Lumpy gravy

Why it happens

Starch granules swell and burst when they meet hot water, releasing the long molecules that thicken a liquid. That happens very fast.

When you tip dry flour into hot gravy, the granules on the outside of each little heap gelatinise instantly and glue together into a skin. Inside that skin the flour is still dry, and it will stay dry however long you whisk, because the water cannot get past the barrier its own thickening created.

Everything below is a way of separating the granules from each other before they meet heat.

Rescuing it now

Fastest first.

• Sieve it. Pour the gravy through a fine sieve into a clean pan, pressing the lumps against the mesh. Reliable, quick, and it costs you nothing but a sieve to wash.
• Blend it. A stick blender in the pan destroys the lumps in about five seconds. Best if there is nothing in the gravy you want to keep whole.
• Whisk hard off the heat, pressing lumps against the side of the pan. Works for a few small ones.
• Thin it and start again. If it is badly lumpy and thin, sieve it, then thicken it properly with a slurry.

Making it smooth from the start

Three routes, all built on the same principle.

1. Roux — cook equal weights of fat and flour together in the pan for a minute or two, then add liquid gradually, whisking. The fat coats every granule so they cannot clump. This is the classic and it also cooks out the raw flour taste.
2. Slurry — whisk flour or cornflour into a small amount of cold water until completely smooth, then pour that into the simmering liquid while stirring. Never add dry starch to hot liquid.
3. Beurre manié — knead equal parts soft butter and flour into a paste and whisk small pieces into the finished sauce. A last-minute fix that also enriches it.
4. Whichever route, simmer for a minute or two afterwards. Under-cooked flour tastes pasty and raw.

Getting the gravy itself right

Smooth gravy that tastes of nothing is only half a success.

Use the roasting-tin fond

The brown residue in the tin is where the flavour is. Pour off excess fat, keep a couple of tablespoons, and make the roux in the tin itself.

Deglaze properly

Add liquid to the hot tin and scrape everything off the base before thickening.

Stock, not water

Or wine, cider, or the vegetable cooking water — anything with flavour in it.

Season at the end

Gravy reduces, and salt concentrates with it.

Add acidity

A splash of vinegar, wine or redcurrant jelly stops a rich gravy tasting heavy.

Strain it anyway

Even good gravy is better through a sieve. It takes ten seconds.

Preventing it next time

1. Cook the roux properly — fat and flour stirred together over a medium heat for a minute or two until it smells biscuity rather than raw.
2. Take the pan off the heat before the first liquid goes in.
3. Add the liquid a splash at a time at the start, stirring each addition to a completely smooth paste before adding more. The first two or three additions decide everything.
4. Once it is loose and smooth, the rest of the liquid can go in freely.
5. Use a flat whisk rather than a spoon. It reaches the corners of the pan, which is where lumps form and hide.
6. If you are using cornflour instead, always slake it in cold liquid first. Dry starch tipped into hot liquid lumps instantly and permanently.

Common questions