The rhythm of the nation’s kitchens can also be parsed, on an hour-by-hour basis.
At Allrecipes.com, pie searches got the most action on Wednesday morning. But by 10 a.m., people began earnest hunts for sweet potato casserole and stuffing recipes. By noon, 100,000 people had searched for mashed potato recipes.
The real outlier is gravy. If this Thanksgiving Day is anything like last year’s, most searches will slow by 10 a.m. But not gravy. That vexing cook’s kryptonite should peak about 3 p.m.
Search data are also a way to track the Thanksgiving trends, which cycle through the years like hemlines. Curiosity about deep-fried turkey is growing faster than questions about brining, with Allrecipes.com reporting a 188 percent jump in people viewing information on the technique this year over 2008.
Here is much more information, interesting throughout.
Gravy is easy. Thoroughly mix about equal parts (it doesn’t even have to be exact) turkey drippings and flour in a pan over heat. This makes a paste-like substance called “roux.” Cook the roux for a few minutes. It should get brown, but do not let it burn. Add some water, garlic salt, and pepper, and stir over heat until the roux is completely dissolved. Cook the gravy over medium heat until it reaches the desired consistency. If it gets too thick, you can add more water and stir again. If it is too thin, you can add a little milk or cream, and cook awhile longer. This will make perfect gravy every time. No lumps.
Never add more flour once you’ve put the water in. (If you absolutely have to have more flour, put flour and more drippings (or butter if you have no more drippings) in a separate pan to make another roux, cook it out, add water, and then consolidate the two pans.
Who (at home) has turkey stock when making gravy? The bird isn’t even carved yet.
I use the neck and giblets from when I defrosted the bird to make stock. It’s a huge amount of work, but makes for very good gravy. An easier choice is to use potato water.
If you make a roux, you can add corn starch (mix it in a little water first to get rid of the lumps) later without hurting the flavor too much.
I actually use stock myself, but all I do is to take the neck and heart (not the livers) and throw it in a pot with a couple sticks of celery, a carrot, a quartered onion, and half a stick of butter. I cook this while the turkey is in the oven and strain it after a couple hours. Using stock makes it somewhat better, but it isn’t essential. With turkey drippings it is going to be pretty flavorful even if you use water.
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