Published November 1, 2003. From Cook's Illustrated.
They promise flavor in a bottle. But is it good flavor?
In our research, we found several recipes that called for gravy “additives.” Although we had heard of these ingredients, we had never before cooked with them. A trip to the supermarket revealed that there were many of these types of products available.
These products, which primarily consist of caramel or caramel coloring, vegetable extracts, salt, and preservatives, are made to impersonate fond, the little flavor-packed bits left in the pan after roasting meat. Since fond was exactly what we were trying to replicate in our all-purpose pantry gravy, we thought these items might be the key to the best recipe.
We choose four gravy additives, two powders and two liquids, and prepared four gravies following the instructions on each of the packages. Overall results were dismal and tasters all complained that the gravies tasted artificial. While the theory behind the supermarket additives—a store-bought replacement for the time-consuming fond—was right on, the results were off base. Our suggestion: Build your own fond with fresh vegetables and leave these items on the shelf.
