Mass produced roux?

I went to one of them about 10 years ago (I think it was Kary's). He had a big enclosed steam jacketed kettle with an agitator in it. He bought oil in 35# JIBs like you get at Sam's and flour in 50# sacks. He would dump it in, and time it. The machine did all the work.

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(I think it was Kary's). He had a big enclosed steam jacketed kettle with an agitator in it. He bought oil in 35# JIBs like you get at Sam's and flour in 50# sacks. He would dump it in, and time it. The machine did all the work.

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That's Kary's in Ville Platte. Great stuff

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with an agitator in it

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At first I thought this was alligator and was trying to figure out his role in the process.

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I'll never understand why someone buys that stuff.

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Because it's soooo much easier/faster. I disagree with your first line.

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It really isn't that difficult to make a roux

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It's not difficult, it's tedious and time consuming. For a work day afternoon gumbo that starts at 5:30 and needs to be ready for 7:00, there is not a discernible enough loss in quality to justify not using roux from a jar. Where I think people mess up is throwing the roux cold from the jar into stock.

The way I do it is to "melt" the roux in my pot and let it get as hot as it would had I cooked it, and then throw in my vegetables to stop it from darkening. Flour and Oil is Flour and Oil... Whether you cook it from scratch or let someone else do it.