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Before I explain how to make a roux, I should start off by describing what a roux is. Quite simply, it is the combination of culinary starch and fat. The starch and fat are combined, heated, and used to thicken a liquid. Once you understand how to use this classic technique to your advantage, you can create delicious soups, sauces, and gravies, from scratch.
Making and using a roux is a simple yetpowerful method to put into use in your kitchen. If you have made gravy from scratch, you’ve most likely used this technique. If you’ve made a béchamel or homemade cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese, you’ve put a roux to delicious use.
Many starches can be used to create a roux from wheat flour to cornstarch, arrowroot powder, and potato starch. They each have unique properties and may require a slightly different ratio of starch to liquid, but all of them have the same power to create a luscious sauce. If your pantry, food allergies, or a particular recipe dictate, you can substitute an alternate starch for the All-purpose flour that is most often called for.
By warming a roux’s combination of fat and starch, you coat the starch molecules with the fat which prepares them to be added to liquid without creating lumps. As the liquid with roux is warmed to a simmer, those fat coated starches swell and begin to absorb the liquid. As that happens, your liquid thickens into a thickened sauce with a smooth, velvety texture.
You don’t need fancy ingredients or equipment to make a roux. Choose a pot more than large enough to hold the volume of liquid you are thickening and either a sturdy spoon or whisk. When making a roux to thicken a soup or savory liquid, I often make it right in the pan with the other ingredients as in my recipe for Chicken and Dumplings. If you prefer, you could remove the sauteed vegetables from the pan, create your roux, and then proceed with thickening the liquid and adding the sauteed components back into the pot.
The one component I would recommend you use when making a roux is patience. A roux and its process of thickening liquids shouldn’t be rushed. Sure, you can crank up the heat under the pot and reduce the minutes needed to go from start to finish, but the resulting dish will suffer in flavor and perhaps texture for taking the shortcut. A roux that is cooked too long or over intense heat can brown to the point of adding a dingy color and burnt flavor to your sauce. An overheated roux also has less thickening power due to the effect of the heat on the starch molecules when cooked at higher heat.
Lower the heat under your pan and take a few more minutes when making your roux. Your roux will be more powerful with a light flavor rather than a burnt note. Your liquid will also thicken in a much more rounded and even manner. Turn down the heat and you will be rewarded with a thick, smooth, and delicious sauce.Once you’ve mastered the roux and how to use it, you’ll be able to make two of the French mother sauces: Béchamel and Velouté which can be used to create dozens of delicious dishes for your table.
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Blonde Roux and Béchamel or Velouté Sauce
Jennifer from 1840 Farm
A blonde roux is one that does not impart a dark color or heavy flavor to the sauce it thickens. It is perfectly suited for delicate cream sauces, like the classic béchamel. It can also be used to thicken gravy or soups. With this recipe, you can make a milk based Béchamel or broth based Velouté. They are both delicious and versatile sauces that have been made for generations. They’re two of the five French mother sauces.
This roux can be used to thicken approximately 2 cups of milk, stock, or broth. The liquid should be cold when added to the warm roux. The difference in temperatures helps to prevent lumps from forming. Once the liquid has been thickened, you can flavor the sauce with herbs or shredded cheese and season to taste.
Using milk as a liquid creates a Béchamel cream sauce which can be used in pasta dishes, stirred into sauteed spinach to make creamed spinach, or added to casseroles. A milk based béchamel can be transformed into cheesy deliciousness by adding 2 or 3 cups of your favorite shredded cheese before tossing over cooked macaroni for a simple and delicious macaroni and cheese.
Using broth or stock as the liquid will create a Velouté gravy style sauce that is delicious flavored with fresh herbs and plenty of pepper. It can be ladled over mashed potatoes, added to casseroles that call for cream of condensed soups, or stirred into dishes that could use a bit of flavor and moisture to enhance their flavor and texture.
Author: Jennifer from 1840 Farm
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons All-purpose flour (or alternate starch if you prefer)
- 2 cups cold liquid (broth or milk)
Instructions
Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Once the butter has melted, add the flour (or alternate starch) and whisk or stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir as the flour and butter combine. Cook, moving the mixture constantly until it swells slightly and takes on a golden color. Do not cook the roux long enough to brown.
Add the cold liquid in one addition to the saucepan and stir or whisk briskly to distribute the roux into the liquid. Continue to stir until the liquid comes to gentle boil. The mixture will thicken once it gently boils for a few minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Taste for seasoning, adding herbs, salt, pepper, or a dash of hot sauce as needed.
If you made a milk based béchamel and would like to add cheese, stir in 2 or 3 cups of shredded cheese of your favorite smooth melting variety after removing the saucepan from the heat. Allow the heat of the sauce to melt the cheese for a minute or two and then stir until smooth. The cheesy sauce can be spooned over cooked vegetables or tossed with cooked pasta for a scrumptious homemade macaroni and cheese.
Notes
How can you fix a roux thickened sauce that is too thick or not thick enough?
If your sauce ends up thickening too much for your liking, simply add in a tablespoon or two of additional liquid, stirring until it is smooth and exactly the texture you were aiming for. Repeat if necessary.
If your sauce doesn’t thicken as much as you want, it can be fixed by adding a bit more roux mixture. Rather than start in a clean pan and create a new roux, I like to use a microwave shortcut. In a small bowl, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir in 1 tablespoon of flour (or the starch you used for your original roux) and microwave for 20 seconds. The mixture should bubble up and rise quite dramatically. Remove it from the microwave and stir a bit to break up any small lumps. Add this roux mixture to your sauce and stir to disperse it into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and your sauce will thicken a bit more thanks to the addition of more roux. Repeat if needed.
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