Go to the Recipe: How to Make a Roux
Are we on high heat the entire time?
I second that question! How hot should one go?
Is that Staub enameled, or is that seasoned cast iron?
Cajuns are also noted for their ingenuity. About 30 years ago, one of them decided to sell canned roux. Only problem was that he needed to hire two dozen people to stand and stir--all day long. This was obviously expensive in terms of labor. He solved that problem by buying a bunch of ice cream freezers--the kind that take ice and salt on the outside--and installing heating coils around the rotating containers. Slip the paddle in, pour in the fat and flour, turn on the heat and start the bucket turning. A predetermined time later, the heaters shut off and the roux is ready to be canned and labeled.
@Alex and Roland: How hot would it need to be to get to 464°F and smoke animal fat? Probably just below high, IMO, but I'm just guessing. Many cajun cooks know only two settings on a stove: off and wide open. Keep whisking.
So if doing this in the oven, could we ever get to a dark chocolate roux? If the temp of that roux is above 405 F, it seems like that would be impossible to achieve in a 375 F oven. Maybe transfer from the oven to the stove for the last 15-20 minutes to get to the dark chocolate state?
I do it in the oven at 450. about an hour or so to get a chocolate roux. Then I turn the oven down to 350 and cook my trinity in the roux.
Start by heating the oil on high, then whisk the flour into the hot oil. It will bubble and sizzle, turn it down to moderate and keep whisking. You can get to dark chocolate in 15-20 minutes. I read that in one of John Besh's books a few years ago and I have done it that way since.
Hi Alex! The hotter you go, the easier it is to burn. We like to start at a medium heat and slowly increase. Also, a good way to try this the first time around is to do it in a cast iron in the oven at 375 F and check/mix it every 10 minutes.
Hi Alex and Roland! The hotter you go, the easier it is to burn. We like to start at a medium heat and slowly increase. Also, a good way to try this the first time around is to do it in a cast iron in the oven at 375 F and check/mix it every 10 minutes.
Hi Aaron, we used this Staub cocotte.
Fascinating! We love this and are wondering if you would be willing to share your source. We'd love to learn more!
Exactly! You've got it. Transferring to the stove to finish it is the way to go.
I have had very good luck with toasting the the flour dry first. Just whisk it around the dry pan on medium heat for about ten minutes. It puts the DON'T in don't stop stop stirring but cuts the overall all time nearly in half. Will attempt this recipe soonest.
That's the way I do it. Besh is a master.
I need to make a gluten free roux. What are your thoughts on using gluten free flour for this?
Just did it on medium heat, reached the French Dark Roux in about 30 minutes. That was fast! Did it with duck fat.
One other thing, it would be awesome to get temperatures for each stage, rather than just the last one.
Why do you use bread flour? Is it because +protein +browning? Or does it thicken better? Thanks
Surely there is a way to cook the roux sous vide and then add a stabilizer of some kind and blend it. Right?
Reminds of my thermomix... Wonder if it gets the job done unattended.
Do you buy the animal fats or do you render it from left-over fatty tissue and if so how do you do it?
I do mine in a wok. There's no risk of burning in the corner of the pan where the whisk can't easily reach.
Hm… Now I have another use for the leftover duck fat. Duck roux for béchamel sauce sounds like a wonderful idea!
any great organic butter or ghee (clarified butter can take the heat) should work, forget margarine ...
if you want to be exotic use goose or duck fat
try fine chickpea flour indians call it besam else there is teff or sorghum flour check organic shop, indian corner shop or ethiopian resto or coffee importer.
How it is possible that after 10 minutes of cooking the roux will still have a somewhat floury taste?. When we make fresh pasta you cook it for 2min and it doesn´t taste floury...
Does this also help mitigate the 'floury' taste? My gravies are turning out perfectly but my Dad says that they still taste a bit floury. Thanks for your reply!
yep, me too! my glorious Bodum https://www.bodum.com/us/en/k0810-chambord
Would it work to toast the flour dry in the oven, and then mix with oil as needed for "instant roux"? Or is there something about the process of flour frying in the fat that's required for emulsification or distribution? Or is the oil is just necessary for even heat conduction/it would be too difficult to evenly toast flour dark enough for gumbo?
Update: I tried this and it works! It takes quite a while in the oven but now I've got a big container of instant gumbo roux. After sifting it disperses readily in water so I was able to reduce the amount of oil in the gumbo significantly without any discernible impact on the final dish.
So glad to see your guys use animal fat instead of vegetable oil. I always use lard.
I have been making my roux with butter. I let the butter brown before adding the flour. I find it speeds up the time to dark chocolate roux
