how does a roux work

by Sabryna Gaylord Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

How Does Roux Works?

Heat. High heat will cause the starch granules to harden and prevent them from combining with the liquid when added to form a sauce.
Timing. The time required to cook a roux varies between 2 to 20 minutes but depends solely on the sauce’s or soup color to be thickened.
Types of roux. ...
Thickening power. ...
Starches. ...
Fats. ...
Ratio. ...

When used in soups, sauces, and casseroles a roux provides creaminess and density, helps incorporate other fatty ingredients like cream or cheese, and generally binds things together into a cohesive finished product. And gravy, this season's MVP, is made by adding stock and/or meat drippings to a roux.Dec 29, 2021

Full Answer

How to make a roux and use it right?

Use bacon or pork drippings to make a roux you'll be using for gumbo or another dish that will have smoky elements like sausage.
Use butter to make a roux you'll be using for a creamy soup, such as a chowder. ...
Shortening makes a good roux base for lighter gratin dishes, since it doesn't have an overwhelming flavor.

How to make roux in an oven?

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the vegetable oil and flour into a 5 to 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine. ...
While the roux is baking, de-head, peel and devein the shrimp. Place the shrimp in a bowl and set in the refrigerator. ...
Once the roux is done, carefully remove it from the oven and set over medium-high heat. ...

What recipes use Roux?

White roux is used to thicken sauces such as béchamel, cheese sauces and white gravy, as well as creamy soups and chowders. Brown and dark roux are cooked for longer and have more flavor. The longer the roux is cooked, the darker in color it gets and the more its toasty, nutty aromas and flavors will come out.

What are the 3 types of Roux?

What are the 3 types of roux?

White Roux. White roux is used in white and creamy sauces, like béchamel sauce, cheese sauces, dishes like mac and cheese, scalloped potatoes, etc.
Blonde Roux. Blonde roux is slightly caramel colored and has a light nutty flavor. ...
Brown Roux. Brown roux is the darkest in color and is cooked for about 6-8 minutes. ...

How does roux work as thickener?

A roux works thanks to the thickening power of starch. Starch is made up of minuscule granules, each of which contains two different forms of starch molecules. First are the long, thin chains of glucose known as amylose; the second are branched clusters of glucose known as amylopectin.

Does roux thicken as cooks?

As a roux cooks, it gets darker and its flavor becomes more complex. It's important to understand, however, that as a roux colors, it loses its ability to thicken because the starch in the flour is broken down by the heat. You'll need more brown roux than blond roux to thicken the same amount of liquid.

What happens when making a roux?

A roux (pronounced "roo") is essentially an equal mixture of oil or other fat and flour that is stirred and cooked slowly, continually, in a pot until browned. It is used as a thickening agent and flavor builder for making gravy, casseroles, soups and sauces, as well as gumbo, a hugely popular dish from Louisiana.

What are the four stages of a roux?

There are 4 distinct stages of roux, ranging from white with the most thickening power to almost black, with the least amount of thickening ability.White Roux: ... Blonde Roux: ... Brown Roux: ... Chocolate Roux:

How do you know when a roux is done?

You'll know the roux is ready when it turns brown and smells of roasted peanuts, about 12 to 15 minutes. A white roux forms the base of the creamy sauce that gives this baked broccoli gratin dish its signature smooth texture.

Why does my roux taste like flour?

If it's too dry (not enough fat), it's hard to cook through without burning it. You want to get to a golden brown color throughout. You can cook it until it's darker and it'll add more caramel/nutty flavor (don't burn it), but it has to be at least a golden color before it's cooked enough to not taste of raw flour.

Is roux supposed to bubble?

The roux will bubble at first then will get smooth as it cooks. WARNING.. Don't be tempted to walk away and do something else, if the roux burns at any point during the process, it is no good. Once the roux has turned a medium brown lower the fire just a little.

How long does it take for roux to thicken?

