Planetarion Forums

Yahwe · 22 Mar 2005, 20:48

Gravy is an important part of British Cusine. The modern use of 'bisto' and other such granules have contributed to the prefelance of the opinion that British food is somehow inferior to other forms of cusine.

Of course a large part of the decline of British Cusine is the popularity of italian peasent foods such as pizza and pasta, dishes uniform in flavour and uninventive, developed as cheap bulky foods for rural workers.

gravy granules, which while they may appeal to some (things we are used to often do, particularly anything from our childhood) are nowhere near true gravy in quality and effect. in truth gravy granules produce a brown mess totally unconected with gravy.

So why the change?

There is an oft held belief that gravy granules are quicker and easier, this is an advertising lie.

bisto was invented in 1908 for the very poor. the people who could not afford proper meat to roast. granules allowed gravy to be produced immitating proper quality meat. immitating or masking.

bisto as a product would likely have died out in our afluent world were the poor are not forced to eat truly appalling meat.

what then was the magic ingredient?

rationing.

rationing meant that the availability of proper meet to all but the upper classes almost entirely died out. perfectly wealthy middle class families could no longer obtain proper meat. when poorer cuts of meat are roasted almost no juices are produced from the meat.

So how is proper gravy made? You take your roasting dish, you remove your meat and your vegetables, you place your roasting tin on the hob and add boiling water, some wine (or stout/beer depending on what flavour you want) you stir.

you can add herbs if you fancy. if you need to thicken the gravy blend in the bits of potatoe stuck to the roasting tin, if necessary add flour. experiment with the alcohols you use.

by the time rationing was over a whole generation had been distorted into the believe that they needed gravy granules to make gravy. nowadays beautiful flavoursome juices are poured away down the sink.

YOU ARE NOW FREE FROM THE LIE OF BISTO!

Deepflow · 22 Mar 2005, 20:56

thats how my mum always makes gravy

P.S i was surprised that you actually made this thread, but i shouldn't have been really i suppose

MAdnRisKy · 22 Mar 2005, 20:59

Thank you Yahwe I am now saved yet again from peasant status

I feel so empowered

Yahwe · 22 Mar 2005, 21:01

what'll save you from that giant chip on your shoulder?

when idi sees it you'll get eaten to.

NEWSBOT3 · 22 Mar 2005, 21:05

i found this thread enlightening.

Sarina_Joy · 22 Mar 2005, 21:07

The reason 'british cuisine' has a bad name is exactly as Yahwe says.

In fact it's not so much British cuisine as British cooking.

My flatmate at Uni, I think she was German but I can't remember (she moved out after 2 months because she didn't like us !) used to rant occasionally about the fact that no British person she had met could cook. If they wanted to cook, for example, Spaghetti Bolognaise they would brown the mince and then add a jar of 'Ragu for Bolognaise' (or whatever) whereas they would be just as quick making it with fresh ingredients, and it'd taste a lot nicer.

And you know what? She was right.

NEWSBOT3 · 22 Mar 2005, 21:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarina_Joy

The reason 'british cuisine' has a bad name is exactly as Yahwe says.

In fact it's not so much British cuisine as British cooking.

My flatmate at Uni, I think she was German but I can't remember (she moved out after 2 months because she didn't like us !) used to rant occasionally about the fact that no British person she had met could cook. If they wanted to cook, for example, Spaghetti Bolognaise they would brown the mince and then add a jar of 'Ragu for Bolognaise' (or whatever) whereas they would be just as quick making it with fresh ingredients, and it'd taste a lot nicer.

And you know what? She was right.

indeed.

cooking should be mandatory in schools.

or at least universities.

lokken · 22 Mar 2005, 21:13

i find the ready made pasta sauces vile; they're often way too strong and with poor quality herbs in far too great a quantity.

passatta is the furthest i go to 'ready made' with spaghetti bolognaise. Not to mention, doing it fresh is actually massively cheaper.

Sarina_Joy · 22 Mar 2005, 21:15

The only 'ready made' pasta sauce I buy is pesto (in its various forms) and really then only because I do not own a blender.

NEWSBOT3 · 22 Mar 2005, 21:17

im a lazy ****er.

i should make my own, but i can't be arsed.

Deepflow · 22 Mar 2005, 21:19

i wish i had done food tech at school... but it was a fairly traditional boys school and all we could do was building stuff

having said that, i dont think i ever finished a single technology project in 5 years of doing it, so i showed them! sort of.

