What's the Thick on Roux: Thickening
Soups and Sauces
by Richard Massey
Soups and sauces can be thickened in a variety
of ways. A sauce must the thick enough to cling
to the food, but not so thick it stands up on
its own. Starches are by far the most common
thickening agent. Cornstarch, arrowroot, waxy
maize and the ever popular, roux (roo). But
what is a roux and how does it work?
Roux is a cooked mixture of equal parts by weight
of fat and flour. If you mix a starch with water,
such as cornstarch it is called a slurry
How does it work?
Starches thicken by absorbing water and swelling
to many times their original size. This process
is called gelatinization. In order for the starch
to function at its maximum, each granule of
starch must be separated before heating in order
to avoid lumps. If granules are not separated
the starch on the outside of a lump quickly
gelatinizes into a coating that prevents the
liquid from reach the rest of the starch inside.
This is accomplished in two ways.
1. By mixing the starch with cold water – This
is used with starches such as arrowroot and
cornstarch. This method is not recommended for
flour because it lacks flavor and has an undesirable
texture.
2. By mixing the starch with fat – This is the
principle of the roux. A roux must be cooked
for a short period of time so the finished sauce
or soup does not have the starchy taste of flour.
If cooked for just a short period of time, it
is called a blond roux. If cooked longer until
it takes on a light brown color, it is called
a brown roux.
The most preferred roux in cooking is made by
mixing melted butter and flour. Many cooks clarify
the butter first because the liquid in whole
butter tends to gelatinize some of the starch
and make the roux hard to work with. A roux
made with butter gives a nice rich flavor to
sauces and is easy to work with.
Margarine and oils can be used to make a roux
as well, but because of there lack of flavor
they are very seldom the top choice.
Fat drippings from animals such as chicken and
beef can make superior sauces. Animal fats enhance
the flavor of sauce, but again must be clarified
to eliminate any liquid that might cause lumping.
Mixing it all together
A roux can be added to the liquid or the liquid
may be added to the roux. The general rules
are: The liquid can be hot or cool, but not
cold. A very cold liquid will solidify the fat
in the roux. The roux in the same way can be
warm or cold, but not hot. A hot roux could
cause spattering and possibly lumps. For medium
sauces and soups I use 8 ounces butter and 8
ounces flour per gallon of liquid. For home
it comes out to about 1 tablespoon each per
cup of liquid. Use less or more depending on
how thick you like your sauce. By following these
simple steps you’ll have lump free soups and
sauces for the rest of your life.
About The Author
Chef Richard has worked in the top fine dining
restaurants in Washington State and is the author
of the ebook "Chef’s Special." You can find
free recipes, informative articles and order
the ebook at
http://www.csrecipes.com
