It seems like a lot of people are intimidated by the prospect of making gravy. I’m going to share a method with you that has never failed me yet. The recipe – really just a ratio of two ingredients – is next, followed by specific tips that will help you to have success from the first go.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup rice flour (white or brown, any brand)
2+ cups liquid (broth or water – directions for cream gravy are included below)
Additional ingredients:
If your liquid is not a well seasoned broth, you will need to add salt and pepper to taste, and garlic powder if you like.
Kitchen tools that work well with this recipe: large skillet or instant pot with “saute” setting; wire whisk; metal spatula with flat, straight edge (curved will work if that’s what you have); liquid measuring cup; 1/4 cup dry measuring cup
How to make gravy happen:
First, let me tell you that if you have been browning or frying meat or sautéing onions or other vegetables, there is no need to wash the pan before making gravy in it. In fact, the flavor and carmelized juices – the brown stuff left in the bottom of the skillet – will add to the flavor of your gravy. If you have oil left in the bottom of the pan, go ahead and pour it out into some type of heat-proof container, but there is no need to wash or wipe the pan.
Before you start cooking, get your ingredients ready, because gravy moves fast. In addition to the 1/4 cup of rice flour and two cups of liquid, have an extra cup of water on hand in case your gravy gets too thick and needs to be thinned so it isn’t a gloppy mess.
Once you’ve assembled your ingredients, put the skillet on the burner and turn it to medium-low heat. While you do not need grease, residual oil, or pan drippings to make this gravy, it is fine if there is a little in the pan. Go ahead and dump the rice flour into the pan. If you have pan drippings in there, use your straight edged metal spatula to stir the flour around and mix it into the pan drippings. {If you are using an instant pot, push the button for “saute” to heat the bottom of the pan. If you notice that it is getting too hot, push “cancel” to turn the heat off.}
Next, pour the two cups of liquid into the pan. Immediately use the wire whisk to stir out any lumps. Keep stirring with the whisk until all lumps are gone.
Once the gravy is smooth – no lumps – turn up the heat to a medium setting. Begin slowly stirring the gravy with the spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan as you go to make sure that the gravy is not sticking. Do not walk away to do something else “for just a minute.” This is a critical stage where you could easily start to burn the gravy.
Over the course of a few minutes, the gravy will get hotter and you will need to stir it continually. If the gravy starts to bubble and begins to boil, turn the heat down a little and continue stirring. You will see that it is gradually starting to thicken and will begin to coat the spatula. {Again, if you are using an Instant Pot and the gravy begins to boil, just push “cancel” to turn the heat off.}
When the gravy is the desired thickness, turn off the heat and serve. If your gravy seems too thick, pour in a tiny bit of the water you have set aside and stir that in. DO NOT POUR IN THE WHOLE CUP AT ONCE. Continue to drizzle in a little water in at a time, stirring as you go, until it reaches the desired thickness.
Types of liquid that you can use: chicken, beef, or pork broth, vegetable broth, plain water if you have some pan drippings, or a combination of any type of broth and water if you don’t have two cups of broth. An old fashioned method is to reserve the water used in cooking potatoes and use that to make your gravy. I have tried this and it works well. Two things to keep in mind: 1) the potato water is probably already salted so be careful when adding seasoning, and 2) the starch in the water from cooking potatoes will likely add to the thickness of the gravy, so be prepared to add some more water to thin it down a little.
For cream gravy: Use one and a half cups of water mixed with a half cup of milk to make the two cups of liquid that you add to the rice flour. I do not recommend using milk only as it is likely to scorch.
Trouble-shooting:
If the gravy doesn’t seem to be turning out, don’t despair. It can probably be fixed unless you’ve burned it – at which point you should just plan on feeding it to the dogs who don’t care if it’s a little scorched.
Not thickening – try turning up the heat while stirring and see if the gravy starts to thicken.
Still not thickening after turning up heat – sprinkle in an additional tablespoon of rice flour, using the whisk to make sure it doesn’t turn lumpy. Cook a little longer – still stirring – until it reaches the desired consistency.
Too thick – pour in a little bit of water and stir it in until the gravy reaches the desired consistency.
For sausage gravy: Brown a pound (or the amount you wish to use) of pan sausage in the skillet. Add in the rice flour and liquid (in this case, follow the cream gravy water and milk ratio) and stir as directed above. If your pan sausage is pre-seasoned, make sure you taste the gravy before you begin adding salt and pepper. Many types of sausage are heavily salted and you could quickly end up with over-seasoned gravy.
If you are needing more than two cups of gravy, you can make as much as you like as long as you stick to the ratio of 1/4 cup of rice flour for every 2 cups of liquid.