# First you make a roux... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 26, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631 "2015-09-26T21:44:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/1 "2015-09-26T21:44:01Z")
This is a thread for cooking with roux. I think I first heard about roux, watching Jeff Smith the Frugal Gourmet. I’m pretty sure I learned how to make a roux before watching Justin Wilson. Roux is very much associated with Cajun and Creole cooking. Ironically, my jambalaya and my dirty rice and my red beans & rice don’t use it. (I’ll eventually make a gumbo.) So I generally make roux to make Béchamel sauce, and gravy. For the Béchamel sauce I use unsalted butter. For gravy, I use pan drippings: bacon, sausage, turkey, roast pork, roast beef, chicken… Up until recently, I’d make the roux for breakfast gravy after cooking bacon or sausage. The thing is, sausage(es) is what we have with pancakes – which don’t have gravy. The last couple of weeks though, I’ve made the sausage roux and saved it with the leftover sausages. Instant gravy mix! 🙂 Today we had fresh hashbrowns, eggs, and bacon – with sausage gravy. And I used most of the bacon drippings in the gravy too. Béchamel sauce is one of Mrs. L.A.'s favourites. I add freshly-chopped dill and fresh lemon juice, and it’s wonderful over baked dill salmon. Your turn! ---
**Author:** ![CatastrophicFailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@CatastrophicFailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatastrophicFailure)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/2 "2015-09-26T22:30:13Z")
When I hear roux, I always think French, since it is used in three of the five “mother sauces” of classical French cooking. (I love reading about French cuisine, but have only done a little experimentation with it myself.) I use roux to make pan gravy all the time. Also Béchamel and velouté sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/3 "2015-09-26T23:24:10Z")
Whisk shredded cheese into the béchamel and you’ve got an easy macaroni sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/4 "2015-09-27T00:12:42Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > Whisk shredded cheese into the béchamel and you’ve got an easy macaroni sauce. That’s a good tip. Add a little blue cheese for some bite, too. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/5 "2015-09-27T00:37:33Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > Whisk shredded cheese into the béchamel and you’ve got an easy macaroni sauce. Especially since that’s exactly what macaroni sauce is. 😃 I use roux much like the OP, mostly for gravies and sauces. But just a note: my father put leftover chicken gravy on his pancakes, much to my mother’s disgust and my dumbstruck awe. But if you think about it, pancakes are pretty much just flat biscuits: flour, water, sugar, leavening, salt. Only thinner, and fried, not baked. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/6 "2015-09-27T00:38:29Z")
Add milk to roux and you’ve got 3/5 of sausage gravy (minus equal parts sausage and black pepper), 1/3 of macaroni and cheese (minus macaroni and grated sharp white cheddar), or the way certain heathens make creamed spinach (me, I just add parmesan and cream). Add stock to roux and you’ve got the base for chicken & noodles or a creditable start at moist enchiladas–I like to add a dollop of green salsa, too. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/7 "2015-09-27T01:45:42Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > the way certain heathens make creamed spinach (me, I just add parmesan and cream). I use milk (because that’s what we always have on-hand) and feta cheese. I’ll have to try it with a roux. EDIT: I don’t do creamy enchiladas, though Mrs. L.A. does. I use leftover roasted chicken, add seasonings, dip corn tortillas in enchilada sauce, and roll the chicken in them. Cover with sauce, add cheese, bake. . ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/8 "2015-09-27T01:51:35Z")
We were mostly corn starch slurry thickeners in my kitchen growing up, so I rarely use a roux. Definitely for sausage gravy, though! And for gumbo…much of the flavor of gumbo comes from a nice brick roux. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/9 "2015-09-27T04:10:26Z")
Am I the only one who does creamed tuna as comfort food? Just a quick bechamel (I use a tablespoon of oil rather than butter) with a can of tuna stirred in, and salt and black pepper to taste. Serve over toast points. Somehow it’s become my Sunday night tradition. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/10 "2015-09-27T04:55:13Z")
I make roux for gravy, which I do about three times a year, and to thicken home made tomato soup, which I haven’t made in ages. That’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/11 "2015-09-27T05:13:29Z")
