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Questions tagged [roux]

These questions refer to the fat and flour mixture used to thicken sauces.

When flour is cooked in a fat, the resulting product can be used to thicken sauces. Questions in this category most often address variations on the proportions, technique tips, or problems in using the resulting roux.

Often these questions compare the use of a roux to other thickening methods such as a cornstarch slurry (mix with water) or arrowroot.

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How to mix a roux with stock?

My roux came out a beautiful dark brown. Then I began to slowly add chicken stock. The flour and water did not completely blend and I don't understand why not? The roux was very hot,but the stock and water was room temperature.
user5317
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How to make a roux?

Whenever I try to make a roux according to one of the recipes I find online the consistency seems a little off. Should the roux be completely thick or should it have a less solid consistency? I seem to read that a roux should start with equal parts…
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Kosher alternative for butter as emulsifier

Jewish Law prohibits the mixing of milk and meat in cooking. However, butter, a milk product, is a kitchen staple for most cooked emulsions (eg. pan-sauces, sauces béchamels, or roux-based sauces). While I use appropriate cooking fats for making…
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How to make roux-based sauce thicker

Sometimes when I make a roux-based sauce, it turns out too thin. Are there any ways to make it thicker after the sauce is done? Adding salt helps a bit, but I don't want to add too much for obvious reasons. Ideas how to prevent the sauce from…
Rian Schmits
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Is there a technique for making larger batches of roux?

Following along the approach of freezing roux, I would like to make some in bulk. I am also trying to do more batch cooking for freezing and making 8 quarts of mac and cheese ends up taking a lot of roux for the starter. As such, is there a…
mfg
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How do I make my roux taste less like flour?

When I make a roux for soups and sauces it always ends up tasting like the flour. What is the correct way to make roux? How long does the flour need to cook out of it?
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Clarified butter for gumbo roux

I don't have much regular butter on hand to make a roux. Is it a good idea to use clarified butter instead? What could go wrong?
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What is the typical consistency of a roux?

When making a roux, how would you describe the final consistency that it should be after the butter coats the flour? Should it be a lighter dirt-brown paste with a glistening buttery sheen, or should it be more runny/liquid? Also, when melting the…
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Minimum amount of fat in Roux

Most (all) recipes I know talk about 50/50 butter/flour for roux. However, at home I'm using something like a 40/60 butter/flour mix. It's thicker, but it works. Does anybody know what the absolute minimum butter content is for roux, so it will…
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Flour for sauce: In the broth or in the oil?

I am an amateur cook. While I have been making a couple different sauce recipes, I have been using flour to thicken it. To deal with lumping, I have been try several methods. One successful one has been to mix the flour into the cold broth. I simply…
Eliot G York
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White sauce without roux

Recently I have been making white sauce by: heating the milk in a pan until nearly boiling mixing corn flour with a small amount of cold milk removing milk from stove add corn flour mix to hot milk stir until thick. This is very fast and never…
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How do I lessen the effects of thickening caused by roux?

I recently made slow roasted pork shoulder in the oven. I cooked the pork at 225F for 12 hours and after it was done roasting, I took the juices at the bottom of the pan and made gravy with it. I did this by chilling the juices for a little while,…
Jay
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Any success with gumbo in an Instant Pot?

I love cooking my grandmother's seafood gumbo recipe, and I have done this successfully many times. Recently, my husband suggested we try this in the Instant Pot to save time with the roux, which I did not advise. There are many questions about roux…
Darla
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Why is my gravy opaque?

I only started making gravy a year or two ago, so I don't fully understand the process, although I appreciate the taste. As I was making gravy for Thanksgiving, I noticed that the color was significantly yellow and it wasn't clear, but milky-opaque.…
Martha F.
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What are the differences between gumbo, jambalaya, and etoufee?

From what I can tell it has something to do with the type of roux and vegetables used and maybe whether it should be considered more of a soup or a main course. Are these hard and fast definitions or more a matter of interpretation? Does whether it…
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