With Christmas fast approaching, the science behind concocting the perfect jug of gravy has been revealed – and it couldn’t have come any sooner.
Christmas marks the return of the cherished Christmas dinner with all the delicious trimmings. One stalwart ingredient of the Christmas dinner and any acceptable roast is gravy however research has shown that despite our familiarity with the brown stuff, it's actually the most common part of the Christmas dinner to go wrong.
In order to avoid any kitchen disasters or food mishaps on the big day later this month, Online supermarket Ocado has partnered with University College London Professor Mark Miodownik to let the nation in on the secret to game-changing gravy.
Based on survey findings of 2,000 Christmas cooks, the perfect jug of gravy should be 114ml in volume and stirred for 2.5 minutes. This should give you a velvety smooth, lump-free consistency.
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To increase depth of flavour, all juices from your roast plus additional seasoning should be used in the gravy and it should also be served at a very specific 69°C.
“Playing a guessing game in the kitchen can be risky business, so being able to pin the perfect gravy on concrete factors is a handy tool,” Professor Midownik commented.
“In combining all the essential factors above, we’ve been able to crack this Christmas code once and for all.”
This fool-proof technique for the perfect gravy was developed as it was revealed to be the number one food Brits messed up at Christmas, with 31 percent admitted to making bad gravy.
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Amongst the nation’s gravy-lovers, nearly a quarter said they often make their gravy too lumpy whilst one fifth were left with watery gravy.
With the high stakes and tensions that usually arise in the kitchen at Christmas, it’s probably best to nail your gravy recipe ASAP.
“We know that being responsible for the Christmas dinner can come with high expectations from family and friends, so to make it a little easier to get even the trickiest of elements right - the gravy - we’re sharing our favourite flavour-enhancing ingredients,” Laura Rowe, gravy guru and food expert at Ocado Retail said.
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”We’ve even teamed up with a scientist to crack the code for the perfect jug of gravy every time.”
Rowe also suggested some unusual ingredients for festive gravy if you’re feeling a tad experimental this Yuletide season. This includes Marmite, black garlic, Korean fermented red chilli pepper paste called Gochujang, raspberry jam, sherry, mustard or soy sauce.
If you fancy sticking to the original you now know exactly what not to do this Christmas!
Featured Image Credit: JuNi Art / Alamy Stock Photo/funkyfood London - Paul Williams / Alamy Stock Photo/Topics: Food And Drink, Christmas