Tomkat · 22 Mar 2005, 21:20

Back in my school days, they was the cool days, school was the good old days now,
I tend to leave my teachers amazed they never knew my hard work paved the way,
when I talk about back in the days, the hard life, everything will be all gravy,

Boy you told me not to worry 'cause it's gonna be all gravy,
Boy you told me not to worry 'cause it's gonna be all gravy baby

Banned · 22 Mar 2005, 21:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarina_Joy

The only 'ready made' pasta sauce I buy is pesto (in its various forms) and really then only because I do not own a blender.

Ready made pesto isn't even comparable with freshly made though. It's like two different, but similar items.

Ste · 22 Mar 2005, 21:35

so the second world war was a Bisto conspiracy? :eek:

acropolis · 22 Mar 2005, 22:14

in 7th grade home ec we made Egg McMuffins in the microwave. Tasty sumbitches.

since i got an A+ in there i am clearly a chef of some stature. And by 'some stature' i mean i'm fat.

JonnyBGood · 22 Mar 2005, 22:25

I cook my own food. Apparently I'm even pretty good! That's how my parents make gravy but then we're rich as kings :)))

Yahwe · 22 Mar 2005, 22:29

you can't make gravy out of potatoes.

JonnyBGood · 22 Mar 2005, 22:32

We cook our own black men.

Kurashima · 22 Mar 2005, 22:55

"YOU CANT BEAT A BISTO KID"

Not anymore anyway. The courts frown on that sort of thing nowadays.

KaneED · 22 Mar 2005, 23:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yahwe

proper meet

the gd one rihgt?

Kurashima · 22 Mar 2005, 23:34

This thread does not deliver. I havent seen one mention of "Baby Gravy".

demiGOD · 23 Mar 2005, 05:30

me LOVES gravy - Although I have seen more gravy in Germany (which was GOOD FOOD btw) than in the UK, of course I can be wrong. Also the gravy that Americans from the south use mainly chicken or braised beef grease and broth, floured to thicken, so it's not the healthiest of things.

Yahwe · 23 Mar 2005, 08:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by demiGOD

I have seen more gravy in Germany than in the UK, of course I can be wrong.

fascinating.

you really should post more often.

KoeN · 23 Mar 2005, 08:51

since when do british people know about cooking?
there's nothing special about gravy btw, used often in dutch, belgian and german dishes aswell.

Radical Edward · 23 Mar 2005, 09:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yahwe

potatoe

Oh. My. God.

Radical Edward · 23 Mar 2005, 09:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurashima

This thread does not deliver. I havent seen one mention of "Baby Gravy".

because you make baby oil out of babies.

DaWoodster · 23 Mar 2005, 11:12

No alcohol please, this is the REAL way to make gravy.

Required ingredients; Stock, Plain Flour, Potato water, gravy browning, salt, pepper.

Pour the remaining stock from the roastin tin into a jug, skim the fat back into the roasting tin.
Ensure that the roasting tin is cool enough to handle, if it's too hot this will result in lumpy gravy.

Stir enough flour into the fat in the tin to make a thick paste, as soon as this starts to get quite thick add the rest of your stock whilst stirring quickly until you have a lump free smooth liquid.

Pour this liquid into a pan, disolve the remaining liquid from the roasting tin with as much potato water as you had stock, add this to the pan.

Put the pan on a high heat and stir continuously until it starts to boil then reduce the heat to keep the gravy simmering slowly.
If the liquid becomes too thick, add more potato water until you acheive the required consistancy.

Add very small amounts of gravy browning (drops) until the gravy is coloured to your liking.
Season to your own taste with salt and pepper, serve.

Before anyone asks, the potato water i refer to is the water that you boiled your potatoes in, stupid.

Sarina_Joy · 23 Mar 2005, 12:21

Yeh your recipe is fine except the 'gravy browning' which is totally unecessary.

DaWoodster · 23 Mar 2005, 12:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarina_Joy

Yeh your recipe is fine except the 'gravy browning' which is totally unecessary.

i prefer a dark gravy with beef, this cannot be acheived without browning.

