Gravy can be finicky.

So while watching my mom make it, I asked her to explain her gravy rules for a cooking simpleton like me.

This is what she said:

If you don’t want your gravy to taste like milk, you use water. Fried chicken dinner, you would want to use milk. I also use milk for a ham loaf. Water is used for beef dishes usually.

I can see my mother now, mixing up her flour and water in a glass. Half a glass of water and a tablespoon of flour. You want the flour mixed into the water like you’re making a paste, you don’t want the flour resting at the bottom.

Examine the bottom of your pan where you cooked your meat. You must be careful that there’s not too much fat. You want about two tablespoons of fat, so if there is more than that, remove it from the pan. This will be enough gravy for about four people.

Then you add it to the pan that you cooked your meat in, and scrape the bottom to blend the flour water with the drippings.

Turn up the heat until thickened.

(Note: At this point, my mom used the word “fond” here, which was beyond my understanding. I questioned her as to whether that was a real word, and researched it later on wikipedia. “In the culinary arts, fond is a contraction of fonds de cuisine which is loosely described as ‘the foundation and working capital of the kitchen.’ It refers to the flavorful solid bits of food stuck to a pan or pot after cooking. These bits are deglazed with a liquid in order to produce a gravy, stock, broth, or sauce.” So it is a real word, only further confirmation that my mom knows what she is talking about.)

You can add dashes of things, like Worcestershire or Kitchen Bouquet (seasoning in a bottle).

I used to use this special flour called Wondra.

Most of your flavor comes from what’s in the pan.

I hope this helps you on your gravy journey. And if you have your own tips and tricks, you know I will take them.