Linking up with Roan.
Linking up to Roan for Rubbish Tuesday. I hope you like an “ole” recipe that has never failed us at Thanksgiving and other days of the year.
Also, linking up with TexWisGirl. I hope you enjoy the recipe and scroll down to see a decorative scarecrow that looks like a fence. Happy Thanksgiving, friends. Wishing you all happy feasting with gravy and all the trimmings.
In memory of Allie Karine Sullins
We love gravy in my household. My mother liked au jus, my mother-in-law made it thicker adding flour and milk (or stock). But how to make it without getting those lumps? When my mother-in-law shared with me her secret, I felt I had won the cook’s lottery. I watched her over and over until it became so routine, I knew I could possibly, just maybe duplicate her delicious and fail proof version.
Here it is. A recipe for lump free gravy.
You can change the amount of flour and liquid depending how much gravy you want to make. Here’s a recipe for four to enjoy.
Measure one or two tablespoons of flour into a Mason jar with lid. Add salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash to taste and/or your favorite herbs. Pour a cup of cool milk into the jar. Now here’s the secret. Shake, don’t stir the flour with the milk. Shake, shake, shake. It will make a frothy mixture. Check the bottom of the clear container for no clump of flour sticking to the bottom. If there is, scrape away with butter knife and shake again until milk, flour and seasonings are thoroughly mixed together. Pour the frothy mixture into the cooking pan of drippings and stir combining the drippings. (If it’s turkey drippings you may want to use a basting dropper to aspirate/suck up the drippings from the roasting pan being careful to avoid fatty grease and squirt/release into the cooking pan. In other words, mix them the other way around. Milky mixture first, then add turkey drippings/stock to taste.) Stir, stir, stir. Cook longer for thicker gravy.
Thanks to this recipe, I can serve gravy without disappointment with biscuits, brisket, pork chops, chicken, turkey and ham. Yum!
1 cup of milk + 1-2T flour in Mason jar
Add milk to flour in the Mason jar. Shake, shake, shake. Ooops! There’s still a clump at the bottom. Scrape away with a butter knife and shake, shake, shake some more until frothy.
When thoroughly shaken and frothy, pour into drippings and cook to desired thickness.
Be careful: Don’t add warm drippings to the milk mixture in the Mason jar before shaking. If you do, the flour will expand and it will explode into a mess. Always, add the cool frothy mixture to the pan drippings separately (or for turkey when there is a lot of drippings, pour frothy mixture into cooking pan and then add the drippings to the frothy mixture).
Don’t shake with warm drippings in jar.
Georgette Sullins's Blog 
Oh if only it were really this easy for me…….I am the worst at gravy making . Thanks for the helpful “recipe”. Love the last graphic!
It works, Beth Ann. Try it. The secret is in the shaking, then add to drippings. Amazing, when I remember my mother lamenting lumps. Happy Thanksgiving!
That’s for sharing the recipe, Georgette! Gravy I can handle, now the turkey, that’s my problem. 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Gravy is good on anything – biscuits, potatoes, broccoli, green beans…yum.
exploding would not be good. 🙂 my mother had a metal measuring cup with a lid that she always used to shake up her thickening. 🙂
No it wouldn’t (smile). I must say this recipe is tried and true (Sullins tested many times). I learned about the exploding part once when I tried to take a shortcut (blush). So if one follows the directions, no, it will not explode. Happy eating on Thanksgiving!
Linked up with you too, on this post. I couldn’t resist including this with the scarecrow that looks like a fence. Thinking of you and friends who celebrate Good Fences during the year. Thank you for all you do to connect us around the world.
thank you, dear georgette! blessings to you and all of yours, always. 🙂
Mine too Tex! I still have the metal shaker.. it’s OLD!
I’ve never made gravy with milk. I will have to try that. My ex-mother-in-law gave me a gravy shaker. It was like what you would use for drinks but with measurements for gravy on it. I loved it. I lost custody of it in the divorce. I was so bummed. The mason jar would work as long as there are no leaks. I will try the milk version for Thanksgiving and see if anyone notices.
Milk makes creamy gravy, but stock will do as well. And if there are any vegans in the family, use milk or water with flour, onions, garlic, finely chopped celery, mushrooms and your favorite herbs to taste.
Vegans? In my family? I wish…
Your famous no lumps gravy recipe just in time for Thanksgiving! Have a wonderful holiday with your family, Georgette. God bless.
haha…I’ve never been freshly pressed but I live the experience vicariously as this recipe brings a spike to the stats. Happy eating around your table on Thursday.
My mother made the most wonderful gravy (forget the turkey and trimmings – when I was a girl, all I wanted was a plateful of mashed potatoes and Mom’s gravy) – and although she tried to teach me how it was done, mine always came out lumpy and too ‘doughy’ for my liking (she used a powered product called Bisto, mixed with water and poured into the roasting pan, where she’s whisk it into the drippings; it NEVER worked for me!) I am ashamed to admit this, but I’ve resorted to Swiss Chalet packaged gravy (perfect every time). I’m going to try your recipe for Christmas (since Canadian Thanksgiving was back in October). Thanks. Happy Thanksgiving!
I will have to look for Swiss Chalet as sometimes my reliable jar just isn’t handy when I’m visiting family members but still cooking. Isn’t it wonderful to have really gooood gravy? Thank you for sharing the memory of your mom’s gravy.
