Let's talk gravy!

From Sundy:

I remember when I absolutely despised cooking. Mostly, it was a confidence thing. I had no clue what to do! In fact, I was teased unmercifully by my college roommates if I had to refer to a cookbook on those rare occasions that I attempted to cook something. And because I didn't have any practice at cooking, those meals were generally not all that tasty. Vicious circle of self-doubt there!

Then when I became a parent and my children were smaller, I didn't think I had the time or the know-how to make a meal from scratch. I know now that I simply needed to learn a few basics and practice, practice, practice. I'm not saying I'm a fabulous cook, but I do get compliments from time to time now. :)

One of the most versatile basics of cooking that I learned was how to make gravy from scratch.

I know, I know...some of you are probably thinking the same things that I did. "Mine always has lumps in it" or "Mine usually just tastes like flour" or "But the mix is so EASY!" Making gravy, once you get the basics down pat, is super easy and quick, too...and you just have to remember that the key secret is constant whisking. I taught my son (over the phone) how to make it when he was 13, and he mastered it fairly quickly.

The Better Times webzine has a great webpage on gravy and all of it's variations, such as cheese sauce, mornay sauce, etc. Here are the basics for white gravy.

You are going to use equal amounts of butter and flour (usually 1 to 3 tablespoons of each) to each cup of milk. And yes, you can substitute margarine or oil or pan drippings, but no, you cannot make it in the microwave. After a few times, you'll be able to "eyeball measure" the amounts. (Oh, and make sure you have your three basic ingredients with you right from the start, because once you get started, you cannot stop or you'll ruin your gravy. Don't worry...it really only takes a couple of minutes.)

Are you ready? Go!

1. Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan, then whisk in the flour.

2. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking the entire time. (Better Times suggests removing the pan from the heat, then pouring in the milk, then returning to the heat, but I've never had a problem keeping it on the heat.)

3. Keep whisking over the heat, until your gravy begins to thicken. Spice to taste.

Refer to the gravy page on Better Times for ways to vary this recipe to make brown gravy, cheese sauce, etc. :) They also list a gravy rescue method, just in case your gravy doesn't thicken the way you want it.

Remember: Constant Whisking! :)