Don't be Afraid of a Roux "roo"

Well the last two dinner "pins" Ive cooked called for a Roux, the first didn't even really let you that you were making a roux just had the steps. I remember when I learned how to do a roux. For anyone that doesn't know its a roux is a way to thicken a sauce. My mom always taught me to just do some flour and water mix it up and add a bit at a time. I never knew there was any other way. And then I learned about a roux while I was going to culinary school. And I remembered it seemed complicated but all made since. It keeps the flour from clumping and takes away from the raw flour flavor that just simply adding flour in would do. 
I'm not going to do step by step instructions but I do have some tips.
Your supposed to use a whisk so many house hold uses the non stick I realize these have come up in the world and the boxes claim you can use metal on them well I wouldn't risk it. I own this one. Its amazing you can also use a flat whisk I like my flat one for this job but I  have these pans . But the one I own is metal so while you can use it on the pan I have here you cant on a non stick pan.  

Next medium heat which for the sake of your pan you should be cooking on any ways. 
You can use any form of fat. I use olive oil. Unless a recipe calls for something else. 
The other day my recipe called for bacon so I used the bacon fat. The key is equal parts fat to flour.  
Then keep stirring the whole time almost. 
I personal only do it until it becomes a light caramel color almost the colors of my counter in the picture above.  
Then I add some liquid in the pan before adding it to soups or sauces.  This makes it much easier. So like tonight I will add cream to the pan before adding the cream to the soup. 




So if something calls for a Roux don't worry it will most likely give you the steps or you can always google that's what I do. What did my mom ever do with out google..... oh yeah she used raw flour. 




Stay tuned dinners at 7....