By Darcy Laszewski on November 16, 2011 in
The turkey is out of the oven, the potatoes are whipped to perfection, and all that's left to do is make the gravy. Experts recommend making it in the same pan in which the turkey was roasted to take advantage of the drippings. This is when having a quality roasting pan, like those discussed in our roasting pan report, can really pay off. A tri-ply stainless-steel pan with a layer of aluminum in the center prevents hot spots that can cause the gravy to burn and makes the pan less likely to warp on the stovetop.
If you have never made gravy in a roasting pan, here are some tips for getting started:
- Make the broth: Experienced chefs at Cook's Illustrated magazine say great gravy starts with a broth made from the turkey neck and giblets, diced onion, low-sodium chicken stock, and herbs like thyme and parsley.
- Deglaze the roasting pan: Remove the cooked turkey from the roasting pan and place the pan over two burners on the stovetop set at medium-high heat. Pour in a cup of broth (add some wine for a more acidic flavor) and scrape the drippings off the bottom.
- Thicken with a roux: To make one, melt butter in large saucepan, whisk in flour and cook while stirring until it turns a rich brown color. Use the roux to thicken your gravy.
- Mix the gravy: Once you have all three components of the gravy ready, incorporate the remaining hot broth into the roux with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming. Add the roasting pan liquid to the gravy using a strainer.
If you still think homemade gravy is too much work (or you just want to make sure you don't run short), we did a little searching and found that some store-bought gravy brands are just as tasty.
In a test of five turkey gravies done by SeriousEats.com, Heinz HomeStyle Roasted Turkey Gravy (*Est. $1.45 for a 12-ounce jar) was rich and smooth and tasted the most like real roasted turkey. Campbell's Turkey Gravy (*Est. $2.80 for a 10.5-ounce can), which also has a smooth consistency, was the runner-up. EveryDay with Rachel Ray magazine choose Boston Market Roasted Turkey Gravy (*Est. $2.55 for a 12-ounce jar) as their top pick remarking that it "tastes like real pan drippings" with "great oniony flavor." In another professional taste test of 10 gravy brands, Knorr Roasted Turkey Gravy Mix (*Est. $2.10 for a 1.2-ounce package) tasted the most like homemade. Heinz, Campbell's and Boston Market were among the six brands rated as "good."
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