The Unappetizing Mistake That'll Leave Your Gravy All Lumpy

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Mashed potatoes, turkey, and biscuits all have one thing in common: they are transformed into something spectacular with a generous cascade of gravy gracing the surface. Well, unless it's lumpy, that is. In that case, what could have been a flavor festival for your taste buds is ruined by a texture that smacks of raw flour. But let's be honest, we've all made mistakes that ruin homemade gravy, leaving it disappointingly lumpy. Yet, according to recipe developer and founder of Pinch and Swirl, Marissa Stevens, folks are only one crucial step away from velvety gravy every time they make it.

To avoid the dreaded gravy lumps, it's important to first understand what the culprit lurking behind it. Stevens said, "Lumps happen when flour hits hot liquid before it's fully mixed." While you can whisk vigorously to slightly reduce the graininess, no amount of stirring will eliminate it entirely once clumps of raw flour have already entered the mix.

But the solution is simple and involves a technique that every home cook should have in their wheelhouse. "I toast the flour separately, then whisk it into brown butter to form a smooth paste before adding broth," Stevens said. "That way, everything's cohesive going in." She essentially described how to make a roux to start the gravy, which is a surefire way to ensure you obtain a luscious, silky sauce. It's also valuable to bear in mind the temperature rule for lump-free gravy, which dictates that the broth should be warm when incorporating it into the mix.

Hindsight is 20/20, as they say, and once you've made the cardinal mistake of adding flour to gravy without creating a roux, there is no going back. However, there is a quick fix if you don't have time to start over. Marissa Stevens offers a solution to rectify lumpy gravy if you're about to serve dinner, requiring only a simple kitchen tool every home cook should own. She instructed, "Strain it through a fine mesh sieve — fast and effective." You'll have to push the sauce through with a spatula, and it may lose some of its thickness, but a sieve like the Sasha Square Ultra-Fine Nylon Mesh Strainer will eliminate most of the lumps.

Still, there is an even better on-the-fly technique to doctor up clumpy gravy that involves using my absolute favorite kitchen tool. Stevens said, "If you don't have [a strainer], an immersion blender can help smooth things out." Folks who don't already own an immersion blender are truly missing out. Models like the OVENTE Immersion Hand Blender are reasonably priced and save you loads of cleanup time compared to stand-up blenders and food processors. You will also notice it typically does a better job of smoothing out lumpy gravy than those other devices, after you take that first heavenly bite.