Techniquebeginnerdraft
Roux
Also searched as: roux, white roux, béchamel, blond roux
In short: Cook butter and flour in equal parts, then stir in liquid bit by bit. The base for béchamel and many pale sauces.
Picture it
Like wrapping flour in fat beforehand: every grain is surrounded by fat and cannot stick to its neighbours.
What happens
The fat coats the grains and keeps them apart. When liquid is added, they swell one by one instead of forming lumps. The longer the roux toasts, the nuttier it tastes, but the less it thickens.
How it’s done
Sequence · Step 1 of 4
Melt butter and stir in the same weight of flour (e.g. 50 g and 50 g).
All steps as a list
- Melt butter and stir in the same weight of flour (e.g. 50 g and 50 g).
- Cook for 2–3 minutes while stirring, longer for dark sauces.
- Stir in the liquid bit by bit, not the other way round.
- Bring to the boil and simmer gently for a few minutes until there is no floury taste left.
Rules of thumb
- Dark roux: more flavour, less thickening.
- 50 g and 50 g flour thicken about a litre of milk into a medium béchamel (as a guide).
Related entries
Sources · 2
- LibreTexts (Kansas State University): Roux and Thickening
- Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004), Kapitel Saucen, Eier