10 to 20 minutesRoux begins to thicken soon after it is combined with a liquid, but it must be simmered for 10 to 20 minutes in order to reach its full flavor and thickening potential. This additional cooking time allows the flour to soften and absorb the liquid, resulting in a silky smooth soup or sauce.

What is the ratio for a roux?

The ratio of fat to flour to liquid is essential when making a roux-based gravy. You can adjust the amount of fat and flour depending on how thick you like your gravy. To make 1 cup of roux gravy, start with 2 tablespoons of fat, 2 tablespoons of flour, and 1 cup of liquid.

Why isn't my roux thickening?

If you add a cold roux to a cold liquid, it won't dissolve or thicken. Likewise, adding a hot roux to a hot liquid will result in a lumpy sauce. You want to either cool the roux down and then add it to simmering liquid, or add cold liquid to the hot roux you just made.

Why is my roux so bubbly?

The bubbling you're seeing is the milk proteins cooking away, which provide those delicious little browned bits that flavor a roux. To skip that step altogether, start with ghee, which is clarified browned butter. You can find it with the Indian food at the grocery store, and a shelf-stable jar will last for months.

How do you master a roux?

0:083:15Roux 101: How to Master It for Thick, Creamy Sauces | Food NetworkYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipHere's how to do a roux you take equal parts unsalted butter and flour unsalted. Because we can addMoreHere's how to do a roux you take equal parts unsalted butter and flour unsalted. Because we can add salt later stir it up just for a couple of seconds.

How long does roux take to thicken?

What temperature does roux thicken?

The cooking temperature, but not the choice of wheat flour, affected the thickening power of roux. Cooking wheat flour roux to low temperatures (120–160°C) increased the thickening power over the uncooked roux. Cooking to progressively higher temperatures reduced the thickening power.

Why is my roux liquidy?

If your sauce is too thin, the problem is that your initial roux was either too thin (not enough flour) or you added too much liquid for the amount of roux that you made. Standard ratios are 1 Tbsp butter - 1 Tbsp flour - 1 cup liquid for a thin sauce, 2-2-1 for something in the middle and 3-3-1 for a thick sauce.

How do you fix a runny roux?

Whisk the flour into the fat until you have a smooth, thick sauce. If it's too thick to whisk, add a little more fat. If it's too thin, add more flour.

Overview

Roux is flour and fat cooked together and used to thicken sauces. Roux is typically made from equal parts of flour and fat by weight. The flour is added to the melted fat or oil on the stove top, blended until smooth, and cooked to the desired level of brownness. A roux can be white, blond (darker) or brown. Butter, bacon drippings or lard are commonly used fats. Roux is used as a thickening a…

Uses

The fat is most often butter in French cuisine, but may be lard or vegetable oil in other cuisines. Roux is used in three of the five mother sauces of classic French cooking: béchamel sauce, velouté sauce, and espagnole sauce.
In Cajun cuisine, roux is made with lard, oil, or meat, poultry, or bacon drippings instead of butter. It is often cooked to a medium or dark brown color, which lends much richness of flavor, but make…

Methods

The fat is heated in a pot or pan, melting it if necessary. Then the flour is added. The mixture is heated and stirred until the flour is incorporated, and then cooked until at least the point where a raw flour taste is no longer apparent and the desired colour has been reached. The final colour can range from nearly white to nearly black, depending on the length of time it is heated and its intended use. The end result is a thickening and flavoring agent.

Types

Light (or "white") roux provides little flavor other than a characteristic richness to a dish, and is used in French cooking and some gravies or pastries throughout the world.
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," "bro…

Alternatives

Cooks can substitute for roux by adding a mixture of cold water and wheat flour to a dish that needs thickening, since the heat of boiling water will release the starch from the flour; however, this temperature is not high enough to eliminate the floury taste. A mixture of water and flour used in this way is colloquially known as “cowboy roux”, and in modern cuisine it is called a white wash. It is used infrequently in restaurant cooking, since it imparts a flavor to the finished dish that a tr…

External links

• Roux at the Wikibooks Cookbook subproject
• The dictionary definition of roux at Wiktionary

Knowledge Builders