I work in a restaurant. We make gravy from broth, we make a rouge of oil and flour, sometimes our gravy breaks

Question

Sometimes our gravy breaks down, gets watery after heating in the steam table. time frame starting at 4 a.m., using it at 10:30 a.m..

Answer 1

Wouldn't use oil at all.. Commonly most Roux is made with flour and butter. The oil in roux (even in a gravy, gumbo or other dish) that sits in a steam table will eventually seperate. Try using butter next time, that should resolve your problem.

Answer 2

It's not a rouge, it's a roux.

Yes, if you abuse a gravy enough, you will get it to break. Stir the gravy well every 20-30 minutes and it'll last all day. What's happening is that you're evaporating off the water, and the steam condenses.

You can also fight the problem by adding more thickener, whether it be more flour, or adding cornstarch or arrowroot. But this results in a less desirable product. It's a lot better to just stir the gravy.

Answer 3

Let's address one important factor no one is catching.

Why do you have a gravy sitting in a hot well 6 1/2 hours prior to using it? That is much too long, no wonder it would be seperating.

What is your steam table set at? Is it maintaining proper temperature. A sauce under temp for that length of time is screaming food bourne illness.

As far as the sauce goes, remember 1 pound of roux for 1 gallon of sauce. Which means 8 ounces of fat (butter, oil, bacon drippings) to 8 ounces of flour.

When cooking, remember low and slow.

What also might help as you are simmering your sauce is to skim off the impurities that rise to the top.

Answer 4

Perhaps you are using too much oil. I generally use 2 Tbs oil, or drippings, 2 Tbs. flour and 2 Cups milk (or water if I'm making a brown gravy.) I realize this is not restaurant quantities. But my guess is too much oil.

Answer 5

I would cut the oil down to a very barely minimum. The oil wont mix with the water you add to make the gravy. Use margarine instead. It wont break down as fast.

Answer 6

there are 2 ways to improve this 1-toast the flour lightly prior to creating a rouge or 2 - use arrowroot or cornstarch to make the gravy (result will be glassier but it will not separate)

Answer 7

Get away from the oil, Yuck!use butter. Double pan the gravy it destabilizes when over heated. and when you double pan NO water in the second pan, stir it every 15 mins . that keeps the product evenly heated

Answer 8

your proportions of stock to roux are off, use butter instead of oil, melt butter. proportions are to 1lb of butter you use 1lb of flour, that goes for any size of roux you are using, cook always stirring until it has the smell of nuts, add into stock while stock is at a boil till the texture you need you can always thicken more if needed try holding gravy in a double boiler

Answer 9

You can't keep it hot forever. Try using butter instead of the oil for the roux. It will taste better. I think that the oil is the culprit.

Answer 10

ADD CORN STARCH it will not take nothing away
and thicken it---the steam might have something to do with it --i'm guessing flour is a cheap brand