The encyclopaedia of gravy
Methods for holding gravy at serving temperature without it thickening, splitting or forming a skin — from vacuum flasks to bain-maries.
Gravy is usually the last thing finished and the first thing to go cold. Worse, cooling gravy thickens as the starch sets, and forms a skin.
The methods¶
Vacuum flask (best)¶
Rinse a wide-mouthed flask with boiling water, pour the strained gravy straight in, and seal. It holds serving temperature for several hours and pours into a jug at the table. This is the single most useful trick for Christmas — see gravy for christmas dinner.
Bain-marie¶
Stand the gravy pan in a larger pan of barely simmering water, with a lid on. Steady, gentle, no risk of catching, and you can stir it whenever you pass. The traditional restaurant method.
Slow cooker on low¶
Works well if it is free, which at Christmas it rarely is. Stir occasionally.
A warmed jug and good timing¶
The most common approach: make the gravy last, pour into a jug warmed with boiling water, and serve immediately. Acceptable for a normal Sunday lunch, unreliable for a large meal.
The oven¶
The gravy pan, covered, in the oven at 80–100 °C while the meat rests. Convenient — the oven is already on — but watch that it does not reduce and over-concentrate.
Preventing a skin¶
A skin is starch and protein drying at the surface. Three ways to stop it:
- A knob of butter on the surface, left to melt into a film.
- A disc of greaseproof paper pressed onto the surface.
- A lid, which also stops evaporation.
If a skin forms anyway, whisk it back in — it is harmless.
What goes wrong when you hold gravy¶
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Thickens too much | Evaporation and starch setting | Whisk in a splash of hot stock |
| Splits / looks greasy | Too hot, or enriched with cream/butter and boiled | Whisk hard off the heat; add a splash of cold stock |
| Skin on top | Surface drying | Whisk in; cover in future |
| Tastes over-salted | Reduced while holding | Dilute — see fixing gravy that is too salty |
| Catches on the base | Direct heat too high | Bain-marie or flask instead |
💡 Chef's tip
Warm the gravy boat. A cold ceramic jug will take 10 °C off a hot gravy immediately. Fill it with boiling water while you finish the gravy, then tip it out and pour.