Gravypedia The encyclopaedia of gravy
🥄 Gravy Finder

🔬 Kitchen science

Starch, gelatin, emulsions, Maillard browning and why resting meat matters.

9 pages in this section

Emulsification in gravy
Why some gravies are glossy and others have a slick of fat on top
An emulsion suspends fat as tiny droplets through the liquid. Starch, gelatin, mustard and vigorous whisking all help; boiling and standing break it apart.
Gelatin from bones
Why real stock feels different in the mouth, and a stock cube never will
Collagen in bones and connective tissue dissolves into gelatin during long simmering. Gelatin gives stock its body, gloss and lip-sticking texture — and it is the one thi…
The Maillard reaction
Why browned food tastes better than boiled food
The Maillard reaction is the browning reaction between amino acids and sugars that creates the roasted flavours in fond, browned onions and a dark roux — and therefore mo…
Umami in gravy
The savoury taste, and how to add it deliberately
Umami is the taste of glutamates, amplified dramatically by nucleotides. Understanding the synergy explains why mushrooms, yeast extract, tomato and anchovy work so well …
When gravy becomes stew
The uncertain border between sauce and one-pot meal
Gravy and stew are separated less by ingredients than by proportion, purpose and texture. A gravy coats the main food; a stew contains enough solid ingredients and liquid…
Who makes the gravy in a professional kitchen?
Gravy is a serious business, and Escoffier knew that.
Why flour thickens liquid
Starch granules, gelatinisation, and the reason lumps are lumps
Flour thickens gravy because its starch granules absorb water and swell when heated, a process called gelatinisation — which also explains lumps, raw-flour taste and why …
Why mushrooms taste savoury
Guanylate, drying, and the closest a vegetable gets to meat
Mushrooms are rich in glutamate, and drying them generates large amounts of guanylate — the combination that makes mushroom gravy taste convincingly meaty.
Why resting meat matters for gravy
The liquid on the board is the best thing you will put in the jug
Resting meat lets muscle fibres relax and reabsorb liquid, and the juice that does escape is the most concentrated, best-seasoned liquid available for gravy.