Makin' Gravy

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Zhizara

Chef Extraordinaire
Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Sep 16, 2008
Messages
12,433
Location
New Orleans, LA
Yesterday during my mega shopping for the month, I ran into a lovely older southern lady.

She passed on a tip for making gravies. She said she takes flour and puts it in a cast iron skillet and places it in the oven at a low temperature until the flour gets to the color she likes to use and then keeps it in a container until she is ready to make gravy.

I didn't get any more information than that, but it soundedl like a great way to make gravy or even as a roux starter, so I thought I'd pass the idea along.

If I'm lucky enough to run into her again, I'll definitely try to get more details.

In the meantime, I'm going to try the idea out.

I love the idea of having "toasted" flour to make gravies and roux.
 
Last edited:
Would this method be any better than mixing flour into the fat (after draining off the meat juices) and cooking it out until it darkens before adding the liquid?
 
First things first. I know of no "Southern Ladies" that brown the flour or even use brown gravy. LOL.
Here in the south its white gravy with the occasional sausage added and poured over biscuits.
I take anything I hear here very lightly as I have met very few people that actually know how to cook.
 
Would this method be any better than mixing flour into the fat (after draining off the meat juices) and cooking it out until it darkens before adding the liquid?

If you make it in advance, it saves some time when you go to make the gravy.

You can also make roux in advance and freeze it. Restaurants do that all the time.
 
First things first. I know of no "Southern Ladies" that brown the flour or even use brown gravy. LOL.
Here in the south its white gravy with the occasional sausage added and poured over biscuits.
I take anything I hear here very lightly as I have met very few people that actually know how to cook.

Here in my part of the South, turkey and beef gravy made with a browned roux are not uncommon. By definition, white or milk gravy isn't made with browned flour, but that's not the only gravy Southerners make. See: Gumbo.
 
First things first. I know of no "Southern Ladies" that brown the flour or even use brown gravy. LOL.
Here in the south its white gravy with the occasional sausage added and poured over biscuits.
I take anything I hear here very lightly as I have met very few people that actually know how to cook.

And in rebuttal I have know a lot of southern ladies that made brown gravy for their chicken fried steak. Why would I want a white gravy for a piece of beef? :angel:
 
I've seen recipe for making a roux that start with browning the flour like this then mixing it with the oil and cooking it briefly. A simpler way to make a roux.
 
First things first. I know of no "Southern Ladies" that brown the flour or even use brown gravy. LOL.
Here in the south its white gravy with the occasional sausage added and poured over biscuits.
I take anything I hear here very lightly as I have met very few people that actually know how to cook.

So are you saying all the recipes that have been posted in this forum are just crap? Considering that is such a broad statement, does that include all of the members of this forum?

I have been feeding a family for 60 years. They are all still alive and kicking. I do know what a stove is and I know enough to know the difference between the hardware store and a supermarket. I don't shop for food at a hardware store. I don't have any food left from my shopping forays at the supermarket 60 years ago. So I must have done something right. No one died from my cooking or even got sick. :angel:
 
I really liked her idea because of the simplicity of making a quick but delicious gravy.

She mentioned her daughter coming over for dinner often, but the daughter wanted her to buy gravy mix packets.:ohmy::ermm:

I can see why she'd rather have toasted flour on hand.

A head start on roux came immediately to mind.
 
I really liked her idea because of the simplicity of making a quick but delicious gravy.

She mentioned her daughter coming over for dinner often, but the daughter wanted her to buy gravy mix packets.:ohmy::ermm:

I can see why she'd rather have toasted flour on hand.

A head start on roux came immediately to mind.

I would add water or even milk to the flour for a slurry to add to the juices and liquid in the pan. :angel:
 
First things first. I know of no "Southern Ladies" that brown the flour or even use brown gravy. LOL.
Here in the south its white gravy with the occasional sausage added and poured over biscuits.
I take anything I hear here very lightly as I have met very few people that actually know how to cook.

If you want to learn about Souther cooking, maybe you should make an effort to meet more Southern ladies. They are the ones who know how to really cook!
 
First things first. I know of no "Southern Ladies" that brown the flour or even use brown gravy. LOL.
Here in the south its white gravy with the occasional sausage added and poured over biscuits.
I take anything I hear here very lightly as I have met very few people that actually know how to cook.


After reading this post, I take what you say about the south lightly. You can't make a gumbo without a roux, which requires browning flour.
 
OK, just to lighten the mood a bit about browning flour in an iron skillet, I have another take on the subject.

When I was a new mom, my sweet southern grandmother told me to brown up some flour in an iron skillet to cure my baby's diaper rash. It worked like a charm when no fancy medicines had. I floured up his little bum with that browned flour and he was cured in a couple of days. Maybe it had something to do with it being browned in an iron skillet.

Anyway, carry on......:LOL:
 
After reading this post, I take what you say about the south lightly. You can't make a gumbo without a roux, which requires browning flour.

Same here. RB, you continually speak as if where you are and who you know are the be-all end-all of Southern cooking. I think your experience with Southern cooks is very limited and it's unfortunate that you've generalized that experience to everyone in the South.

The South includes 16 states, not just South Carolina, or your little corner of South Carolina.
 
Same here. RB, you continually speak as if where you are and who you know are the be-all end-all of Southern cooking. I think your experience with Southern cooks is very limited and it's unfortunate that you've generalized that experience to everyone in the South.

The South includes 16 states, not just South Carolina, or your little corner of South Carolina.

Heck, even certain items vary just from area to area within the same state. I've read discussions on barbecue in the Carolinas and folks in one part of a state are adamant that folks in the next county are doing it all wrong.

If there can be that much variability within a state, then how much variety must there be when crossing state lines? :blink:
 
One of the reasons to make a roux instead of just adding flour is because the raw taste of the flour gets cooked out more quickly in a roux than in something water based. Fat gets to a higher temperature than water, when using a skillet. If you brown the flour in the oven, then it gets rid of the raw taste. Then, you can use it in a slurry without having to cook the gravy for a long time to get rid of that raw taste. I think it is a very clever idea, especially if you are try to cut down on fats.
 
Back
Top Bottom