# The roll of roux in gumbo, etc. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969 "2015-07-12T20:47:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [July 13, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/21 "2015-07-13T17:34:54Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > I learne sort of a lost roux technique that is ultra-old school and just happens to be gluten free. > > You finely chop a gargantuan amount of onions, green peppers and celery and then saute them in your preferred oil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Do this basically forever or until your vegetables have basically disintegrated. The usual ratio for a mirapoix is 2:1:1, onions, bell pepper, celery. Your tastes may vary. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/22 "2015-07-13T18:42:41Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > The usual ratio for a mirapoix is 2:1:1, onions, bell pepper, celery. Your tastes may vary. It’s usually not a taste thing, but more dependent upon how much of a given ingredient I happen to have on hand, and what it’s quality is. Similarly, when I make salsa during the winter and the tomatoes are scarce and poor, I tend to have a very oniony salsa. In the summer I tend to go overboard with the tomatoes and fresh green peppers, because they are so plentiful and good. If that sounds like I have pretensions of seasonality, I apologize. More often it’s just about how much of a given thing is in the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/23 "2015-07-13T19:03:06Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > See, there’s the thing. I’ve been alone most of my life, so I have no problem eating leftovers every day until they’re gone. The SO… Not so much. So I have to be careful to make small batches. The good news is that I always make ‘too much’ and we have leftovers that are better the next day. The other good news is that making smaller batches is cheaper. The still better news is that gumbo freezes quite well, so you can make a batch, then freeze several smallish containers to have again another time without all that work. > [@](#): > > Hm… I wonder if I still have file powder in the cupboard? It is unnecessary. I don’t use it, and my chicken-and-andouille gumbo has been praised from Baton Rouge to Vietnam. > [@Chefguy](#): > > Just don’t walk away from it. Roux demands your presence and attention until it comes off the stove, or you risk having burned bits or ruining it completely. True. Preparation of a dark roux is psychological warfare, cook versus flour. You must _convince_ it that you are going to let it burn, without actually doing so. Looking away during this staring match can spell defeat. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/24 "2015-07-13T19:20:50Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > Shouldn’t that be _role-r_? Or even _rouxer_? > > (Ok, bad joke. Back to my cave.) I’m not sure. But I think we can all agree that the role of roux pales in comparison to the rule of roe. Any room in that cave for just one more? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/25 "2015-07-13T19:26:14Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > It is unnecessary. I don’t use it, and my chicken-and-andouille gumbo has been praised from Baton Rouge to Vietnam. It really depends on the type of gumbo you’re going for. I tend not to use filé, as it has a very particular herbal flavor, and I generally don’t want that flavor in gumbo. If you like it, though, go for it. It’s quite different from a roux or roux-and-okra thickened gumbo. (And I like okra in my gumbo.) > [@](#): > > True. Preparation of a dark roux is psychological warfare, cook versus flour. You must _convince_ it that you are going to let it burn, without actually doing so. Looking away during this staring match can spell defeat. Once you get the hang of it, it’s not really all that difficult, but it does take a few tries to get it down and know when to pull the pan off the heat to prevent scorching. Once a little bit burns, though, you’re screwed and have to start from scratch. There’s also a microwave method (just google it) that works pretty well and is more idiot-proof. Or you can just buy a jar of roux at either Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s (I can’t remember which, but I’ve bought it at one of those places before.) I tend to like my roux for gumbo on the really cooked side, like a milk chocolate color. The nuttiness and richness it imparts is what I personally am looking for in a gumbo. I do my roux over high heat, moving the saucepan/Dutch oven as necessary, and I can get a dark roux in about 15 minutes or so. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/26 "2015-07-13T19:33:32Z")
Missed edit: [here’s a good overview of the method I use](https://www.southernfoodways.org/interview/how-to-make-a-roux/) (or at least close enough to what I do, although I’m a little more careful than that, pulling the cooking vessel off the heat at times.) ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/27 "2015-07-13T20:50:31Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Good gumbo cooking requires several different skills ranging from classical French to creole to seafood that aren’t within range of your average cook without assistance and practice. I don’t feel too bad then, since mine was at least edible! ---
**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:** [July 13, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/28 "2015-07-13T22:27:08Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > I don’t feel too bad then, since mine was at least edible! I started off with shrimp creole, which is relatively easy to make, and similar to gumbo, at least in the preparation. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/29 "2015-07-13T23:03:10Z")
Has anyone ever tried Alton Brown’s oven roux method? I’d like to give it a go next time I make gumbo. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/30 "2015-07-14T02:42:18Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Has anyone ever tried Alton Brown’s oven roux method? I’d like to give it a go next time I make gumbo. How does it work? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/31 "2015-07-14T02:48:49Z")
[Here.](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/shrimp-gumbo-recipe.html) I remember the episode certainly seemed to make it sound like making roux on a stovetop without burning it was difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/32 "2015-07-14T16:29:29Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Once you get the hang of it, it’s not really all that difficult, but it does take a few tries to get it down and know when to pull the pan off the heat to prevent scorching. Oh, I’ve got it down; that was an old joke, mostly aimed at roux-newbies. I aim for a shade a bit darker than milk chocolate, myself, and I never take it off the burner. I add my mirepoix directly at the proper moment, using it to cool the skillet and supply water. It stops the browning very quickly without producing the burst of steam that pouring in a cup of water would. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/33 "2015-07-14T16:39:43Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > I add my mirepoix directly at the proper moment, using it to cool the skillet and supply water. It stops the browning very quickly without producing the burst of steam that pouring in a cup of water would. And it smell freakin’ delicious! (This is the same technique I use.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/34 "2015-07-14T19:20:39Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > Oh, I’ve got it down; that was an old joke, mostly aimed at roux-newbies. Oh, I understood. I just don’t want the roux-newbies to get scared away by all the mystique surrounding roux. There’s pretty much fool-proof ways of doing it (microwave method), and the stovetop method, while it may take a little practice, isn’t really that hard, but it always helps to have someone to learn from in person. I assume I could get away with doing the roux without taking it off the heat, but I’m just a little paranoid, and it’s a technique I’ve transferred from doing Hollandaise directly over the burner (I’ve never used a double boiler set-up, as that’s how I was taught.) It’s just an instinct that’s engrained in me. Next time I do the roux, I’ll try it over a constant heat without moving the pan off. (And I add the mirepoix at the same point you do, unless I’m doing a batch to refrigerate and use later. Then I just take it off it the burner a shade before it’s done. Never heard of the pouring a cup of water method myself.) ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969/35 "2015-07-15T01:32:51Z")
> [@balance](#): > > oh, i’ve got it down; that was an old joke, mostly aimed at roux-newbies. roux-bies!!! Fify. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roll-of-roux-in-gumbo-etc/724969.md?page=1)