There is something that has been eating away at me.
Why on earth do you want to make gravy if you are a vegetarian?
To go on bread and taters?
Carolyn I dont use a whisk to make gravy I use a fork.
I have like 4 or 5 whisks.
There are a gazillion ways to make gravy.
Some really greasy some with no oil at all some with toasted flour and no oil some with raw flour.
Some with corn starch, some with corn starch and flour.
Thick gravy thin gravy light and dark gravy.
Some with and without milk.
One really great way to make a fool proof gravy without lumps is to-------.
Make your roux as thick thin or as dark as you want it.
About the color of peanut butter is the best.
I like to have enough oil in the flour so it spreads out in the pan in about the same consistency as yellow mustard.
The pan needs to be turned down to medium low and I use a spatula to keep scraping the bottom of the pan so it doesn't burn.
When it gets to the desired color you can turn the pan off.
I dont do it all of the time but at times I do.
What you now have is a roux you can use any time.
The other reason is for beginners.
The roux will cool down and give the beginner time to work with it.
Now here is the tricky part and the one almost everyone messes up on.
If you have a roux about 1/4 thick spread across your skillet you will need to fill up the skillet to about 3/4 of the way full of liquid.
You put the liquid in and turn the burner back on medium to medium low and as it heats you continue to stir as Carolyn said.
This is also the time you want to put spices in like garlic powder salt and pepper.
Sometime I put them in right before I add the fluid so they toast a bit.
Never stop as it will thicken from the bottom to the top.
You need to continually scrape the bottom of the skillet to mix it.
Always have a container of fluid on hand encase it starts to get too thick.
It is far better to have it too thin than too thick.
If it is too thin all you have to do is simmer and stir it until it gets as thick as you want it.
Remember when the fluid starts to simmer that is as thick as it will be unless you cook it down.
The trick to making it without lumps is to make sure everything is mixed before it thickens.
The darker the roux the less thickening ability it will have.
Another method to make gravy is without oil and you use raw flour it takes along time to do it right our you will have a raw flour taste.
Slowly mix flour and water and milk with together until it is thinned to an almost watery consistency and add your spices but not the salt.
On the stove slowly heat this up in a kettle to just around 200 degrees or just at a very low simmer but not boil.
keep stirring until it starts to thicken.
Taste it if it still tastes like raw flour add liquid and continue to stir and cook.
It takes forever to do right.
Next method without oil.
Heat skillet up to medium low.
Put flour in skillet and stir around with whisk and toast the flour until it get to the color you want and lit cool for the fool proof method.
when it is cool add your liquid and mix up real well.
Turn on skillet and let it begin to heat and continue to stir until it thickens.
Remember to have lots of liquid on hand.
On hand doesn't mean the sink it means right there next to the stove.
Worth.