How do you make your roux?

[foodaholic]

When making a dark roux, though, I brown the roux before I add the vegies. That's what Ms. Bordis taught me, and I don't vary much from her instructions.

My aunte taught me to cook growing up,or at least that's the person whom I
attribute my ascension from my infantile culinary ooze,and was taught to
brown the flour in the oven first,and I still do this if and when I need to make a brown roux.

 

[Andy M.]

...taught to brown the flour in the oven first,and I still do this if and when I need to make a brown roux.

I've never heard of that. I'll give it a try. Does it save time or give a different end product?

 

[lindatooo]

I only learned to make roux with oil and flour. I always add the veggies after I'm done with the roux. But the other ways sound good and I'll try them. Until I first made one the notion of a roux terrified me - it's certainly easier than it sounds!

 

[foodaholic]

I've never heard of that. I'll give it a try. Does it save time or give a different end product?

You may have to adjust the ratio because the flour thickens less.This was a great method for the restaurant when I used to make sauces with roux. Basically you have a dark roux right from the get go Andy.Now keep in mind I've never made any creole or cajun food in my live really so I'm not sure if this method would actually work better or not.Most of the chefs I know have done this method for the professional kitchen.

 

[Andy M.]

You may have to adjust the ratio because the flour thickens less...

That makes sense. With a 'conventional' roux, the darker the roux, the lower its thickeniing power. A dark brown roux will thicken only 1/4 the liquid a blonde roux will thicken.

I guess you could keep some pre-baked flour on hand for a quick roux anytime.

 

[foodaholic]

I guess you could keep some pre-baked flour on hand for a quick roux anytime.

Exactly.Keep in mind browning flour in the oven is like browning croutons,if you blink it's burnt.

 

[Andy M.]

Exactly.Keep in mind browning flour in the oven is like browning croutons,if you blink it's burnt.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[AllenOK]

Most of the recipes I use that involve veggies and roux are from Chef Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen. They always mentioned cooking the roux first, then adding the veggies, off the heat, to stop the cooking of the roux while at the same time cooking the veggies (transferring heat).

The only recipe I have that involves sauteing veggies first, then making a roux, is my version of Marchand du Vin. Of course, I'm not making a dark roux like that, just cooking the flour enough to take away the starchy taste.

 

[Andy M.]

Allen:

I learned to make a roux from that same book. That's why I find the process of baking the flour first so interesting.

 

[Constance]

Foodaholic, I've never heard of that, but it sure would save me a lot of standing time. What temperature do you set your oven on?

 

[foodaholic]

350 to 450,I don't think it matters much.You need to make sure you mix the flour while browning to ensure it gets brown evenly.When it start turning the colour you want,watch it very carefully to ensure it doesn't burn.

Also make sure you don't have too little flour on a baking sheet,not only can it burn almost in a millisecond,it would take forever to make a few cups.So pile the flour on generously and keep turning to ensure even browning.

Have I said to watch the flour carefully so it doesn't burn.

 

[licia]

One of my aunts used the method of browning her meat quite well, then adding broth, water or whatever liquid she needed mixed with flour to thicken the sauce. It wasn't lumpy at all, but she did cook it awhile to make sure the flour taste was gone.

 

[black chef]

i'm from louisiana where **** near 90% of everything we cook starts with a roux...

during gumbo season (october to february), we turn over ALL the roux-making to my father who uses vegetable oil, flour and a huuuuuuuuge fan. the fan is used to keep ALL the smoke alarms in the house from going off.

he'll make enough roux to last the whole gumbo season and it's about as dark as you can get WITHOUT being burned. i've asked several times how he does it. his reply..."you learn thru sweating over a cast iron skillet."

 

[Gretchen]

Bake your roux ingredients in the oven at 350* for an hour, stir and bake another hour. Freeze.

 

[mjohnson]

Lumpy Roux

Dear Food friend. the problem you are having is your heat is too high, turn it down to medium heat. Are you stirring with a wisk? it's the best utensil to use, and you want to stir quickly and continuous so you won't get the lumps. You do get brown specs because your burner is too high and the roux sauce is scorching. Hope this helps.

 

[Nicholas Mosher]

I also do both methods. For a dark roux I heat clarified butter over medium heat and then add my flour, followed by veggies. For large meals witha short time-span I might even make it separately and store it on the side to save time.

For light sauces or soups I usually saute my veggies/mirepoix and then sprinkle flour over them - scraping continuously. This method is usually a bit "drier", as the veggies grab onto the flour with a death grip. You have to be really careful with your heat and scraping up whats on the bottom. I use this method for veloute/bechamel and the closely related pan gravy. I'm not so sure I would choose this method for a dark or peanut-butter roux.
-----
I've read about toasting the flour separately in th oven, but I've never tried it. I'll have to give it a go...

EDIT: Preventing lumps is all about whisking like a madman and slowly trickling the liquid in until you have a consistency that of gravy. I usually tilt the pot I warmed the liquid in just enough so it runs down the side and drips off the bottom of the saucier into the saucier with the roux. Then you can gradually pick up the addition rate (while still whisking like a madman). Brown chunks darker than the rest of roux means you're not whisking the roux well enough, the heat is too high, or you need a thicker pan that heats more evenly. Burnt Roux is not fixable... theres no turning back if you get black bits or chunks... time to start over...

Another issue might be the style pan you use. Most straight-sided pans/pots trap a ring of Roux along the bottom of the pot where the wall meets the base. Most whisks are curved, so they can't get in there. My personal pan arsenal cntains no saucepots. I use sauciers instead, which have walls that curve outward. This allows the whisk to reach everything, and increases the surface area of the liquid for faster reductions. Sauciers are roughly equivalent in price to saucepots, but most of the cheaper companies don't make them.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I only use roux to make bechamel sauce - I've never cooked a gumbo in my life!
Equal parts of butter and flour. Melt the butter in the pan. When barely melted, lower the heat and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the paste is smooth. Then cook until it bubbles a little. Now add the milk a little at a time, incorporating it into the roux until its smooth. Keep on stirring with your wooden spoon. Gradually add all the milk this way. Now bring to the boil and it should thicken. If it's too thick for your liking, add a little more milk. Add grated cheese if you wish, and a pinch of nutmeg. Wonderful on steamed cauliflower!

 

[mudbug]

I only use roux to make bechamel sauce - I've never cooked a gumbo in my life!

bless your heart, cliveb. You must come up here for dinner some time. It's the least I can do after you turned me on to that lovely garlic cheesecake.

I'll even get the big shrimp, and real andouille sausage.

 

[Dina]

With butter and flour, lighter for mac-n-cheese and darker for gumbo and other thick gravies.

 

[AllenOK]

Another issue might be the style pan you use. Most straight-sided pans/pots trap a ring of Roux along the bottom of the pot where the wall meets the base. Most whisks are curved, so they can't get in there. My personal pan arsenal cntains no saucepots. I use sauciers instead, which have walls that curve outward. This allows the whisk to reach everything, and increases the surface area of the liquid for faster reductions. Sauciers are roughly equivalent in price to saucepots, but most of the cheaper companies don't make them.

Another thing I forgot to mention, is that I use a flat whisk to make my roux with, not a ballon whisk. This is for the same reason as you use a saucier to make roux in. I always use a cast iron skillet to make a roux, and the flat whisk will reach into the corners of the pan.