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The summer months are all about vinaigrettes and a “squeeze of lemon,” but when the temperature drops, heavy brown and white gravies are back in fashion. As you prepare a perfectly smooth and savory sauce, avoid running into the dreaded chunky cool-down phase at the table. Keep your gravy hot and silky by serving it in a vacuum insulated bottle.
Gravy needs help
Gravies are thickened with starch—that might be cornstarch, flour, or starch from another source. Starches activate with water and heat, gelatinizing and transforming runny liquids into slow-flowing ones that coat your food instead of it puddling underneath. However, starches continue to thicken as they cool. The serving temperature is when the gravy hits that perfect balance of thick and not too hot, but that moment is short-lived. The gravy will continue to cool at the table and just when you’re ready to pour it out of the boat, the smooth sauce has developed a skin on the surface—the coolest areas have begun to set. Soon it’ll be a substance closer to Jell-O.
That’s why gravy boats need to be replaced with gravy bottles. The gravy needs assistance from the powerful insulation offered by these common, reusable water bottles.
You can’t use just any insulated bottle
When shopping for a better gravy container, the structure matters. Single-walled insulated containers and ceramic gravy boats are about as effective as using a mug. It’s better than a tin can, but even a thick ceramic wall will still conduct heat away, even though it’s slowed down the process some. The double-walled, vacuum insulated bottles, though, have a space in between the two walls. This pocket prevents heat energy transfer, keeping whatever is inside at nearly the same temperature for unthinkably long periods of time.
You can read my rosé-fueled lecture about how this sort of bottle keeps my public drinking wine cold in the summer, but they’re effective with hot liquids, too. Your gravy will stay perfectly hot, un-gloopy, and without an unwelcome layer of skin for several hours. Not to mention they’re bottles, so they have easy-pour mouths and secure screw-top lids. You can place the bottle of gravy on the table for a crowded dinner without worrying about spills or wayward gravy ladles.
How to use vacuum insulated bottles for gravy
After you’ve finished making your gravy, you need to prime the insulated container. This isn’t exactly necessary (I’ve forgotten this step and it was fine), but it does prevent your gravy from losing a few degrees to the walls of the container. A few minutes before you’re ready to pour it into the insulated container, heat a couple cups of water to near boiling. Pour the hot water into the container and swish it around for 20 to 30 seconds. Pour out the water. Pour in the hot gravy, and seal the top. (By the way, you can do this hours before dinner to take some of the stress away.)
Eat gravy, be sustainable
It’s worth mentioning that these bottles are stainless steel and are built to last. My favorite ones are from Kleen Kanteen and Yeti, and I’ve had a couple for over ten years. The price might seem steep at first but, let’s be real, a gravy boat from Crate & Barrel is the same price and hardly as useful.
I have about four large bottles and I use them for wine, water, coffee (hot and cold), and gravy. If I traveled with soup, I’d use them for that, too. I’m actually considering bringing one with me when I travel so I can store frozen sticks of French butter in them for the flight home. All that could be in your future too—but for starters, use it to keep your gravy in tip-top shape this fall.
