how do you make your roux?

[keakar]

in response to the store bought roux vs home made question, I thought it would be great to have a thread where people compared how they make their roux.

its amazing how something so simple can be made so many different ways so lets hear from you guys about your own favorite way to make a roux and do you make different roux for different dishes or is it always the same roux you make for everything.

I, and im sure many others, would find this very educational and learn more about how to made a better roux

im a rookie so I just make the plain flour and veggie oil roux for everything I cook.

[simplepeddler]

I make simple roux's with butter of bacon drippings.............my gumbo roux is made the night before....

I let the oil settle on top and drain it off.
I get my meat browned down and add the water and vegetables, then I spoon in the roux a little at a time..............gives me the exact consistency I want.

My grandmother made a roux every Sunday afternoon and used it all week long in whatever she cooked...........kept in on the counter right next to the bacon grease

[swamp snorkler]

1 cup of oil
1 cup of flour


I put my oil in the pot and let it get hot under a med heat on a 32,000 BTU burner in a 8 qt magnalite pot or a 12" cast iton skillet

I add my flour abour 1/4 cup at a time and whisk it in with a metal whisk that I picked up at the Dollar General

I stir till it looks like peanut butter then I turn it off.

[duckman1911]

For a small roux 1-3 cups I use equal parts flour and peanut or veggy oil. I prefer peanut oil because it has better heat tolerance. For roux bigger than 3 cups I use slightly more flour than oil. Stir over medium heat until you have the color you want. I like a chocolate color for gumbo. After the roux is done add veggies and water and bring to a rolling boil to seperate the oil. Turn off and let the oil float then dip off with a spoon or ladle. Do not add your stock until you dip off the oil. Once your chicken/duck stock goes in no more dipping. You want that good fat to stay in there.
There is 15 cups in a 5lb bag of flour. That is the biggest roux I have ever made. It took forever but it came out great.

[keakar]

Originally Posted by simplepeddler

I make simple roux's with butter of bacon drippings.............my gumbo roux is made the night before....

I let the oil settle on top and drain it off.

why do you drain off the bacon grease? does it change the taste of the dish too much if you dont? just seams strange to me to drain off butter or bacon grease but then im not looking to be healthy lol?

I thought the whole point of using butter or bacon grease was to not have to drain it off after?

veggie oil yea I always drain that off and scoop out any of whats left at the end, don't need that because it adds nothing but bacon or butter is always a flavor worth keeping in it I would think

[mr crab]

The Magic of Chef Paul - Making a Roux: http://youtu.be/Np3uGcdQNUw
The master at work. This is pretty much how i do it

[duckman1911]

Originally Posted by keakar

why do you drain off the bacon grease? does it change the taste of the dish too much if you dont? just seams strange to me to drain off butter or bacon grease but then im not looking to be healthy lol?

I thought the whole point of using butter or bacon grease was to not have to drain it off after?

veggie oil yea I always drain that off and scoop out any of whats left at the end, don't need that because it adds nothing but bacon or butter is always a flavor worth keeping in it I would think

Even when using butter or bacon grease I like to get most of it out. They heavy amount of butter, oil, or fat doesn't do well for some peoples stomach. You will never get it all out though. Will be plenty left for flavor.

[SigNate]

I have a 2 qt cast iron pot specifically for making roux. Nice bottom and a wooden spoon that is the perfect combination.

More often than not I prefer a butter roux. For duck gumbo I use rendered duck fat.

[swamp snorkler]

Originally Posted by SigNate

I have a 2 qt cast iron pot specifically for making roux. Nice bottom and a wooden spoon that is the perfect combination.

More often than not I prefer a butter roux. For duck gumbo I use rendered duck fat.

[ScubaLatt]

Originally Posted by swamp snorkler

1 cup of oil
1 cup of flour


I put my oil in the pot and let it get hot under a med heat on a 32,000 BTU burner in a 8 qt magnalite pot or a 12" cast iton skillet

I add my flour abour 1/4 cup at a time and whisk it in with a metal whisk that I picked up at the Dollar Gentral.

I stir till it looks like peanut butter then I turn it off.

Fixed it for you!

[Riceland]

dry roux made it the oven is easy and makes pretty darn good gumbo as well with the best part being little grease to worry about skimming off

[bjhooper82]

I've always used store bought roux but want to start making my own. I don't usually measure how much I put in my gumbo, I just know how much I usually use and put about the same amount every time. How much do you guys that make your own usually use in a normal pot of gumbo?

