Help! My Gravy Is Bland (2024)

FAQs

Help! My Gravy Is Bland? ›

Fortunately, Shannon has several suggestions for fixing bland gravy, starting by adding a bouillon cube, herbs or a splash of wine or cognac. But if you have time to spare, add pan drippings from turkey, bacon or bacon drippings, caramelized vegetables (like onions, leeks, carrots and celery), herbs or garlic.

If the gravy lacks oomph, adjust seasoning as necessary with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. If you used canned stock instead of homemade, the gravy might not be as flavorful. Homemade stock, even made with chicken stock rather than turkey, will produce a superior gravy—so it's worth the effort.

It's bland.

The solution: The first thing you should try is adding a little more salt, as salt helps bring out the inherent flavors of the gravy that you didn't taste before. If that doesn't work, add umami (savory)-heavy condiments like soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.

Add an umami-rich condiment.

Just as you might add condiments like soy sauce, miso paste, Worcestershire sauce, or even a splash of sherry or cider vinegar to your favorite gravy recipe, incorporate them into store-bought gravy for a more complex flavor.

Think about aromatics

Now is the time to add an extra flavor element to your gravy if you so choose, like sweet onions and garlic or mushrooms and herbs. Cook the vegetables in the hot fat until they've softened and the onions have just started to brown around the edges.

When it is time to reheat the gravy, have a whisk on hand. The gravy must be brought to a temperature that will kill any bacteria that developed, but doing so may cause the structure to break down. So pour it into a pan, bring it to a boil, and whisk like mad to bring it back to the proper consistency.

If your spices are ground, you can just add them to the gravy and stir them in. Salt, you can add any time. If your spices are whole, you can simmer them for a while in the gravy and them remove them. You can also toast them in a separate dry pan, grind them (see here), and then add them to your gravy.

If your gravy is a little on the bland side, add some more stock, a sprinkle of salt, or a splash of fortified wine. Finally, you can fix salty gravy by adding some sugar, butter, vinegar, or more stock.

Black pepper is texture, Dijon mustard adds mouthfeel, soy sauce increases texture, and vinegar cinches all the flavours in a little tighter. For non-vegetarians, I add a little fish sauce to increase the textural and savoury quality of the gravy.

How to add umami flavor to gravy? ›

Their experiments have proved the best gravy should be made from meat juices, vegetable water – and a dash of soy sauce to bring out the umami, or meaty taste.

Chefs and home cooks often use pan drippings and other cooking liquids, such as chicken broth, wine, or milk, to thicken and flavor the gravy.

Milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half: Stir in 2 tsp of one of these dairy products to the gravy to reduce its saltiness. Yogurt: Add 1 tsp of plain yogurt to salty gravy. Sour cream: A dollop of sour cream can help balance the flavor of over-salted gravy.

How Do You Neutralize Sour Taste in Food? If a dish is too sour, add a little bit of sugar! Sweetness balances out sour flavors, so if something makes your mouth pucker, a dash of sugar may help soften the blow of the sour food.