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A sauce is a liquid plus a thickening agent that's combined with various types of ingredients.
One type of thickener is roux. Traditional sauces and some soups use a roux as their thickener.
thickener.
That's why it's important to learn how to properly make and use a roux. It's easy if
you follow a few simple steps.
A roux is simply an equal amount of fat and an equal amount of flour.
The fat coats the starch granules and prevents them from clumping together and forming lumps.
Traditionally that fat is often butter,
but lots of different types of fat such as peanut, vegetable and olive oil
or even animal fats like chicken, pork or duck fat can be used.
The choice of fat depends on the desired flavor of the sauce. The wrong type of fat may leave
an unwanted aftertaste.
For example bacon fat may add unwanted bacony tones to a delicate sauce along with a strong
smoky flavor if the bacon's been heavily smoked.
Use whatever fat your recipe calls for, but if you're unsure, do what most professional
chefs do and use butter.
Butter imparts a richness in taste that won't overpower any of the other components in a
sauce, like fresh herbs and delicate seasonings.
When using butter to make a roux, professional chefs usually use clarified butter, but for
most home cooks normal salted or unsalted, butter is fine.
Although a roux is an equal amount of fat and an equal amount of flour, what I mean is equal in weight,
not volume.
This tablespoon of butter weights half an ounce or 14 grams, while this tablespoon of
flour weights a ΒΌ ounce or 7 and a half grams.
To make a proper roux, the weight of the flour should equal the weight of the fat.
Here's how much flour is needed to equal one tablespoon of butter by weight.
That's why using a scale will help to ensure that your recipes are more consistent.
For most types of roux, use a flour that's high in starch, like sauce or pastry flour.
Starch gelatinizes. It's a process by which starch granules absorb moisture and cause
a sauce to thicken.
Now it's time to make the roux. Let me show you how it's done.
First melt the butter over medium heat, then add the flour and whisk until blended.
Continue whisking while the mixture cooks for a minute or two. This will ensure that the granules
of starch are well coated with fat.
Adding more or less flour will lead to a thinner or thicker roux. The more flour you add, the
more thickening power your roux will have.
Finally, there are two ways to incorporate a roux into a liquid, without causing lumps.
Just remember the phrase hot liquid - cold roux, cold liquid - hot roux.
Cold stock, milk or other liquids can be added to a hot roux while stirring vigorously with
a whisk.
Cold or room temperature roux can be added to a hot stock or liquid while whisking thoroughly
to incorporate the roux.
A good roux will be stiff, not runny or pourable.
And remember, a roux will not begin to thicken a sauce until the sauce is almost at its boiling point.
For more information, recipes, and techniques, visit: thefoodshow.net