I always used to make only pan browned gravy, Southern style (brown the fat on high, add a couple of heaping Tablespoons of flour, stir around till browned, lower the heat to low and slowly add water, stir till thick and salt & pepper to taste) But I didn’t know how to make pan drippings gravy for years. I now follow your recipe for the no-lump gravy, except I do it with corn starch instead of flour. This was an awesome post! (And timely!) 🙂
Pan browned gravy sounds like it takes skill with the “fire.” My grandmother used to call the stove the fire. That’s an old word, isn’t it? I’ve had several people tell me they favor corn starch over flour, another staple in the kitchen. I should try it, too. Happy Thanksgiving!
A public service announcement! Thanks, Georgette! Happy Thanksgiving.
🙂 Thank you, Elyse, for stopping by. Happy eating to you and your family on Thanksgiving.
My secret is using cornstarch instead of flour. Works every time. Also, use cold liquids except for the pan dripping – no lumps, no fuss!
I will have to be sure I have cornstarch on hand. There are other recipes that call for it as a thickening agent.
Good tip! I grew up with gravy on everything too. Happy Thanksgiving to your and your family. I know your gravy will be the best! Cheers!
Thank you, Jonell. Well…it doesn’t have lumps. I keep working on the taste part, too. 🙂
btw Our daughter is named for my MIL who taught this to me, Karine, and my mother, Ellen. Parts of their two names make her name “Karel.” I thought of that when I saw your name.
That’s the way my mom taught me to make gravy, too!
🙂
It was in Honduras that I learned the word grumo for lump. I don’t mind lumps in my mashed potatoes; they give it character.
Love lumpy mashed potatoes and lumpy grits, too. But just don’t care for lumps in the gravy. SÃ, se llama salsa grumosa.
A lump free delicious comforting gravy makes every Thanksgiving dinner truly a feast to be remembered among friends and family always. Wishing you my friend and your wonderful family a blessed Thanksgiving full of love, joy, peace and great health! We are now in Austin celebrating with family too and it’s feels really amazing to be among them. God bless…
So glad you have family stateside and so near, too. What a comfort at this time of the year. When you drive 290 between Brenham and Hempstead, wave to the right. We’re not far away. So glad we have reconnected. It’s been busy since the move in June. Love your new look!
what a great tip. Happy Thanksgiving. Hope the Turkey turns out good now you have mastered the lumps!
haha…yes, I have mastered the lumps but keep tinkering to get just the right taste to go with what’s on the table. Thank you for visiting. I have much to be thankful for including your visits on Thursdays.
Well, I’m not sure if I am actually on the correct post since I don’t see any fences or rubbish for Betty’s meme. But I must say I enjoyed reading your ‘fool proof’ way of making gravy. For me, that is one of the necessities of Thanksgiving’s meal. Now, I’ll go searching in your blog more to see if I can find the correct fence post. 🙂
I usually write words for blog posts, but have really enjoyed Tuesday’s Rubbish Tuesday and Thursday’s Good Fences since our move to the country. I’ve enjoyed leaving the city and discovering the country. Their memes have really helped me make this transition. It’s been a pleasure reading your birding posts where I can learn about what visits our place.
aha….I see I should look a bit closer and see the scarecrow by a fence. Duh me.
I thought this post met both memes…I hope it did. So sorry to confuse. (1) For Rubbish Tuesday, a good ole recipe, decades old (2) for Good Fences the scarecrow fence – albeit decorative not outside (3) for me, writing a post with more words than one usually finds in a meme…although you certainly write the words. I enjoyed reading your conversations with Bud. I can relate. Thank you for stopping by to visit and comment.
It all sounds so yummy, can’t wait.. Thanks for sharing the gravy tip. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
I loved reading this.. such a good memory. My Mom made brown gravy with flour and water in a metal shaker with a lid. And I got to shake, shake, shake. Then added to drippings. Cream gravy for biscuits.. flour was stirred with butter, bacon, or sausage grease and milk added until you had the right thickness. After I was married no more gravy at turkey time, CH’s family eats homemade noodles and all the drippings go to the noodles. Wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving Georgette!!!
well now how cool is that. I’ve always used water and flour for my gravy but I’m gonna try the milk tomorrow. Thanks Georgette.
Happy Thanksgiving.
As my blogging friend Elyse said, “This is a public service announcement.” Truly, I was ecstatic when I learned the no lump secret. I hope the milk works for you.
I’m back, I like your scarecrow fence too.
Thank you, Felicia. This is an “indoor” fence. 🙂
Sounds like an interesting way to make gravy. – Cute little scarecrow decoration. Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving, Ida.
This is the best thanksgiving cooking tip ever. Who wants lumpy gravy? And I love your ‘explosion’ depiction about using warm milk. Stick with the cool.
Thank you, Renee. Yes, on top of everything else on Thanksgiving day, a change of clothes is not necessary. I hope you had a wonderful feast yesterday.
It was very small – the first without my mother and the family gathering at her house.
Nice tip. Ever notice though that there are those who prefer gravy on their turkey and those who eat it with cranberry? That’s me, the latter. I love cranberry sauce!
Daughter, son-in-law, grandson and I went to a vintage diner the day after Thanksgiving on the way to the airport. We all ordered “Thanksgiving Leftovers” under sandwiches on the menu. It was so good including cranberry sauce and dressing on the turkey. Daughter was familiar with the sandwich…have you seen it in CA on the menu? You might like it.
Yes! I love it. And I’ve seen the sandwich served with stuffing, too! Delish!