CONSUMER REPORTS: Ready-to-go gravies

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KUSA - It's time to get ready for a Thanksgiving feast, and you're stressed for time. Could a store-bought gravy save you some time and fool your guests?

Consumer Reports taste-tested 10 store-bought turkey gravies, including ones from McCormick, Campbell's, and Boston Market. Some are dry mixes that you add to water, mix, and heat. Others are ready-made straight from a can or jar; just heat and serve.

Consumer Reports tasted them straight up and on mashed potatoes. They checked the texture and how much turkey flavor they had. Some fell far short. The Franco-American Slow Roast gravy was starchy and a bit like jelly. Same goes for the Simply Organic roasted dry mix. It also tasted bitter. It turns out the Serv-A-Gravy had little flavor.

In the end, Consumer Reports did find one gravy that comes close to homemade. It's the Knorr Roasted Turkey Gravy mix. It had a big roasted-turkey taste and sweet caramelized flavors that blended really well with the herbs. It's one worth trying if you're short on time.

Consumer Reports also took a look at stuffings, another oh-so-tasty and calorie-packed Thanksgiving favorite. Believe it or not, testers found several rated good for nutrition. One to try is Pepperidge Farm One Step Garden Herb. It's got 182 calories and just two grams of saturated fat per serving.