How to make gravy

Gravy was a staple in our house when I was growing up. So learning to make it was as natural as learning to fry an egg. That's why I was shocked when a good friend came to dinner and wanted to watch when I made the gravy.

She's known as a very good cook - but it turns out she never made gravy because she didn't know how.

So here goes: First, there are 2 different kinds and 2 different ways.

If you've cooked a roast or a turkey and have drippings in the pan, you'll want to use the cornstarch method.

First, put a tablespoon or two of cornstarch in a small bowl. Add water and stir until it is smooth. Don't ever just dump the cornstarch into the hot drippings, because they'll land in a lump and stay that way.

Now, if you don't have enough liquid in the drippings, add a little water. Then slowly stir in the cornstarch and watch the mixture thicken. Add a little more water, alternating with the cornstarch, until you get the volume of gravy you want. You can also add milk, or the water from the pan in which you boiled potatoes. If you use water you'll get brown gravy, if you use milk you'll have milk gravy.

The important thing is to keep stirring while the gravy is cooking. If you don't, you'll get lumps. Keep watching until you have the thickness you want, then get it off the stove. You can keep it in a warm oven if you aren't quite ready to serve the meal.

The second way is to use the grease that's left in the bottom of a frying pan after you fry chicken, pork chops, or bacon. Some people also use the grease left from frying burgers, but I don't like the flavor as well as the others.

If you have a LOT of grease, pour some in a bowl and set it aside. Then add about 2 or 3 Tablespoons of flour and stir it well. If you've removed too much grease, put some back so you get a kind of crumbly mixture.

Now add milk - about a cup the first time. Then, just like with the other method, keep stirring and adding and stirring and adding until it has the consistency you want. Again, you can use some of the water the potatoes were cooked in for part of the liquid.

Don't despair if you get too much liquid and your gravy is runny. Just keep it on a medium low heat and let it cook down until it's right. Remember to keep stirring, however!

Yours for good eating,
Marte