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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 follow
these simple steps you’ll have lump free soups and
sauces for the rest of your life.
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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 |
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