Decent gravy please.

Curry_Queen

Becles wrote:

I wouldn't buy a wooden chopping board.

They are easily marked with grooves from your knives, and wil soak in juices from veg and meat. Once the surface gets rough with knife grooves they are very difficult to clean properly. All sorts of nasty bacteria will start living in the grooves. It's an ideal place for them to breed - nice warm kitchen and food supply from the absorbed juices.

That's not actually true, and wooden chopping boards are much safer to use than plastic or acrylic which do harbour all the nasties when the plastic surface has been damaged by knives. There is a reason, which I can't remember the details from the top of my head but heard it discussed on tv the other, which is something to do with the wood contracting and expanding when wet and killing off the bugs (I must google for details) and despite butcher's being banned from using wooden blocks at one point, they overturned the rulings as they proved they were more hygienic to use.

Back to gravy ... if you place your joint of meat on a bed of sliced onions when roasting, the onions will caramelise and give you the browning you need so you don't need bisto powder or whatever.

What I do is to place the meat on a bed of onions and veggies to roast. Remove meat when cooked, leaving onions/veggies in tin, and remove any excess fat (saved for dripping) then add some wine to deglaze the tin and boil till reduced to a thick syrup, mushing the veggies into it and season. Then add boiling water (usually the water I've cooked any veg/potatoes in) and if necessary thicken with a little cornflour, although it's usually thick enough without. Strain it into a serving jug and voila! ... yummy gravy

kazd

Becles wrote:

I wouldn't buy a wooden chopping board.

They are easily marked with grooves from your knives, and wil soak in juices from veg and meat. Once the surface gets rough with knife grooves they are very difficult to clean properly. All sorts of nasty bacteria will start living in the grooves. It's an ideal place for them to breed - nice warm kitchen and food supply from the absorbed juices.

I used to work in a food microbiology lab, so I'm well aware of what nasties can grow in the kitchen. I'd never have a wooden chopping board in my kitchen. I've got a glass one which cleans easily after use.

I have a glass one as well, but they are flipping noisy and blunt your knives.

Ticklemouse

I have wooden, plastic and glass chopping boards and although the glass ones are easy to keep clean, I agree, they do play havoc with your knives. The plastic ones I shove in the dishwasher and my wooden one I usually keep for veggies but bleach regularly. What I really want is a carving board with the little metal spikes on. I have a metal one but don't like it at all. My ex had a wooden carving board and it was fab (the board, not the ex:rolleyes: ) Trouble is, I can't find one - will keep looking though.

I also heard that info about wooden chopping boards being 'self disinfecting'. Isn't it something to do with the cracks closing up and starving the bugs of oxygen or something? Anyway, most of us lead too sterile a life anyway.:D

As for the gravy tips, looking forward to my next roast ......Hmmm, beef I think next weekend.

jennyjo_2

tesco are selling a pack of 2 hard plastic chopping boards in their value range for 39p at the moment, cheap enough to have a couple in the dishwasher and a couple in use,

Cullumpster

I always cook my roast meat in lots of water with chopped onions and garlic, then when the meat is cooked it is lovely and moist and voila, you have your gravy just add a spoonful of gravy mix and stir it on the hob till it's nice and thick.

I've been told by my o/h's kids that it's the best they've ever tasted . !!!

Curry_Queen

Ticklemouse wrote:

I also heard that info about wooden chopping boards being 'self disinfecting'. Isn't it something to do with the cracks closing up and starving the bugs of oxygen or something? Anyway, most of us lead too sterile a life anyway.:D

Yes!!! that was it ... glad someone else heard it too ... knew it had something to do with contracting/expanding wood but had forgotten the bit about starving the bugs of oxygen

I agree about the "being too sterile" thing (as I mentioned in the other thread) and most of it is just basic common sense really. I'm always particularly careful with raw poultry, and no longer wash out chicken cavities as that just spreads bacteria (salmonella) all around the sink area, and always keep raw and cooked foods separate and properly stored in the fridge etc, but don't bother using all these anti-bac products as vinegar or bleach will kill 99% of nasties anyway

crispyduck_2

Do you live near a chinese supermarket or one of the big cash and carry type places (https://www.wingyip.co.uk, I think but just search for Wing Yip, Brum, London and Manchester), no need to ba a member and you save a fortune!

Two inch thick fifteen inch round chopping board £7.50, just use a little oil(I use peanut or groundnut), BYU!

Also they sell 5Kg bags of fresh Chicken breasts for £18!!!!! each breast is about 500-600g each and we bring them home and zip-lock them(they sell them too, dirt cheap!) one will easily do a meal for me and my other half!

I can't go on enough about how many BARGAINS we get at wing yip, even down to sponge scouring pads for the kitchen!!!!!

For the gravy, roux and add a little vermouth or madeira, yum yum!

Galtizz

Ticklemouse wrote:

However, I have made a lamb and a chicken gravy to date using cornflour to thicken and they have not been a great success. Is my mistake in using cornflour instead of ordinary flour?

You recipes and tips gratefully received.

Thanks
TM

I have never made 'proper' HM gravy so I'm no expert however, I did discover from here that when I was adding cornflour to sauces to thicken in the slowcooker I was doing it wrong.

You have to mix the cornflour with a little water and mix it to a paste otherwise it goes all lumpy. HTH, unless you are already using it that way :rolleyes:

Jay-Jay_4

I'm flippin starvin after reading all this!!!!!!

I use cornflour because I find it quicker and easier than plain flour. You need to mix a couple of heaped tea-spoons of cornflour with a splash of cold water in a cup. Keep mixing until you're ready to add it to the gravy, then add slowly while whisking the gravy (the gravy must be simmering when you do this). Boil the gravy for a further few mins to get rid of the floury taste.

Does anyone else add other things to their gravy? I always add a splash of Lea and Perrins to beef gravy and if any gravy needs a bit more livening up I add a half a teaspoon of Marmite.



oh...BTW, I use a wooden chopping board for bread and veggies and a plastic one for meat, onions and garlic. I had a glass one but it was ruining my knives and SO NOISY!

Curry_Queen

crispyduck wrote:

Also they sell 5Kg bags of fresh Chicken breasts for £18!!!!! each breast is about 500-600g each and we bring them home and zip-lock them(they sell them too, dirt cheap!) one will easily do a meal for me and my other half!

I wonder if these chicken breasts have been injected with large quantities of water, as exposed in a recent tv documentary, as they did mention this is the type of place you would find this ... although I'm in no way suggesting this company actually does do this before anyone files a libel suit against me

BTW, it's wingyip.com but for some reason I can't get to it as it keeps timing out