Gravy tips

Make roux with equal parts fat (oil, butter and/or turkey fat) and flour, by weight.

Make it ahead. Oil roux will keep at room temperature for several days. Refrigerated, oil roux and butter roux will keep at least a month; frozen, even longer.

A layer of oil will develop as an oil roux sits. Just stir it back in before using.

Two tablespoons of white or blond roux will thicken about 1 cup liquid.

The darker the roux, the less the thickening power.

Use a saucier pan, if you have one. Its more gradual sloping sides make it easier to whisk and stir.

It’s helpful to stir with a flat-edged wooden spatula, so you can easily scrape the bottom of the pan.

Quickly and thoroughly whisk room-temperature or cooler broth into just-cooked roux that has cooled a little; alternatively, whisk warm or hot liquid into room-temperature or chilled roux.

Whisk off the heat to allow extra time to smooth out the gravy, then return to the heat.

Curdled-looking gravy will come together as it heats up.

Simmer gravy about 10 minutes to cook out any floury taste.

Too-thin gravy can be simmered and reduced to desired consistency and taste. Or whisk in more roux; you can also whisk in small pieces of beurre manie (equal parts flour and softened butter that have been kneaded together — it will be soft and dough-like).

Always bring gravy to a full simmer to see how much it thickens before adding more roux or beurre manie.

If making the gravy ahead, place plastic wrap directly on the surface to keep a skin from forming.

Gravy thickens as it cools, so thin as needed with additional broth or water before serving.

Do not add salt to the gravy if using drippings from a brined turkey; add the drippings only to taste.

Pass lumpy gravy through a sieve or whirl it with an immersion blender or in a conventional blender to smooth it out.

Wondra flour — a superfine flour blend — can also be used as a thickener.