Just shake flour and stock in a jar.

Naturally, the gravy must be simmered and stirred long enough to cook out the flour taste.


I do it both ways. I'll make a roux ahead of time if that's what I want to use. The slurry works well too. I used a slurry this year.
 
I freeze the drippings until the fat is congealed then just scoop it off. Works like a charm.
 
If you heat the pan with the drippings on the stove top, all the water will cook off. You are left with turkey fat and solids. If you sprinkle flour onto the fat and stir/cook it, you have made a roux. Then you add stock to make gravy.
 
If you heat the pan with the drippings on the stove top, all the water will cook off. You are left with turkey fat and solids. If you sprinkle flour onto the fat and stir/cook it, you have made a roux. Then you add stock to make gravy.

That's also a way of getting there, but I wanted all the liquid juices and solids at the bottom, without most of the fat.
 
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That's also a way of getting there, but I wanted all the liquid juices and solids at the bottom, without most of the fat.


You can take out some of the fat and leave just what you want.

The dried up juices will reconstitute when you add liquid to deglaze the pan.
 
If you heat the pan with the drippings on the stove top, all the water will cook off. You are left with turkey fat and solids. If you sprinkle flour onto the fat and stir/cook it, you have made a roux. Then you add stock to make gravy.

This is how my mom taught me to make turkey gravy :yum: Browning the flour in the fat adds more flavor, as it does with just about anything.
 
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For me, a flour slurry is easier to handle than a roux, as you can always add more slurry if the gravy isn't thick enough. Just shake flour and stock in a jar.

Naturally, the gravy must be simmered and stirred long enough to cook out the flour taste.

You can add a slurry to a roux-based gravy, too, if necessary. I think browning flour in fat tastes better than just cooking it in liquid, but of course, YMMV.
 
You can take out some of the fat and leave just what you want.

The dried up juices will reconstitute when you add liquid to deglaze the pan.

That's exactly what I did with the ice cubes coated with fat.

At any rate, it seems everyone was happy with their own gravy and that's what counts. Hmm, I wonder if there's a gravy cook off contest??
 
I make my gravy a couple of day ahead. I buy turkey wings & drumsticks ahead of time, Roasted them in the oven with onion,celery, carrots, clove of garlic, s&p and little poultry seasoning. Then I remove everything and put into a pot, add a little water or broth to the roast pan to get all the good stuff on the pan and put all that in the pot. Then cover with water and let it simmer till all the meat has falling off the bones and leaves a nice rich stock I then make my gravy from that. Its is delicious . After the dinner I remove all the meat from the turkey and save the bones in a container in the freezer for turkey broth or soup later on with some more fresh wings or parts added. The drippings I either added to my already made gravy or freeze them for later,
 
You can add a slurry to a roux-based gravy, too, if necessary. I think browning flour in fat tastes better than just cooking it in liquid, but of course, YMMV.
When the flour is first browned it has been dextrinized.
" Best Answer: 1) When flour is heated until brown, the starch granules undergo a process known as dextrinization. Dextrins are fragments of starch molecules composed of chains of glucose molecules. When they are dissolved in water, they have a sweet taste, and contribute to the color and pleasant flavor of brown gravies. As the starch undergoes dextrinization, it loses its thickening power. Extensive dextrinization, as occurs when flour is browned with dry heat, may cut the thickening power by as much as one half. " Once I started dextrinizing the flour the result was/is an excellent tasting gravy somewhat lighter than a gravy using non-dextrinized flour.
For cooks who like to experiment try dextrinizing the APF. See what you think.
The only tricky part is understanding how much flour to use.
 
...As the starch undergoes dextrinization, it loses its thickening power. Extensive dextrinization, as occurs when flour is browned with dry heat, may cut the thickening power by as much as one half. "...

When making a darker roux with plain flour, the same thing happens. As the roux darkens, it loses its thickening power. So I'd guess a form of dextrinization occurs in the making of a roux.
 
No, you had said you didn't know what they would think about brown gravy, as opposed to milk gravy.

Roux is so easy to make, and so cheap, why do you need a mix?

With the fat removed, the drippings are just juices - essentially flavored water. They won't float - just whisk them into any new poultry gravy you make.

Misunderstanding then. My comment was regarding using milk for gravy and that I have never used milk, unless I'm making a white gravy. And that folks down south call it milk gravy. I read that someone used milk in turkey gravy.

Yes, roux is easy, but the mix saved me at least one step and at least one pan to wash and saved me the time it takes to make the roux.
This was sort of an experiment as I never made thanksgiving in advance. Most likely next year I make traditional turkey gravy as its also easy.

The floater would be for the soup and does not necessarily have to float. But would be called a floater in my mind as i would put some onto the top center of the soup just before serving.
Seems it would be a waste to pour the drippings into turkey soup stock.
We are done with gravy. This is about soup.

For me, a flour slurry is easier to handle than a roux, as you can always add more slurry if the gravy isn't thick enough. Just shake flour and stock in a jar.
Naturally, the gravy must be simmered and stirred long enough to cook out the flour taste.

I used this method long before I found out about roux. Its how my mother made gravy. I think roux makes a better gravy and is a better thickener.

This is how my mom taught me to make turkey gravy :yum: Browning the flour in the fat adds more flavor, as it does with just about anything.

Agree. I always cook my roux to the color I am pairing with. Beef gravy gets a darker color and turkey gets a lighter color.

I make my gravy a couple of day ahead. I buy turkey wings & drumsticks ahead of time, Roasted them in the oven with onion,celery, carrots, clove of garlic, s&p and little poultry seasoning. Then I remove everything and put into a pot, add a little water or broth to the roast pan to get all the good stuff on the pan and put all that in the pot. Then cover with water and let it simmer till all the meat has falling off the bones and leaves a nice rich stock I then make my gravy from that. Its is delicious . After the dinner I remove all the meat from the turkey and save the bones in a container in the freezer for turkey broth or soup later on with some more fresh wings or parts added. The drippings I either added to my already made gravy or freeze them for later,

This is how I make stock. Roast everything in oven till nice and brown, then transfer to stock pot and simmer for hours.
GG helped me to do it this way as I have been browning everything in the pot instead of the oven. Oven is much easier.

When making a darker roux with plain flour, the same thing happens. As the roux darkens, it loses its thickening power. So I'd guess a form of dextrinization occurs in the making of a roux.

Thanks Andy. I did notice that myself. Was not sure why though.
 
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Yes, roux is easy, but the mix saved me at least one step and at least one pan to wash and saved me the time it takes to make the roux.

I make the roux in the roasting pan as Andy described above, so no extra pan. I use prepared foods regularly, but since I became disabled and had to quit work, I developed an aversion to buying certain things, like packet mixes, when I have the ingredients in my kitchen already ;)

This was sort of an experiment as I never made thanksgiving in advance. Most likely next year I make traditional turkey gravy as its also easy.

I'm glad it worked out for you :)

The floater would be for the soup and does not necessarily have to float. But would be called a floater in my mind as i would put some onto the top center of the soup just before serving.
Seems it would be a waste to pour the drippings into turkey soup stock.
We are done with gravy. This is about soup.

Well, it gets into the stock one way or the other. What you do with the stock after that doesn't matter. I don't see how putting some in each bowl is different from putting all of it into the stock.
 
... I let the pan drippings sit overnight (in a glass bowl with a lid) in the refrigerator. The next day the fat hardens and comes to the surface of the bowl, which I then scrape it off, and make the gravy.
...

Do you mean to say that you prepare your turkey a day ahead?
 
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