If you are making gravy and run out of flour, substitute pancake mix. You can use up to 3 tablespoons of pancake mix. It turns out really great, just try it!
By dorothy wedenoja from New Creek, WV
This page contains the following solutions.
To make a thickener to go into gravies or other dishes that need thickening, add some instant potato flakes. I have done this for a year now and it does a great job thickening up homemade gravies.
Next time you have extra ginger snaps, pulse them in the food processer and store in your freezer. If you find yourself out of flour while making gravy, a couple tablespoons of ginger snaps will thicken it right up!
If your gravy is too runny and thin, mix equal parts flour and cornstarch together and sprinkle it into gravy to thicken it. Sprinkle it in a little at a time and stir, it should thicken up in no time.
When making gravy or sauces, always remember to add cornstarch to cold liquid before adding it to the gravy or sauce. Memory Trick: cornstarch and cold both start with "C".
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How much instant potato flakes do I add to 1 cup liquid when making brown gravy?
By Cyndi MacAfee from Anderson, MO
Depends on how thick you want it. Add just a little bit then stir it in and wait a little to see how much it thickens. It might be the right consistency or you might have to add a little bit more.
I'm sure Redhatterb thought she was helping, but really. Is a "little bit" a pinch, or a tablespoon or a cup or what?
Here's my answer. Start with 1 tablespoon full. Then cook the gravy for a bit as it usually thickens as it cooks. If it's not thick enough then add no more than 1 teaspoonful at a time, cooking for a few minutes (2-4 minutes) between each addition till it gets to the consistency you want.
I've never used potato flakes but when using flour it's usually been about one tablespoon per one cup of fluid. As already mentioned start with a little and just keep adding a little more at a time until it's the consistency you're hoping for. It takes a bit of time for the gravy to cook and thicken so be patient. ;-)
