Making a roux.....

[maslex]

I watch cooking shows a lot and try to learn new things all the time. For years I was always intimidated by making a roux. I don't know why but I would never make a cream sauce or a gravy that you had to start off by making a roux.

Now, I do make one whenever I make a gravy or say a cheese sauce for mac & cheese. I have a question though. When I see people on TV make one, they use an equal amount of butter/flour. And they cook it a couple minutes while stirring and it turns out like a smooth silky paste of sorts. But when I make it, it looks dry and crumbly and lumpy. Never does turn into what I see on TV.

What am I doing wrong? I thought maybe the recipe was wrong and you need more fat than flour, but every recipe I see, they say to use equal amounts.

 

[firecracker725]

I watch cooking shows a lot and try to learn new things all the time. For years I was always intimidated by making a roux. I don't know why but I would never make a cream sauce or a gravy that you had to start off by making a roux.

Now, I do make one whenever I make a gravy or say a cheese sauce for mac & cheese. I have a question though. When I see people on TV make one, they use an equal amount of butter/flour. And they cook it a couple minutes while stirring and it turns out like a smooth silky paste of sorts. But when I make it, it looks dry and crumbly and lumpy. Never does turn into what I see on TV.

What am I doing wrong? I thought maybe the recipe was wrong and you need more fat than flour, but every recipe I see, they say to use equal amounts.

Are you cooking it on too high a temp? I use equal amounts fat and flour, and have never had a problem. Also, what kind of flour are you using?

 

[usnuzuloose]

You can watch you tube videos that do it step by step and follow along.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

I am no professional cook but I have seen roux that is dry and crumbly and be used. I believe it is just personal preference. You should get the same results. There are even oil less roux's.

 

[maslex]

I'm using regular all purpose flour. I never paid much attention to what the temp is on. Is it supposed to be on medium? I still use the roux when it's crumbly/dry and it still comes out ok, but I'm just wondering why mine comes out that way.

 

[sbtrfly74]

Are you making sure your butter is melted first? I've measured it and also eyeballed it. I use to only make roux for gumbo, but lately I started making a lot of my own sauces. Also try to add a little bit of flour at a time and stir, this will keep you from having a roux that is too crumbly which I find harder to deal with when adding the liquid.

I also turn in a little high just to get the butter melted quicker then turn down to medium.
I like using either a wooden spoon but a high-temp whisk works great too.

 

[firecracker725]

Hm...dunno. Are you cooking the fat a bit and letting it heat up before you add the flour? Also, are you whisking in a bit at a time?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I'm using regular all purpose flour. I never paid much attention to what the temp is on. Is it supposed to be on medium? I still use the roux when it's crumbly/dry and it still comes out ok, but I'm just wondering why mine comes out that way.

Interesting. What are you using for fat and what are your measurements? I think the basic is 4TBS butter/4 TBS of flour and that should yield a cup. You can change up the ratio to suit your tastes. I lessen the flour because I like it thinner.

Make sure to have your liquid at the ready before you begin the process.

Basically you melt the butter, add flour and whisk, whisk, whisk....cannot stop whisking. It should be like "cake frosting" texture.

Once you whisk the flour/butter ratio for about 2 mins, (cooking the flour helps the roux taste not like flour), you add liquid, & continue whisking until it comes to a boil.

 

[lizabu]

A lot of times if you use a measuring spoon it might seem like you're using equal parts of each ingredient but if your butter is cold there's a good chance you have more flour than butter. If you use a scale you are certain to have equal parts. It doesn't matter though. You will get good results either way.

 

[Luv2Run]

I've found that making a roux on a gas range is much easier than an electric cooktop. You can control the temp much easier on a gas range, so you don't heat up your butter too fast. I also don't add all the flour at once, I usually whisk in a little at a time.

 

[maslex]

I do use the 4tbsp each of butter/flour ratio and I do melt the butter in the pan before adding the flour. I usually cut the stick of butter in half, let it melt, then add in the 1/4 cup of flour and I constantly stir. But I just dump the flour in instead of sprinkling a little bit at a time. Maybe that's my problem.

 

[ReneeA]

How much liquid are you adding after you cook your butter/flour mixture? I add more milk to mine if I want it thinner or smoother.

 

[maslex]

I believe I use like 2-3 cups of liquid, depends on what the recipe calls for. It's not the final product that I'm looking to make smoother, it's the roux itself.

 

[LBIJim]

I do use the 4tbsp each of butter/flour ratio and I do melt the butter in the pan before adding the flour. I usually cut the stick of butter in half, let it melt, then add in the 1/4 cup of flour and I constantly stir. But I just dump the flour in instead of sprinkling a little bit at a time. Maybe that's my problem.

Perhaps that's it. I don't often make a roux, but I always add the flour a little at a time, whisk until it's incorporated into the butter, then repeat a few more times.

 

[JanaDee]

I've found that making a roux on a gas range is much easier than an electric cooktop. You can control the temp much easier on a gas range, so you don't heat up your butter too fast. I also don't add all the flour at once, I usually whisk in a little at a time.

I love our gas stove. Once I got over my initial fear of blowing up the house (), it is so much nicer to cook on!

 

[JanaDee]

I do use the 4tbsp each of butter/flour ratio and I do melt the butter in the pan before adding the flour. I usually cut the stick of butter in half, let it melt, then add in the 1/4 cup of flour and I constantly stir. But I just dump the flour in instead of sprinkling a little bit at a time. Maybe that's my problem.

Try putting in a bit at a time and whisking it in each time. It will incorporate better.

 

[NotUrsula]

I don't even remember how old I was when I first learned to make roux, but let's just leave it at close to a half a century ago. There are several types, and the technique varies a bit for each. Cajun cooking doesn't use butter, it uses oil or lard, and with that you can cook the roux darker at a higher temperature. That's traditional for Cajun food because of the usual highly-seasoned meats that are used.

For more delicate white-sauce roux, butter is the fat of choice. The one thing that I have always done is to cook it wet into dry, so the flour goes into the pan first, cooked dry for a few strokes, and the fat is gradually added to it. I find that with constant stirring, it does come out perfectly smooth. I don't melt my butter first, because of the risk of separation; I just warm it to room temp and smooth it into the flour as a paste.

It is also possible to make a fat-free roux using the oven or a microwave; you can just brown the flour on even heat. The very best flour for making roux (or sauces of any kind, really), is Wondra; it's milled into more of a granular texture, so it doesn't lump easily.

 

[tvguy]

A little more butter isn't going to hurt anything. I usually do 5 tablespoons of butter to 4 of flour. Even a guy can make a roux. My kids loved Macaroni and Cheese and I'm not a fan of the stuff in a box, so if we were having mac and cheese, that was my night to cook and I made it from scratch.

 

[tvguy]

I love our gas stove. Once I got over my initial fear of blowing up the house (), it is so much nicer to cook on!

I lived with a gas stove for 3 years in college, never did figure out how to regulate the heat......just seemed that ot had 10 settings of "Burn My food".
I grew up from age 3 with electric stoves, and DW and I both had bad experiences with gas leaks in houses as we grew up, so we bought a house in an all electric subdivision.
My parents first house had a gas stove. I know my mom hated all 10 years she had to cook on it. But she grew up on a farm with no gas or electricity and learned to cook on a wood stove.

 

[maslex]

Thanks guys. I am making a homemade mac & cheese next week, so I'm going to see if anything different happens if I sprinkle the flour in instead of just dumping it in.