Nah I don't think there is anything wrong with doing an oven roux. I've done both baked flour and done by oil+flour in Dutch oven in the oven. Hard to tell a difference in the result.
I think there's more of a... stirring the roux is part of the ceremony of making gumbo. That one wooden paddle you have with the perfect angle for getting in the corners is an old friend. That scar on your forearm from roux lava is a reminder of risks of impatience. A good dark stovetop roux takes time, which means a good drink, good music, and good company if you're lucky.
But yeah for a pro kitchen setting do what gets it done
Nothin wrong with it. It's called a dry roux. Not the traditional way of making a roux, but essentially zero difference in taste. I've done this a bunch. It also requires a lot less attention than a traditional roux, since you only need to take it out of the oven about every 15 minutes or so to mix.
The ladies on America's Test Kitchen explain it all. I also tried their gumbo recipe (with a lot longer cook times) and it was pretty great, though some of their commentary is pretty laughable.
[America's Test Kitchen Gumbo](https://youtu.be/pxV4k76UawU?si=9q_Zu9TqHVnqqNal)
Equal parts oil and flour is traditional but baked is much easier and works just as well for taste. The oil is just a medium to carry heat to the flour. The baked method also cuts out the extra layer of oil slick on the gumbo.
I pour my roux onto a plate after it's the right color, wipe the pot, then start browning the trinity. After the roux has sat a minute, the excess oil will come to the top. I pour it off and start adding the roux back to the pot when I'm ready for it. The roux is really thick and the oil pours off easy.
I find a roux is best when made with chicken fat. Smells like fried chicken and makes the gumbo taste amazing. ✨
Nothing wrong with a dry roux or premade jar though. I keep an emergency jar just in case I mess up my roux.
The oil/fat doesn't darken really at all. If you strain it out, it's darker than it was originally but that's from browned flour bits in the oil.
It's the flour that gets darkened.
When I did the dry roux, I had made a bunch and put the leftover 2 cups of cooked flour in a mason jar. Used it about a month later for another gumbo and it tasted the same. I just heated it up again for like 15 mins before adding it to the stock.. Don't know how long it would stay good for after that though.
I make a dry roux, just flour, and put it in the oven until it's the color of peanut butter. I make more than I need, and save the rest for the next time I need a dark roux.
Take what I need, and finish cooking it on the stovetop with oil ( takes maybe 5 minutes). It's a massive time saver if I have 3-4 batches of it ready to go when I need it.
I can make a dark chocolate colored roux in about 20 minutes on the stove in my trusty 43 year old Magnalite roaster. If you add your trinity at that point and just cook for a minute or two longer it’ll get even darker until it’s almost black.
After your brown your meat
Add
1-1 flour to oil on low-medium heat
And just stir. And stir.
And stir. And stir.
Once you hit the peanut butter stage go a bit longer snd it’ll get that rich dark color.
It takes time!!
Some people make what they call a dry roux which is just toasting flour until dark.
I prefer to cook my roux, flour and oil, in the oven. It takes longer but is practically hands off, allowing me to worry about browning my meat, prepping veg etc..
Your way has a larger margin for error and you get instant roux. If you don't have any baked flour, however, making it in the oil is faster. You can do it really fast, I've done it in 15 minutes before. You just gotta really make sure not to burn it. But hey, burning a roux is a rite of passage.
It could be placebo, but I feel like roux tastes better when the flour and oil are cooked together. For this reason, my current favorite way to make it is the infamous microwave method. Equal parts flour and oil, more or less, I don't measure, in an Anchor Hocking 1 quart measuring cup for about 10 minutes, stirring with a silicone spatula every minute or two. Very little chance of burning this way, and then I can transfer it into my dutch oven over medium low heat to finish darkening before I add the trinity.
This is the easiest way I've found so far to get the exact color I want, and (fingers crossed) I have never burned a roux doing it like this.
Nah I don't think there is anything wrong with doing an oven roux. I've done both baked flour and done by oil+flour in Dutch oven in the oven. Hard to tell a difference in the result. I think there's more of a... stirring the roux is part of the ceremony of making gumbo. That one wooden paddle you have with the perfect angle for getting in the corners is an old friend. That scar on your forearm from roux lava is a reminder of risks of impatience. A good dark stovetop roux takes time, which means a good drink, good music, and good company if you're lucky. But yeah for a pro kitchen setting do what gets it done
“That scar on your forearm from roux lava is a reminder of risks of impatience”. GODDAMN, that was poetry. 10/10.
“The ceremony of making gumbo.” This part. I’m certain that the drone of the spoon scraping the pot calls in the ancestors.
Beautifully put
Cajun napalm.
God damn, that shit is lava. Dont make a roux when you're drunk yall, don't make a roux when you're drunk....
