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But for many of us, it is the gravy -- velvety, savory, dripping gravy -- that makes the meal worth waiting for all year.

It's silly, really. Gravy shouldn't be holiday-specific. But strangely, it always tastes best on the last Thursday in November.

We tend to give gravy a lot of leeway. A few lumps never seem to stop us from spooning (slathering- ) it all over the turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing.

But it doesn't have to be that way. We can and should be gravy perfectionists. Our loved ones might love us even more for it.

"Gravy is the easiest thing to make," says Shelley Young, owner of the Chopping Block cooking school, which kicks into high gear right around now with exhaustive classes devoted to the entire Thanksgiving meal. "But it's the hardest thing to explain."

Hard to explain, she says, because making gravy is mostly intuitive: Take the pan drippings, whisk in flour and stock and cook until it looks and tastes the way you like it.

For those of us who need boundaries, remember this: 2-2-1. As in, 2 tablespoons of fat and 2 tablespoons of flour to 1 cup of liquid.

If you like lots of gravy, you probably will need to supplement the liquid from the roasting pan with chicken or beef stock. Use the best quality stock you can find.

Young offers two other tips:

? Use a flat whisk, which covers the entire surface of the roasting pan in a few strokes so the gravy cooks evenly.

? Don't use hot liquid. That will cause the sauce to thicken instantly, producing those unwanted lumps. Instead, use room temperature stock.

Fortunately, the main problem people have with gravy is easily rectified, Young says. Got lumps- Just strain it.