4 Steps to Making Perfect Pan Gravy

The secret to lump-free gravy?
- Use a whisk! It’s the best tool to distribute ingredients quickly and evenly.
- Whisk your thickener (like flour or cornstarch) into a small amount of broth or water before adding it to your gravy.
-Adding your thickener directly into the gravy can cause gooey lumps that are hard to mix in.
- And strain the gravy through a fine sieve and return it to the pan to continue cooking; then if you want it thicker, use the thickening method described above.

Step 1
After removing the turkey from the roasting pan, pour any pan juices and fat into a large glass measuring cup and place in the freezer so the fat rises to the top, about 10 minutes. Skim the fat off with a spoon and discard. Add any accumulated juices from the resting turkey to the defatted pan juices; add enough chicken broth (or other stock) so the combined liquids measure about 5 cups total.

Step 2
Set the roasting pan over two burners on medium-high heat. Add 3/4 cup deglazing liquid, such as white wine, vermouth or brandy; bring to a boil and cook, scraping up the browned bits from the pan, until the liquid is reduced. Add the 5 cups of broth mixture. Increase the heat to high and return to a boil, whisking often and scraping up any remaining browned bits. Boil until reduced to about 2 3/4 cups, 8 to 12 minutes.

Step 3
Combine 1/2 cup broth or stock and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour in a small bowl. Whisk the mixture into the roasting pan. Boil, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 4
Remove the pan from the heat and pour the gravy through a fine sieve into a large measuring cup. Season to taste with herbs, salt and pepper, if desired.