help with making a roux

You got the general concept. Just takes practice.

i tried making one the other night. I read somewhere it takes 20-25 minutes. I quit after 35. I thought it was because i was doing it in the wrong pot or something

Awesome thanks. Bc i didnt have the heat high enough cause it to be gritty? Im assuming its gritty due to the flour not fully being dissolved? Sorry for all the questions. I'm just getting my feet wet with cooking.

Get a wooden roux spoon. med high/high heat makes a 10 min roux

quote:

---

Squints 3410

---

make it easy on yourself, do it in the microwave I learned from this board (or oven).

i have an 1100w microwave, the higher the wattage, the easier & quicker this process goes.

takes no more than 10 minutes.

*YOU MUST USE A PYREX BOWL OR YOU WILL HAVE A CAD-TASTROPHE* (see photo below for what happens if you don't use pyrex. this happened when visiting my parents and not realizing they didn't have pyrex bowls )

Step 1: pour in a cup of oil (doesn't matter what kind..lately i've preferred to lightly batter and fry boneless/skinless chicken thighs in a hot iron skillet and pour a cup of that into the bowl complete with 'dirt/drippings')

Step 2: if its not hot, i like to cook the oil for a minute by itself to make it more receptive to the flour.

Step 3: pour in flour, whisk well, put in microwave for:

2 minutes (open and stir)
2 minutes (open and stir)
1-2 minutes (you want it to start changing color your microwave may vary, open and stir)
1 minute (open and stir)

keep doing 1 minute intervals until it starts to have the consistency of chocolate mousse.

then shorten to 30 second intervals (don't be afraid that its starting to smell burnt, its not)

once you have what appears to be a porous crust of quicksand, remove and put on hot plate *BEING VERY CAREFUL BECAUSE YOU ARE NOW HOLDING LAVA* near the stove.

i then add the onions (watch out for the smoke!) and it will disintegrate them and darken more.

then add the rest of the trinity and it will continue to get darker and much less hot.

i have a boiling soup pot of chicken stock already going and just add the roux/trinity a scoop at a time while stirring vigorously.

once the whole bowl is transferred (i like to lick the wooden spoon once the roux is cool to see if its right..yeah..thats why i eat raw roux ) and properly integrated into the stock you can add the chicken and turn it down to simmer.

after about an hour i add the sausage and turn the fire off.

adding the sausage at the very end keeps the grease from oozing out of the sausage and forming a greasy film on top.

skim any grease off the top using a metal spoon.


the whole process takes about 15 minute (other than letting it simmer) and the roux never burns.


eta, found it

quote:

---

CAD703X

---

Not sure who gave you a downvote. That's apretty idiot proof method of getting a dark roux without burning.

To the OP...higher heat and stir constantly. If you smell even the tiniest hint of burn, it's too late. Don't try to get it too dark until you've done it a few times.

Also, if you use oil that you brown your protein in, make sure you take out all the bits. They will burn in the high heat it takes to make a dark roux.

The oven method is amazing. I made a very dark roux the first time I ever made a roux and it was great.

It does take a bit longer but like Gris said, do some other things. I'm typically not making a gumbo for that day/night and I'm certainly in no rush when cooking one.

quote:

---

It had me wondering whats the point of a dark roux vs light roux. I assume there is a difference.

---

There is a difference in flavor. A darker roux has a deeper flavor which holds up to (and is necessary for me in gumbo) to gumbo. A lighter roux has a milder flavor. Also, a lighter roux yields a thicker product. The darker the roux, the thinner it will be. It doesn't have the same thickening properties as a light roux.

Again, I recommend you try the oven version.

Uhm....