57
votes
Accepted
Why is a roux necessary?
You do not need to make a roux. While your proposed technique of adding flour directly to milk will almost certainly lead to clumps, there are other ways to incorporate flour, butter, and milk: namely,...
- 3,021
34
votes
Accepted
What is this sauce-making technique called?
If she was doing this in a pan on the heat (melting the butter, stirring in the flour, then adding milk), this is called making a roux, then a béchamel. If, instead, she kneaded the flour and butter '...
- 4,881
21
votes
My béchamel takes over an hour to thicken. What am I doing wrong?
I'm going to give you my grandma's tip:
Start your béchamel with waaaaay too little milk; add maybe 25% of your milk
Then let it thicken (should take a few minutes, be careful not to miss it)
Add 25% ...
- 319
17
votes
My béchamel takes over an hour to thicken. What am I doing wrong?
It sounds to me like you aren't using enough heat. Low heat on a small burner won't even melt butter. It should take 2-3 minutes to make a roux for bechamel sauce, tops. Start with 50:50 by weight ...
- 74.2k
12
votes
Gumbo base tastes burnt, but the final product does not
I was born and raised in the heart of Cajun country. My entire family loves gumbo, especially my moms. This is what I learned: get the roux as dark as possible without burning it (that makes the ...
- 121
11
votes
Accepted
Can I make roux with a fat different than butter, and if yes, what considerations should I take into account?
A roux is just cooking flour in an equal amount (or thereabouts) of fat. If you've already done it in butter, you already know what you are doing. Butter is tricky because there is some water left in ...
- 58.4k
9
votes
My béchamel takes over an hour to thicken. What am I doing wrong?
Your roux isn't getting hot enough. You need to be working over at least a medium heat. Melt the butter and wait for it to get frothy - that indicates the butter is at least 100C if not higher, Then ...
- 291
8
votes
Clarified butter for gumbo roux
Making your roux with clarified butter will certainly work, and work well. Clarifiying removes the milk solids, which add nutty flavor when browned. Without them, the roux would be far less likely to ...
- 2,755
8
votes
Accepted
Kosher alternative for butter as emulsifier
Sauces like pan sauces and Roux-thickened sauces like bechamel or veloute are not traditionally finished in the same way.
Pan sauces, like for steak au poivre involve deglazing, reducing (still ...
- 3,053
8
votes
Why is a roux necessary?
If you want to make bechamel, a roux is necessary because, well, that's what bechamel is. If you use your proposed method (or anything else) then the result will not be a bechamel, per definition, and ...
- 135k
7
votes
Can I freeze roux?
**RE: "although why you would want to is another matter" and "It's very simple to make fresh .. wouldn't it take as much time to defrost as it would take to make it in the first place?"**** That's ...
- 71
6
votes
Accepted
Why do light and dark roux have different effects when thickening sauces?
You can visualise it like this: starch is the way that plants store energy, you can see it like long chains of glucose molecules. If you have these long chains, they lock in water at high temps (...
- 1,387
6
votes
Accepted
Can I use fat-free milk in béchamel?
Yes. The important fat is the one the starch first goes into. The higher temperature reached by fats (as compared to water or milk) helps cook the flour, creating flavors. The liquid added later ...
- 12.1k
6
votes
Accepted
When making bechamel, why does the roux need to be room temperature?
It doesn't need to be room temperature. All combinations of cold, warm or hot roux with cold, warm or hot milk work.
The problem is that the whole process is somewhat finicky, and cooks need some ...
- 135k
5
votes
Clarified butter for gumbo roux
Your roux will actually be easier to cook out (getting rid of that flour-y taste) if you use clarified butter, so you can cook a very very light roux that doesn't taste like a dough ball. When I have ...
- 4,084
5
votes
Accepted
Flour for sauce: In the broth or in the oil?
If you add the flour to the broth you don't have an opportunity to cook the flour separately.
Roux is described by its color. Even the lightest whites or blonds are cooked a bit to remove some of ...
- 3,825
5
votes
What are the differences between gumbo, jambalaya, and etoufee?
Gumbo is a stew/soup, etouffee involves a roux to make it more of a sauce served over rice as a vehicle, and jambalaya is a one-pot meal with rice as an integral part of the dish--sort of like a cajun ...
4
votes
How do I lessen the effects of thickening caused by roux?
I believe that rather than "diluting" your gravy with stock, you could instead use less roux (fat and flour) with the same amount of juices (and perhaps a bit of stock).
The extra tablespoon of ...
- 8,372
4
votes
Accepted
White sauce without roux
If it works for you (you like the results), there really isn't a disadvantage unless you have leftovers. Cornstarch (cornflour) thickened sauces tend to thin upon reheating more than roux thickened ...
- 58.4k
4
votes
Kosher alternative for butter as emulsifier
You can use most margarines, which are pareve. Most margarines contain lecithin to emulsify the (vegetable) oils with water to yield a butter-like texture. The lecithin should serve the same purpose ...
- 4,416
4
votes
Accepted
How much smoke to expect from making a roux?
Creating a roux is all about cooking the flour to the desired color. It can take from 3 to 15 minutes. Do this over medium heat. Stir constantly. You should not experience any smoking when making ...
- 73.2k
4
votes
Why is a roux necessary?
The flour must be cooked in oil, otherwise the flour will never get hot enough to undergo the changes looked for in a roux.
The oil will easily be over 350F, but milk will never get hotter than ...
- 1,230
3
votes
White sauce without roux
I saw this on another search and I will quickly add my 2 cents. Cornflour (corn starch) doesn't hold it's thickness as well over long periods of time in a warmer (think restaurant). The sauce breaks ...
- 31
3
votes
How do I lessen the effects of thickening caused by roux?
Starch is easily digested by many enzymes. Since you probably don't want to spit into your gravy, try mixing in a raw yolk and storing it for 2-3 days. I am not 100% sure it will work, but I think it'...
- 135k
3
votes
Making large amount of Gravy
I would assume yes.
you use 4tbsp flour and fat for what amount of liquid ?
if you double the liquid, you should double the roux.
If there's not enough roux, then your gravy will be too "liquid".
...
- 20.4k
3
votes
Making Roux when Flour is Missing
I use cornmeal all the time to make roux. It takes longer but I use it for powerful cheese sauces for pasta so I can never taste any corn flavor. Of course don’t try to make Thanksgiving dinner ...
3
votes
Flour alternatives for roux
I was delighted to find that gluten free flour (I've been using Doves Farm gluen free plain flour) works for roux.
3
votes
Why does the roux separate from my gumbo?
I usually have this same problem when I make a really big batch of gumbo. I've tried all of the usual stuff: adding cold stock to hot roux, hot stock to cold roux, doing an extra vigorous boil. None ...
- 131
3
votes
How to make kosher roux?
You can use any fat at all in a roux, including animal fats like suet and schmaltz. With a roux, all you're doing is toasting the flour to get rid of the raw flavor, and using the fat to make sure it ...
- 3,053
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