Basics for the novice cook | ||
Quick Gravy | ||
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When it comes to making gravy, we’re going to cheat! Home made gravy is usually made using onions, carrots and celery as a base, and then some parts of the animal’s carcass, and in particular the bones which are slowly boiled. It’s delicious, and any self respecting restaurants wouldn’t take short cuts, but home made gravy can be time consuming and impractical for the low quantities required by the home cook. We don’t want all that bother when we can reach for the instant gravy granuals. Now I’m sure you’ve eaten at other people’s houses and the gravy has been lumpy. Not very nice is it? The lumps are formed because the granuals cake together when they come into contact with very hot water. Well there’s a trick to making smooth gravy when using instant gravy granuals. The secret is to reduce the granuals to a paste just before the boiling water is added. This is done by adding a small amount of clean cold water to the granuals about 10 minutes before hand. You will need to add about a level tablespoon of water to every heaped tablespoon of granuals and stir. The granuals will absorb the cold water and break down into a paste. You can then add the boiling water and, abracadabra, no lumps and perfect gravy. For convenience I always mix my instant gravy in a pyrex jug which has graduation marks on the side. Although quantities may vary depending on brand, you will need about 1 heaped tablespoon of granuals per 150ml of boiled water. A modest portion of gravy is in the region of 150ml, so for 4 people you will need between 4 heaped tablespoons of gravy granuals in 600ml of boiling water, and 5 heaped tablespoons in 750ml of boiling water. I always err on the generous side as it isn’t always practical to make extra gravy if needed. |
