Roux

Tips & Tricks



Roux can be made with any type of fat. Gravies are generally made with the fat rendered from whatever you're serving it with, i.e.: turkey, chicken, beef etc. When making a cream soup, I prefer to use unsalted butter and make a light roux. Roux is classified in three basic categories-1*White 2*blonde 3*brown. The darker the roux the less thickening power it has. For instance, suppose a white roux has 100 percent thickening power. A brown roux only has 30-50 percent thickening power in comparison. Once the roux is added to whatever liquid you are thickening and it comes to a boil, the thickening process is done. It will not get any thicker so adjust now if too thick or too thin. Prefer the fast way of making roux?  Start with HOT fat and whisking in the flour until you get the consistency of wet sand. This is approx. 50:50, - don't need to waste time measuring. With this high heat way of making roux, a brown roux only takes about 10-15 minutes.  Don't Wisk constantly, maybe every minute or two, but you do have to keep a close eye on it. Roux can be made in the pan with the onions, bell pepper, fat, etc. and the liquid added later or you can make your liquid and let it simmer and make the roux in a separate pan and add it to the liquid at the end. It all depends on what you are making which method you should use.