[eman]

1 part oil (just started using avocado oil ) higher smoke point than peanut oil.
1 part flour.
heavy aluminum pot. wooden spatula.
Heat oil on medium heat. add flour and stir constantly till as dark as you want.
Add veggies and stir. The sugars in the veggies will darken the roux as they caramelize. then add water or stock to thin it till it is what you want.

[keakar]

Originally Posted by bjhooper82

I've always used store bought roux but want to start making my own. I don't usually measure how much I put in my gumbo, I just know how much I usually use and put about the same amount every time. How much do you guys that make your own usually use in a normal pot of gumbo?

for me its based on the pot im using so whatever pot im cooking in I add just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pot with a thin layer (about 1/16" but definitely not over 1/8") then I add the same amount of flour so its 50/50 so its like a thin liquid paste.

maybe I do it wrong but I don't pre-heat the oil I just throw both in and turn on the fire

[Matt G]

Originally Posted by Riceland

dry roux made it the oven is easy and makes pretty darn good gumbo as well with the best part being little grease to worry about skimming off

I still havent tried making it like this yet. Riceland makes a bad arse gumbo with that dry roux. Very little grease and none of the accompanying heartburn.

I'll always make mine with oil and flour in my black pot then add the trinity to caramelize and then the stock until its the consistency I like.

[duckman1911]

Originally Posted by Matt G

I still havent tried making it like this yet. Riceland makes a bad arse gumbo with that dry roux. Very little grease and none of the accompanying heartburn.

I'll always make mine with oil and flour in my black pot then add the trinity to caramelize and then the stock until its the consistency I like.

Bout dang time you chimed in.

[Goooh]

I think the oil to be skimmed off top comes just as much from the greasy AZZ sausage and chicken skin in there as it does from the little you use for the roux

[duckman1911]

Great thread keakar. Got a lot of new ideas for roux because of it. If there are smilimg faces and empty bowls you did it right no matter how you did it.
Remind me to never get in a gumbo cook off with Ragin Cajun or SigNate. I don't like a voluntary azz whoopin.
Dem boys got skills

[duckman1911]

Originally Posted by Goooh

I think the oil to be skimmed off top comes just as much from the greasy AZZ sausage and chicken skin in there as it does from the little you use for the roux

Agree and disagree. The chicken skin and pork fat will add oil to the.gumbo but its good oil in my experience. The natural oils are easier on the stomach. Again this is my experience.
Make roux. Add veggies and water. Boil hard to seperate oil then turn off and let stand. Scoop off bad oil and continue with gumbo. Add chicken, duck, or pork stock after the heavy oil is gone.

[Gerald]

Roux


A Roux is just oil and flour cooked until brown. Now doesn’t that sound easy!

Making a Roux is not hard and does not have to take very long after you get the feel of how to “brown” the flour without burning it. Small portions can be frozen for later use.

To Make a Roux (Small batch)

Remember ....... While cooking the Roux, you have to almost continuously stir it to prevent burning the flour. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet to completely mix the Roux.

• Add 1/8 cup Vegetable oil to skillet.........this can be either an iron or non-stick skillet.
• Turn on high heat and sprinkle in about 1/8 cup flour.
• Mix the flour and oil using a wooden spoon or spatula, as the mixture heats up. Add more flour until the mixture is fairly thick.
• When the skillet is fairly hot, turn fire down to medium heat.

Continually stir the mixture while it cooks. The cooking time should be 15 to 30 minutes and depends on how hot the burner is set. If there is no browning after 5 minutes, turn the burner up a little. If the mixture starts to turn brown too fast, remove skillet from burner for a couple of minutes to slow down the cooking but keep stirring it. Lower the burner temperature a little and then continue to cook the Roux.

Learning how to cook the Roux takes some experience. Too hot a fire and it can burn........Too low of a fire and the mixture will take 10+ minutes to just start turning brown.
If the Roux starts turning brown fast (less than 5 minutes) the fire is too hot, remove from fire, keep stirring and allow it to cool.

Once the Roux gets to the desired color (somewhere between light brown and dark brown) turn the burner off and quickly cool it or the Roux will continue to cook. The Roux is very, very hot.

Cooling can be done by slowly spooning the Roux into your cooking pot (Gumbo, Jambalaya, etc.) and mixing with the liquid.

Or.........slowly adding water to the Roux and mixing.
Or.........I often add chopped onions, to sauté them a little first and then add water to cool down.

Smell Test

If you have any doubt that you may have burned the Roux...smell it....... If it smells bunt......better to start over than to use it and ruined your food.

Uses for Roux

A Roux is used to boast the flavor of and expand various recipes. A Roux can be added to any of the following:

Gumbo Soup Bisque Stew
Jambalaya Sauce piquaute Pot roast Gravy
Creole Fricassee