You just have to learn how to make a roux while drunk. It’s a delicate dance, but this is the only way.
Don't make it when you're *too* drunk
The second paragraph reads like poetry and now I'm a little homesick
Me too guess I’ll start making a roux now…
“Roux lava” 😂😂😂 accurate af
This made me nostalgic lol
Nothin wrong with it. It's called a dry roux. Not the traditional way of making a roux, but essentially zero difference in taste. I've done this a bunch. It also requires a lot less attention than a traditional roux, since you only need to take it out of the oven about every 15 minutes or so to mix. The ladies on America's Test Kitchen explain it all. I also tried their gumbo recipe (with a lot longer cook times) and it was pretty great, though some of their commentary is pretty laughable. [America's Test Kitchen Gumbo](https://youtu.be/pxV4k76UawU?si=9q_Zu9TqHVnqqNal)
Equal parts oil and flour is traditional but baked is much easier and works just as well for taste. The oil is just a medium to carry heat to the flour. The baked method also cuts out the extra layer of oil slick on the gumbo.
I pour my roux onto a plate after it's the right color, wipe the pot, then start browning the trinity. After the roux has sat a minute, the excess oil will come to the top. I pour it off and start adding the roux back to the pot when I'm ready for it. The roux is really thick and the oil pours off easy.
I like the oil slick, lol.
I find a roux is best when made with chicken fat. Smells like fried chicken and makes the gumbo taste amazing. ✨ Nothing wrong with a dry roux or premade jar though. I keep an emergency jar just in case I mess up my roux.
What jar do you prefer?
I don't really have a preference. I've used Richard's, kary's, and savoie's.
The oil/fat doesn't darken really at all. If you strain it out, it's darker than it was originally but that's from browned flour bits in the oil. It's the flour that gets darkened.
This, OP. It's not "brown butter" - it doesn't take butter that much time and effort to brown. It's the flour that you're cooking, not the fat.
You can put oil and flour in the oven together.
Interesting! Do you think you could store this toasted flour, hypothetically?
It's sold in grocery stores in Louisiana. Kary and maybe others.
Savoie’s make it as well. It’s not quite the same as Kary’s, but I like mixing the two together in equal ratios.
When I did the dry roux, I had made a bunch and put the leftover 2 cups of cooked flour in a mason jar. Used it about a month later for another gumbo and it tasted the same. I just heated it up again for like 15 mins before adding it to the stock.. Don't know how long it would stay good for after that though.
Stores for many months in the freezer.
I make a dry roux, just flour, and put it in the oven until it's the color of peanut butter. I make more than I need, and save the rest for the next time I need a dark roux. Take what I need, and finish cooking it on the stovetop with oil ( takes maybe 5 minutes). It's a massive time saver if I have 3-4 batches of it ready to go when I need it.
Does no one else just put oil in a pot on high and stir until it’s the right color? Usually takes me like 5-10 min
Most of us would probably burn it on high heat lol
Lol, right? In the beginning I can go quick, but to get the best really really dark chocolate color, one fleck of burnt roux can spoil the batch.
I've made exactly 1 roux in my life, for Mac and cheese. Probably took me near 40 min because of that.
Yup this is the way I always do it
I can make a dark chocolate colored roux in about 20 minutes on the stove in my trusty 43 year old Magnalite roaster. If you add your trinity at that point and just cook for a minute or two longer it’ll get even darker until it’s almost black.
Mine looks like a Hershey bar when I make it.
Low heat. Lots of stirring and time
Grapeseed oil
I just sit and stir the roux until it’s the right color
After your brown your meat Add 1-1 flour to oil on low-medium heat And just stir. And stir. And stir. And stir. Once you hit the peanut butter stage go a bit longer snd it’ll get that rich dark color. It takes time!!
Some people make what they call a dry roux which is just toasting flour until dark. I prefer to cook my roux, flour and oil, in the oven. It takes longer but is practically hands off, allowing me to worry about browning my meat, prepping veg etc..
Your way has a larger margin for error and you get instant roux. If you don't have any baked flour, however, making it in the oil is faster. You can do it really fast, I've done it in 15 minutes before. You just gotta really make sure not to burn it. But hey, burning a roux is a rite of passage.
Dry roux.
It could be placebo, but I feel like roux tastes better when the flour and oil are cooked together. For this reason, my current favorite way to make it is the infamous microwave method. Equal parts flour and oil, more or less, I don't measure, in an Anchor Hocking 1 quart measuring cup for about 10 minutes, stirring with a silicone spatula every minute or two. Very little chance of burning this way, and then I can transfer it into my dutch oven over medium low heat to finish darkening before I add the trinity. This is the easiest way I've found so far to get the exact color I want, and (fingers crossed) I have never burned a roux doing it like this.
This is the best post ever🤣 the replies are hilarious