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True roux – A tried and true method for a great roux

Roux is a funny thing. It’s highly personal—there are as many opinions on its correct assembly as there are cooks who prepare it. And you can’t talk to someone about roux—or read a published recipe for it—without being warned, “don’t let it burn.” It’s enough to make busy home cooks run out and buy a jar of Savoie’s, which they understandably do in large numbers.

But roux—true roux—isn’t hard at all. Moreover, it’s immensely satisfying to do right. All it takes is a little practice, some awareness and the right pan.

Roux springs from French cuisine and is nothing more than the combination of flour and fat, browned to different degrees and used to thicken dishes. In Cajun and Creole cuisine, vegetable oil is the fat of choice, and roux is usually taken to a medium to dark brown hue, depending on the dish.

Here’s my tried and true method for reaching that near-black lusciousness without letting it burn.

˝ cup vegetable oil
˝ cup, plus 1 tablespoon, all-purpose flour

Heat vegetable oil to medium high in the same vessel you plan to make your dish, ideally a heavy, good quality stockpot. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Whisk or stir mixture with a flat-edged wooden spoon regularly, but not constantly. The roux should turn color of peanut butter in about 10 minutes. Cook for five more minutes to take shade to dark brown.* To brown further, remove pan from heat, and continue to stir. Good equipment, such as seasoned cast iron or Le Creuset Dutch ovens will hold heat, helping roux to deepen in color once off eye. When it reaches desired color, remove from heat and set aside, or continue with recipe. Refrigerate roux for one week or freeze for three months.

*If, at any point during the cooking process, your roux cooks too fast, remove pan from heat for a minute or two, continuing to stir, then return to eye.