My mom used to make a great beef stew… I now make an amazing beef stew. The only difference is she used to shake together flour and water and add it to the stew to thicken and let it cook. I now make a roux and add it… it is stunning the difference it makes. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/12 "2015-09-27T07:45:11Z")
Why is it that Cajuns use olive oil to make roux? If I’m not mistaken, butter is used in Creole cooking; why should the two differ so much? Olive oil roux isn’t bad, it’s just different! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/13 "2015-09-27T10:18:22Z")
Sautee some 500g quartered portabellini in half-butter-half-EVOO, plenty of black pepper and some fresh herbs (marjoram is good, thyme too). Remove the mushrooms, toss in a pack or two of rindless bacon, diced. When the bacon crisps, add another large knob of butter and similar amount of flour, stir that up into a roux, then add 1 cup of cream and 1 cup of milk, also a tot of whiskey or brandy. When that thickens, return the mushrooms to heat through. Some parmesan could go in as well. Serve over anything - pasta, zoodles, hell, it’s great on toast… ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/14 "2015-09-27T12:39:10Z")
**MrDibble** , that sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/15 "2015-09-27T14:49:33Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > Am I the only one who does creamed tuna as comfort food? Ah, the old creamed tuna on toast! I haven’t had that since I was a kid. I actually do think about it occasionally, but I never make it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/16 "2015-09-27T14:51:47Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Ah, the old creamed tuna on toast! I haven’t had that since I was a kid. I actually do think about it occasionally, but I never make it. Chicken/turkey a la king is another old favorite made with white sauce. Also beef stroganoff. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/17 "2015-09-27T15:13:24Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Chicken/turkey a la king is another old favorite made with white sauce. Also beef stroganoff. Canned chicken a la king is the only thing I’ve found that makes MRE crackers palatable. I can’t find it anymore. But back to the fish… O! For Tuna… pot pies! If I had time, I’d teach myself how to make pie crusts, and make creamed tuna for filling. (I’ll also have to get some pot-pie sized cooking vessels. Perhaps the traditional aluminum ones.) My parents were young in the '50s and '60s, so I make stroganoff the old-fashioned way – with Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup! 😛 Sure I could make a ‘real’ stroganoff, but for me it’s fast, easy comfort food. When I want to actually cook, I’d rather make jambalaya or something. So my stroganoff is cube steak cut into chunks and browned with garlic, coarsely-chopped onions, salt, and pepper, the condensed soup, sour cream, and worcestershire. And there’s nothing like picking out the meat and eating it cold from the fridge the next morning! ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/18 "2015-09-27T15:23:11Z")
“Make a roux” was my mom’s initial instruction for so many things she taught me to cook. Ditto my stepmother, who uses the aforementioned “roux + milk + shredded REAL cheese” for cheese sauce to make the BEST mac and cheese known to mankind. > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Ah, the old creamed tuna on toast! I haven’t had that since I was a kid. I actually do think about it occasionally, but I never make it. I do a couple of times a year, mostly in the winter. Add a little cheese (your choice) and some tiny baby peas. **Johnny L.A.** – creamy seafood enchiladas can be delish. A dose of warmth from chili verdi on the side can be a nice counterpoint to the smooth sweetness of the seafood. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/19 "2015-09-27T15:35:13Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > Whisk shredded cheese into the béchamel and you’ve got an easy macaroni sauce. Do mostly blue cheese instead and add chives at the end. Use the resulting sauce to make twice-baked potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631/20 "2015-09-27T15:41:00Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > Add… some tiny baby peas. People make it without peas? :eek: > [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > **Johnny L.A.** – creamy seafood enchiladas can be delish. A dose of warmth from chili verdi on the side can be a nice counterpoint to the smooth sweetness of the seafood. Another enchilada hijack! 😛 Anyway, it reminds me of a dish I liked at The Chili Pepper when I worked in Orange County. It was salmon baked in a sauce of sour cream with chipotle chiles, onion, and mushroom (served with Spanish rice and refried beans and a squash medley). It’s supposed to be _hot_, but I overdid the chipotles the first time I made it at home. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-you-make-a-roux/732631.md?page=2)