Yahwe · 23 Mar 2005, 16:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarina_Joy

Yeh your recipe is fine except the 'gravy browning' which is totally unecessary.

and the use of a stock rather than the juices from a joint or bird

we all know he meant stock from a cube as well

dirty little upstart isn't he.

using unnecessary chemicals and giving us a recipe that involves lots of faffing when the whole point is that real gravy is easier than granules or other such nonsense.

DaWoodster · 23 Mar 2005, 17:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yahwe

and the use of a stock rather than the juices from a joint or bird

we all know he meant stock from a cube as well

dirty little upstart isn't he.

using unnecessary chemicals and giving us a recipe that involves lots of faffing when the whole point is that real gravy is easier than granules or other such nonsense.

The "stock" I refer to is the juices and fat remaining in the tin after roasting a joint of meat.

"dirty little upstart"?
Discuss.

There is no "faffing" involved in my recipe, it's very simple and uses only natural ingredients, the browning to which I refer is basically a caramelised sugar solution.

Yahwe · 23 Mar 2005, 17:14

so basically my recipe with an unnecessary gavy browning product and no wine?

aces

DaWoodster · 23 Mar 2005, 17:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yahwe

so basically my recipe with an unnecessary gavy browning product and no wine?

aces

The main difference is how the gravy is thickened, adding flour to a watery liquid as in your recipe will create lumps, almost impossible to remove lumps if the liquid is hot.

My recipe involves mixing the flour to the cooled fat from the joint prior to adding the stock and water, this does not allow lumps to form.

Yahwe · 23 Mar 2005, 17:25

since i have turned into gravy pedant extrordinair i shall now add to how big a wanker i am by quoting myself

here "if you need to thicken the gravy blend in the bits of potatoe stuck to the roasting tin, if necessary add flour"

and they saying

to you

Ninja_spammer · 23 Mar 2005, 17:25

Surely it should be 'prevelance' ?

queball · 23 Mar 2005, 17:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninja_spammer

Surely it should be 'prevelance' ?

Prevalence.

DaWoodster · 23 Mar 2005, 17:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yahwe

since i have turned into gravy pedant extrordinair i shall now add to how big a wanker i am by quoting myself

here "if you need to thicken the gravy blend in the bits of potatoe stuck to the roasting tin, if necessary add flour"

and they saying

to you

Then I shall be equally pedantic and quote myself:

"adding flour to a watery liquid as in your recipe will create lumps, almost impossible to remove lumps if the liquid is hot."

so

to you too.

Yahwe · 23 Mar 2005, 17:57

but as all pedants can see i no where suggested adding the flour to hot liquid.

Ninja_spammer · 23 Mar 2005, 18:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by queball

Prevalence.

And least someone can spell.

I nominate you Knight commander of the order of Slightly impressive spellcheckers.

Marilyn Manson · 23 Mar 2005, 18:18

I can't be bothered with food that requires a lot of preperation, unless someone else is preparing it, in which case it's all tickety boo.

NEWSBOT3 · 23 Mar 2005, 18:25

it's all gravy,

baby.

Hicks · 23 Mar 2005, 18:43

My mate was seeing the girl who used to be in the Bisto adverts, she was quite nice, true story.

queball · 23 Mar 2005, 18:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hicks

My mate was seeing the girl who used to be in the Bisto adverts, she was quite nice, true story.

Was she tasty?

Dante Hicks · 23 Mar 2005, 18:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marilyn Manson

I can't be bothered with food that requires a lot of preperation, unless someone else is preparing it, in which case it's all tickety boo.

Absolute agreement. Effort is for other people. I don't really give a toss whether foriegners thinks this mean "the English can't cook" or some other nonsense.

As to the original post ; while I agree about "proper" gravy over granules, I dislike wine being added to food. One of the reasons I hate eating European (continental) food is they seem to add wine to every sauce imaginable which I personally find disgusting.

lokken · 23 Mar 2005, 21:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by queball

Was she tasty?

just add boiling water and she'll be all over your meat and two veg

Sarina_Joy · 23 Mar 2005, 22:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaWoodster

almost impossible to remove lumps if the liquid is hot.

.

Pishtosh.

That's why God created whisks.

Structural Integrity · 24 Mar 2005, 09:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarina_Joy

Pishtosh.

That's why God created whisks.

Did you know that chopsticks were invented by impatient people?
People would boil their food in a big kettle. Those who could not wait to eat would break some twigs and would fish out pieces of food with the twigs much like people in the east use chopsticks now.