This Roux Recipe is a Must for Home Cooks! (2024)

FAQs

What is the rule of roux? ›

Roux is made by cooking equal parts flour and fat together until the raw flavor of the flour cooks out and the roux has achieved the desired color. Butter is the most commonly used fat, but you can also make roux with oil, bacon grease, or other rendered fats.

Types of Roux: There are three main types of roux: white, blond, and brown. Each type offers a distinct flavor profile and complements specific culinary creations.

What Is a Roux? A roux is a cooked mixture of equal parts flour and fat. When flour is cooked in fat, the fat coats the flour's starch granules. This helps keep lumps from forming when the roux is combined with liquid such as milk or stock, yielding a silky-smooth, uniform sauce.

To show you what I mean, I cooked four samples of roux to four different stages of doneness: white, blond, peanut butter, and dark brown.

Other amounts to keep in mind are: 3 cups oil plus 3 cups flour equals 3 2/3 cups roux. 1 cup oil plus 1 cup flour equals 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons roux. To thicken 6 to 8 cups of liquid for a gumbo, soup, or another dish, use 1 cup prepared roux or start with 1 cup flour and 1 cup fat.

A white roux is the most common type of roux used to thicken sauces. The flavor is mild and it has the strongest thickening power of all three roux types. It's most often used to thicken white sauces such as a béchamel, country gravy, and cheese sauce.

You can use any of the following slurry-style replacements: potato starch, arrowroot powder, or tapioca starch to complete the thickening task. So, while you might be "out of stock," you won't roux the day.

A roux is a mixture of (usually) equal quantities of flour and butter that's used as a thickening agent in sauces. A béchamel is a sauce made using a roux with the addition of (usually) milk.

How do you decide which type of fat to use? It depends what dish you're making and how long you'll cook the roux. Butter adds great flavor, but since it has a lower smoke point than other fat sources (like vegetable or canola oil), it's more likely to burn when used in a darker roux.

Word to the wise: Butter will almost certainly burn while making a darker roux, so opt for a fat with a higher smoke point, like vegetable oil, and don't stop stirring until you reach your desired color.

Do you use oil or butter for gumbo roux? ›

Basically, a roux is an emulsion made with flour and fat, the classic French version finds it's base in butter, but the Cajun and Creole roux is made with oil, because you can take the roux to a much darker color without burning the fat.

Darker roux is made by browning the flour in oil for a longer time and adds a distinct nutty flavor to a dish. They may be called "blond," "peanut-butter," "brown," or "chocolate" roux depending on their color. The darker the color, the richer the flavor.

Yes! Working with olive oil in a roux is the same process as making the roux with any other oil or fat. I put together a quick video to accompany the recipe.

Using an off ratio of flour to fat can pose a number of problems. Using too much flour can cause the flour to clump up in the oil, which will then lead to pockets of flour going uncooked and making the gumbo gritty and floury.

Roux Ratio

The ratio of flour to butter in a roux is 1:1. For example, if you use four tablespoons of butter, you would use four tablespoons (or ¼ cup) of flour.

Roux starts with flour and oil, usually in a 1:1 ratio. Combine them in a heavy-bottomed pot, like a cast iron or enameled cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. Stir constantly over medium-high heat with a wooden spoon. The roux is now starting to color ever so slightly, and is what is called a blonde roux.

1 Tbsp. flour mixed with 1 Tbsp. of butter or other fat should yield enough roux to thicken 3/4 to 1 cup of warm liquid. To avoid lumps forming, slowing whisk liquid into the roux and simmer until mixture thickens.