LESSON PLAN FOR ROUX

  1. Roux: A cooked mixture of equal parts by weight of fat and flour.
  1. Fat: The cooking fats used for preparing roux are as follows:

Clarified butter: Preferred for the finer sauces because of its flavor

Margarine: Widely used in place of butter because of its lower cost. Flavor is inferior to butter and does not make as fine a sauce. Quality varies from brand to brand.

Animal fats: chicken fat, beef drippings, lard, etc. can be used when their flavor is appropriate to the soup or sauce. Properly utilized animal fats will enhance the flavor.

Vegetable oil and shortening: Not preferred by most chefs because they add no flavor.

  1. Flour: The thickening power of flour depends on its starch content.
    Bread flour has less starch and more protein than cake flour. Bread flour
    frequently is used in commercial kitchens for general cooking purposes. Flour is
    sometimes browned dry in the oven for use in brown roux, but has only one-third
    the thickening power of un-browned flour.
  1. Ingredient Proportions: A well-made roux should be stiff, not runny or
    pourable. Roux with too much fat is called a slack roux. Using excess
    fat increases the cost of roux and allows the excess to rise to the top of
    the soup or sauce which makes the product look and taste greasy.

Using excess fat increases the cost of roux and allows the excess to
rise to the top of the soup or sauce which makes the product look and
taste greasy.

  1. Preparing Roux: Roux must be cooked so that the finished product does not have
    the raw starchy taste of flour. These are three kinds of roux depending on how
    much they are cooked.

WHITE ROUX: Cooked for only a few minutes, just enough to cook out the raw
taste of the flour. Once the white roux has a frothy, chalky, slightly gritty
appearance the cooking is stopped before it begins to color. White roux is used as
a thickening agent for products based on milk.

BLOND ROUX: Also known as a pale roux is cooked a little longer just until the
roux begins to change to a slightly darker color. Blond roux is used for products
based on white stocks and results in a pale ivory color for the finished product.

BROWN ROUX: Brown roux is cooked until it takes on a light brown color with a
nutty aroma and has the consistency of beach sand. This roux is cooked slowly
over low heat to allow easy browning without scorching. For a deeper brown roux
the flour may be browned in the oven before adding the fat.

  1. Basic Procedure for Roux Preparation

Melt fat.

Add equal amounts of flour, stirring until fat and flour are thoroughly mixed.

Cook to required degree for white, blond, or brown roux.

NOTE: Cooking is done in a heavy bottomed saucepan on top of the stove and

stirred constantly for even cooking. Use low heat for brown roux, moderate heat
for white and blond roux.

Large quantities may be baked in the oven.
Some food service operations make batches large enough to last for a few days or
a week.

  1. Incorporating the Roux

Combining roux and liquid to achieve a smooth, lump-free product is a skill that
takes practice to master.

  1. General Principles

Liquid may be added to roux, or roux may be added to liquid.

The liquid may be either hot or cool, but not ice cold, as a very cold liquid will
solidity the fat.

Roux may be either warm or cold, but not sizzling hot. Adding hot liquid to a hot
roux causes spattering and possible lumping.

Within these listed guidelines, there is room for a number of variations. We will
describe two acceptable methods here.

NOTE: Always use stainless steel pans for white sauces as whipping in an
aluminum pan makes a gray sauce, not white.

METHOD 1: ADDING LIQUID TO ROUX

This method is used when a roux is made up specifically for one soup, sauce or gravy being prepared.

Use a Heavy Bottomed Saucepot: Prevent scorching to either the roux or the stock.

Cool Roux: Once the roux is made remove it from the fire to cool slightly.

Pour Liquid Slowly: Beat vigorously to prevent lumping. If the liquid is hot the starch will gelatinize quickly. If the liquid is cool it can be added slowly to dissolve the roux before adding the remaining liquid.

Bring Liquid to a Boil: Continue to beat well as roux does not reach its full thickening power until near the boiling point.

Simmer the Product: Simmer product for a minimum of 20 minutes stirring from time to time until all the starchy taste of the flour has been cooked out.
Finishing the Product: When product is finished, keep it hot in a bain-marie or cooler for later use. Either way it should be covered or should have a think film of butter melted on the top to present a skin formation.

METHOD 2: ADDITING ROUX TO LIQUID

Use a HEAVY Bottom Saucepot: bring liquid to a simmer.

Add Roux: in small quantities whipping vigorously to break up all.

Continue to Beat: small quantities into the simmering liquid until the desired consistency is reached.

Continue to cook: simmer until roux is cooked and no starchy taste remains.

Under Thicken: if product is to simmer for a long time because it will thicken as it reduces.

PROPORTIONS OF ROUX TO LIQUID

The table below indicates the quantities of roux needed to thicken one gallong of liquid to thin, medium or thick.

Sauce / Thin or Light / Medium / Thick or Heavy
Fat / 6 oz. / 8 oz. / 12 oz.
Flour / 6 oz. / 8 oz. / 12 oz.
Roux / 12 oz. / 16 oz. / 24 oz.
Liquid / 1 gallon / 1 gallon / 1 gallon
  1. Other Thickening Agents

STARCHES

BUERRE MANIE: Equal parts of soft raw butter and flour worked together to form a smooth paste. Used for quick thickening at the end of cooking to finish a sauce. The raw butter adds flavor and gives sheen to the sauce when it melts. To use a BuerreManie drop very small pieces into a simmering sauce and beat with a whip until smooth. Repeat until desired consistency is reached. Simmer until flour is cooked and remove from fire.

WHITEWASH OR SLURRY: A thin mixture of flour and cold water products made with a whitewash or slurry have neither as good a flavor nor as fine a texture as those made with roux. Whitewash is not recommended for use.

CORNSTARCH: Produces a product that is almost clear with a glossy texture. To use mix cornstarch with cool water until smooth. Sitr into hot liquid bring to a boil, and simmer until liquid turns clear and there is no starchy taste. Excessive boiling will break down the cornstarch and will thin out the product. Also products thickened with cornstarch may be thinned out if held on the steam table for long periods. Cornstarch is used extensively for sweet sauces to accompany certain meats, as well as in desserts and dessert sauces. It has twice the thickening power of flour.

ARROWROOT: Used like cornstarch but gives an even clearer product. Its use is limited because of its high cost.

WAXY MAIZE: Used for products that are to be frozen. Flour and other starches break down and lose their thickening power when frozen. Waxy Maize does not. It is handled like cornstarch.

PRE-GELATINIZED OR INSTANT STARCH: Cooked, gelatinized, and then redried which will thicken a cold liquid without heating. These starches are rarely used in sauce making but are frequently used in the bakeshop.

Submitted to Indiana FACS Best Practices by Chef Diana Hansen Brattain, , August 2007, page 6 of 8 pages.