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I need help with sauces and rouxes these are my weak points

prplchknz

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what's yours in cooking?

I can not seem to make a decent white sauce (the one with flour butter and milk) or roux any tips?

I'm thinking this can be a thread where people troubleshoot
 

prplchknz

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I wish I did, I can make most things, but when it comes to a roux i have to ask my mom for help and i know how it's suppose to work in theory but some how it always comes out wrong when i attempt it myself
 

Tiltyred

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I guess my tip would be to take your time, stir like mad, and don't let your pan be too hot. If it comes out lumpy, you can always sieve it. If it's not for company, sometimes I just make a flour/water slurry and add it to hot milk/butter, rather than try to add milk to the milk/butter combination that's already made up its mind to glop together. That cheat will work for a white sauce but not for a roux, of course.
 

AphroditeGoneAwry

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The main thing about roux is you cannot be afraid. You have to pay constant attention to it and push it to the last minute, then push it even farther if you want a good flavor out of it.

My Roux (taught to me by my Cajun MIL):

*First chop one half onion in small pieces and have ready nearby.

4 large spoons (you know Cooking spoons) of white flour, slightly heaping.
4 of the same spoons of cooking oil (nothing heavy--no olive, must be corn or canola or vegetable)

Mix flour and oil with spoon in cast iron pot (dutch oven) over med-high heat stirring constantly, scraping bottom well. Roux will get progressively darker and eventually start smoking. Keep stirring!! Don't wuss out. It must be the color of dark copper pennies to taste the best, but do not burn it!! When it is at this stage, dump in the onions and stir them well. They will cool the roux off and keep it from burning. After a few minutes, add water gradually and stir. Thicker roux is good for étouffée, and thinner roux for gumbo. Just add water ad lib, until it is the consistency you like, then add salt to taste ( I add about 1.5 T or so). Then add other ingredients as desired, like meat/okra/seafood/crawfish and cook until done.


So easy once you get the hang of it, and guaranteed to impress!
 

ceecee

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what's yours in cooking?

I can not seem to make a decent white sauce (the one with flour butter and milk) or roux any tips?

I'm thinking this can be a thread where people troubleshoot

Without knowing exactly where it's going wrong, I'll give you some suggestions.

Measure. I don't know if people understand the amounts of fat to flour are not variable, they are always of equal amounts. 2 tablespoons of fat of fat requires 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook on lowest heat for 4-5 minutes. Add 1 cup milk, stock or whatever liquid gradually. Whisk. A flat whisk is sometimes more helpful than a traditional one. If adding vegetables like onion, cook it in the fat prior to adding the flour. If you need a thick or thin sauce, the fat/flour amounts go up or down but always stay equal. This is something that you just have to practice. Keep an eye on your heat too.
 

prplchknz

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Without knowing exactly where it's going wrong, I'll give you some suggestions.

Measure. I don't know if people understand the amounts of fat to flour are not variable, they are always of equal amounts. 2 tablespoons of fat of fat requires 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook on lowest heat for 4-5 minutes. Add 1 cup milk, stock or whatever liquid gradually. Whisk. A flat whisk is sometimes more helpful than a traditional one. If adding vegetables like onion, cook it in the fat prior to adding the flour. If you need a thick or thin sauce, the fat/flour amounts go up or down but always stay equal. This is something that you just have to practice. Keep an eye on your heat too.
I always measure and i always whisk
 

ceecee

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it's lumpy

Try a spoon instead of a whisk. Or do what my mom does and use a handheld blender after it's done. Also warm the milk or liquid first. Not boiling, just not cold. You may want to try gravy flour too. I know this helps a lot of people.

41RS2AHRVCL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
 

prplchknz

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I'll try that. I did manage to make a really good white sauce in the microwave so maybe stove+sauces+me=disaster


part of me wonders if it's not the stove our stove only has two heats: blow torch and singe your face off. use to have more but it's a really old gas stove and the pilots don't work half the time. so if you put it lower than blow torch it goes out.
 

ExAstrisSpes

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That stove might be your problem. :unsure: You might be able to take it off the heat periodically?

I haven't found the ratio of fat:flour to be all that necessary, as long as you use at least as much fat as flour. Definitely not letting the butter/oil burn helps.

One thing I do that seems to help me is to heat the milk beforehand. I'll microwave a mug of milk for a minute or two while I'm whisking up the roux.
 

rav3n

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Gravy is easy. Take cold water and flour, shake together in a small jar until there are no lumps. Add to pan drippings, etc., heat up while stirring until thickened. Then simmer and stir until flour has been cooked through.

As for a roux, let the fat cool a bit before adding flour. After adding flour, stir like mad until it's well mixed. No whisk necessary to have it lumpless.
 

mmhmm

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what's yours in cooking?

I can not seem to make a decent white sauce (the one with flour butter and milk) or roux any tips?

I'm thinking this can be a thread where people troubleshoot

french style: you have to sift the flour, or else it just clumps.
the butter should be chopped into smaller pieces before you
put it into a hot pan. if using animal fat, should already by
in liquid form (duck fat is yum). let the fat bubble, then put
in half the flour and use a whisk in the pan, just so it
soaks up the fat first, once it starts bubbling again gradually add
the rest of the flour. it should kinda have a play-doh consistency (mush
it with a flat surface/spatula) and only then let it sit depending
on if you're making roux blond or roux brun. before you add
stock.

i think the hardest part is just to not rush it. the basic sauces
in general whether it's hollandaise or whatever. oh man. i
love hollandaise from scratch and that takes forever too.
 

Qlip

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I made gravy from a roux last night, first time. It turned out nice and smooth, but I was really careful to keep the flame low, I put it as low as it could go without going out. Any higher than that on my stove gets pretty hot. I didn't sift the flour, but I whisked a lot a lot.
 

mmhmm

meinmeinmein!
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white sauce

so like basic concept for making the sauces, you
need a thickening agent. you can go about this via
using the roux adding it piece by piece (and should
be cold, and then added to the heated water, or cold
water added little by little to heated roux).

or you can use eggs: and the basic rule here
is low low heat. no bubbling no boiling.
with eggs, you just use the yolk, whisk it
until it's creamy. and you use the already
heated stock to warm up the yolk.

when you mix this into the sauce, it should
be done off the heat. mix the yolk and stock
in first, and only then place on low low heat.

for the basic white sauces: i'll start with my favourite:
hollandaise (though mayonaise is the easiest)

ing: water, egg yolks, clarified butter, lemon juice, salt, crushed peppercorns, cayenne pepper

put the peppercorns into water and bring it to a boil then reduce the heat.
strain the water, mix the egg yolks into the water with a whisk. you'll know
the yolks are getting cooked when it turns from fluffy frothy to something
more densed. it're ready when the whisk starts leaving trails. remove from
heat.

and this is the hardest part: i usually like to have a helper. 1. someone
to pour the clarified butter slow but steady. i can't emphasize enough
how it has to be a steady stream while the other person whisks it
in (i think the additonal splashes if the stream isn't steady kinda screws
it up and the longer the stream, more time to cool/keeps the temp steady?
there must be a better scientific explanation that i dunno, but this is purely o
bservation) and of course, since it's a white sauce, it's finished when it has
the consistency of mayonnaise. don't forget the lemon!!! and salt/cayenne
as you wish. i just add cayenne to the top when i'm ready to serve.

oh man now i want eggs benedict.
 
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