Comments on: How do you roux?

By: Ophelia Benson

Ophelia Benson — Wed, 31 Mar 2004 02:13:59 +0000

Don’t pay me no mind, I’ve been writing dictionary entries most of the day for many days, it makes me go all peculiar.

By: Ophelia Benson

Ophelia Benson — Wed, 31 Mar 2004 02:12:02 +0000

There! See? Maria got my joke and the point of it and everything. Listen, as soon as I get a minute I'll tell you all about my recipe for anchovy-papaya surprise. It's a bit lumpy, but what the hell. Tune in tomorrow, same time, same station, for another thrilling episode of Crooked Kitchen, or Twisty Sticks Reads the Cookbook Upside Down.

By: yabonn

yabonn — Tue, 30 Mar 2004 18:21:33 +0000

Off to buy some tinned soup now. Guards! Guaaaaaaards! Seize this timberite!

By: Maria

Maria — Tue, 30 Mar 2004 15:42:39 +0000

Holy mother of god, I leave the blog for a bare 22 hours and come back to 2 dozen comments about roux! ‘Double-boiler’, ‘wondra’(you on commission, Keef?),how to make Guinness, batch-baking roux, gluten development, spatzles, bains maries and the dubious addition of the verbs ‘to lauter’ and ‘to sparge’ – I feel like I wandered into an APSR conference and asked if anyone had heard of this great writer, Tookville…. Thanks all – the collective brain power of CT is really quite something. Off to buy some tinned soup now.

By: anthony

anthony — Tue, 30 Mar 2004 13:17:54 +0000

The double boiler technique also makes for a very delicate scrambled eggs if you’ve the patience.

By: dsquared

dsquared — Tue, 30 Mar 2004 06:27:05 +0000

I have to say I’m with Belle on this one; I never realised that there was any particular problem with roux …

By: Ben Keen

Ben Keen — Tue, 30 Mar 2004 03:07:49 +0000

Well, the binding the mash in a cheesecloth only comes if you’re using the grains as an adjunct and getting most of your fermentables from extract. If you’re mashing properly you’ll need to lauter and sparge the grain bed and for a reasonable batchsize you’re talking at least 5 pounds of milled barley. http://www.howtobrew.com has a lovely complete book… Apropos roux, I get lumpfree results merely by waiting a thirty seconds or more for the butter to foam out before adding the flour. No moisture = no clumping. Mm, now I’m off to admire the wort chiller I won as a doorprize this Saturday….

By: Belle Waring

Belle Waring — Tue, 30 Mar 2004 03:03:07 +0000

I must admit to a little confusion here. My roux never burn or get lumps in them. I don’t think I have magical powers or anything. Cast iron pan, melt the fat first, stirring like mad, that’s about it. I remember these old ads there used to be for (ech) canned gravy: “Just like homemade—but no lumps!” I was always like, what lumps are you talking about? Muah them with the wooden spoon when they appear! Is everyone just wandering absent-mindedly away from the stove when they encounter these problems, or what? If all else fails, whisk. Still the double-boiler is nice for sauces that might separate.

By: doghouse riley

doghouse riley — Mon, 29 Mar 2004 21:25:14 +0000

Microwave brown roux? O tempora! O mores!

By: yabonn

yabonn — Mon, 29 Mar 2004 21:10:07 +0000

Btw, the steam thing is a neat trick, but does it really add something (apart of the spared room) compared to a simpler bain marie? We usually use that (ok, most often gf does) for the various delicate melting operations. Mhm. Bit hungry now actually.

By: marky

marky — Mon, 29 Mar 2004 19:50:12 +0000

Maria, Congratulations! You just (re)-invented the double-boiler:) What you’re describing is a standard method for dealing with very temperature sensitive sauces. It works well for hollandaise too—-that is, if there’s anyone left who doesn’t use the blender to make hollandaise.

By: Ophelia Benson

Ophelia Benson — Mon, 29 Mar 2004 18:52:46 +0000

That was a joke, you know! [rolls about on floor in agony of mirth]

By: Mrs Tilton

Mrs Tilton — Mon, 29 Mar 2004 18:40:13 +0000

Have you never heard of tinned soup? [Sniffs haughtily.] Mind you, I make Spätzle with one of those… erm… things (it’s called a Spätzlehobel in German but I don’t know if there’s a word for it in English) instead of shaving them from a board into the water. So really I shouldn’t be casting stones.

By: Ophelia Benson

Ophelia Benson — Mon, 29 Mar 2004 18:30:03 +0000

Good heavens, are you people all insane? Have you never heard of tinned soup?

By: nolo

nolo — Mon, 29 Mar 2004 17:57:57 +0000

My experience with roux leads me to believe that the tools are the key. A good, heavy pan and a good whisk help lots. If the pan’s too thin or doesn’t distribute heat evenly, it’s a bear to anticipate what’s going on heat-wise. Thin pans heat too fast for good roux prep, and hot or cold spots are a pain in the you-know-what. Nonstick pans also suck for this. Practice helps as well.