Reddit mentions of OXO Good Grips 2-Cup Fat Separator,Clear/White/Black,1 EA

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-2-Cup-Separator/dp/B000BGTZSG/ref=pd_sim_79_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000BGTZSG&pd_rd_r=2324XAKNST516F944XT2&pd_rd_w=2esCW&pd_rd_wg=ftKWt&psc=1&refRID=2324XAKNST516F944XT2

Here's one.

Get one of these (or similar) fat separators. Put your pan drippings or whatever else in. It lets you pour out the liquid, while keeping the fat behind.

Or just heat it up, melt the fat, and enjoy the flavor!

I just had friendsgiving last weekend and I ended up making my turkey stock ahead of time. I got some turkey thighs and drumsticks from the store(super cheap) roasted those and threw them in a stock pot with the standard stock veggies and some frozen chicken stock I had leftover. Then all I had to do day of was make a roux and add my stock to it. I still did pour the drippings into one of these things and add the nonfat part to the gravy so it wasn't wasted. Also added about a teaspoon of MSG to the finished product and everyone loved it. I've made gravy just from the drippings, and it has worked, but I always felt like I either didn't have enough gravy to go around or if I thinned it out enough to make the quantity I wanted, then it didn't have enough turkey flavor to it. making ti ahead of time made everything easier to put together day of and it was so good i literally had to stop my GF from drinking all the gravy before dinner.

You are thinking of a different kind of apparatus. I mean something like this:

• http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-4-Cup-BPA-Free-Separator/dp/B008N86YLK/ref=pd_sbs_k_4
  
• http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-2-Cup-Separator/dp/B000BGTZSG/ref=pd_sbs_k_2

Totally agree, all that fat floating on top means the first half of the soup experience will be too rich and the rest will be too watery. BTW if you're using a spoon and paper towels, you should try a fat separator, makes life a lot easier.

edit: this is a fat separator- you should get the 4-cup, but this is a better illustration of how it works.

Huh. You’re right. I remember mine was around $5 when I bought it but that might have been a little while back...

That said, this one’s $10:

OXO Good Grips 2-Cup Fat Separator

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BGTZSG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_I.twDb7BRVWXY

Gravy boat. The shape keeps the fat on top while allowing you to pour out the goodness from the bottom.
Similar, more modern one can be bought here

My wife makes the mashed potatoes, and while they're always good, there's nothing really special about the recipe. We either use the Serious Eats recipe that /u/zillah1985 posted, or we use Alton Brown's recipe.

HOWEVER, I take a lot of pride in the gravy, which I make from homemade stock. For Thanksgiving, I roast a turkey, and after it's ready for serving, I deglaze the roasting pan with 1 cups of red wine and 1 cups of homemade stock, then hold the liquid in a Pyrex until the fat separates, then skim it off (Or you can use one of these. Then I simmer the non-fatty liquid, add 2-3 more cups of stock, add flour (sorry gluten -- maybe arrowroot, or just go without and let it be thin), add oregano, thyme, rosemary, and keep whisking til it's smooth and starts to thicken up slightly. Then I stick it in a gravy boat.

It's delicious.