Scientists reveal how to make the perfect sauce before Christmas

With Christmas just nine days away, many of us will be eagerly planning what will be on the festive menu.

No Christmas dinner would be complete without plenty of gravy – but do you have the perfect recipe?

Scientists have figured out the best way to get a flawless gravy and say the ideal pitcher should be stirred for exactly 2.5 minutes, contain all the juices from your roast and be served at exactly 69C.

They also suggest some pretty bizarre additions, including raspberry jam, soy sauce, and mustard.

Scientists have figured out the best way to get flawless, festive gravy in time for Christmas. Their results suggest that the ideal pitcher should be stirred for exactly 2.5 minutes, contain all of the juices from your roast, and be served at exactly 156F (69C).

With Christmas just nine days away, many of us will be eagerly planning what will be on the festive menu

Professor Mark Miodownik from University College London took a scientific approach and analyzed what makes the perfect sauce for our Christmas dinner.

Working with Ocado, he polled 2,000 Brits on their dos and don’ts for gravy and made several suggestions.

His research determined that the sauce must have a volume of 115 milliliters – enough to cover the center and all the sides.

It needs to be stirred for exactly 2.5 minutes, resulting in a velvety smooth, lump-free consistency, and it should be served at 156.2 F (69 C).

Regarding the depth of flavor, the expert insisted that all the juices from the roast and spices should be included.

He said: “Playing a guessing game in the kitchen can be risky, so being able to base the perfect sauce on concrete factors is a handy tool.

“By combining all of the above essential factors, we were able to crack this Christmas code once and for all.”

Professor Miodownik’s technique for the perfect sauce was developed when it turned out to be the number one meal that Brits screwed up at Christmas (31 per cent), forcing them to start all over again.

Of the 2,000 Brits surveyed, nearly a quarter of us (22%) admitted to making it too lumpy, while a fifth (20%) said their sauce always got too watery.

Laura Rowe, food expert at Ocado, has also suggested some less scientific ways to spice up your gravy this Christmas. She listed a number of ingredients chefs could try this festive season, including some pretty wacky suggestions

Laura Rowe, food expert at Ocado, has also suggested some less scientific ways to spice up your gravy this Christmas.

She listed a number of ingredients chefs could try this festive season, including some pretty wacky suggestions.

These included:

1. jam
2. Black Garlic
3. gochuyang
4. raspberry jam
5. sherry
6. Mustard
7. soy sauce

Ms Rowe said: “We know that the responsibility of Christmas dinner can come with high expectations from family and friends. To make it a little easier to get even the trickiest element — the sauce — right, we’re sharing our favorite flavor-enhancing ingredients.

“We even teamed up with a scientist to crack the code for the perfect sauce jar every time.”

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The Best Way to Eat a Chocolate Digestive Cookie – According to Science

With their crunchy biscuit base and luxurious chocolate coating, Chocolate Digestives have been favorites among biscuit lovers since their introduction in 1925.

But one question has been hotly debated about the cookies – how high should you eat them?

Now researchers at Oxford University think they’ve settled the debate, claiming that you should pick up the biscuits chocolate-side up but flip them before eating.

The experts say this method allows the brain to register the chocolate coating, while flipping before eating maximizes the “oral-somatosensory experience” of chocolate melting on the tongue.

How to Eat a Chocolate Digestif:

1. Take the biscuit out of the package at room temperature

2. Place it in your mouth, chocolate side up

3. Turn the cookie over as you bite off, so the chocolate is facing down

4. Take a hearty bite, the chocolate hitting the tongue directly first

5. If you are alone, eat with your mouth open at first to hear the crunch of the cookie, which will make the taste experience more memorable

6. Chew slowly after the first few bites to maximize the full flavor experience