When is roux burned

This is why it's a good idea to add your "trinity" onion, celery, bell pepper to the roux before it gets to your desired color, because that'll help slow the cooking process. Dark roux has more flavor, a wonderful roasted nutty flavor, but tends to have less thickening power. Preparation of a roux is dependent on cooking time; the longer you cook, the darker the roux. A blond roux will only take four or five minutes; a dark roux up to 20 or 25 minutes at high heat, or up to an hour at low heat.

Roux must be stirred constantly to avoid burning. Constantly means not stopping to answer the phone, let the cat in, or flip the LP record over, and if you've got to go the bathroom If you see black specks in your roux, you've burned it; throw it out and start over.

When you're stirring your roux, be very careful not to splatter any on you. It's extremely hot, and it sticks. They don't call it Creole napalm for nothing I have a lovely burn scar on my forearm from last year's Christmas Eve gumbo, when I got sloppy with the stirring.

Butter roux must be cooked at low to low-medium heat, or the butter will scorch. Darker roux are better suited to being made with oil. If you know what you're doing, you can make an oil-based roux over medium-high to high heat, whisking like hell, and you'll have a beautiful near-milk-chocolate colored roux in about 20 minutes rather than an hour. Peanut oil works best for high-heat roux cooking. I'm told that some home cooks are making roux in the microwave now.

There's a certain satisfaction to stirring it by hand that I myself refuse to delegate to a microwave. Some things simply must be done by hand if you're serious about this. Now, one not-so-bad idea is the oil-less roux, pioneered by Cajun Chef Enola Prudhomme. Basically, you just dump the flour into a cast-iron skillet and toast it dry, making sure to stir it around as you would a normal roux. I've never tried this, but apparently it works rather well, and is perfect for folks who are on low-fat diets.

A Louisiana delicacy. Ecrevisse in French. Some folks call 'em "mudbugs", hillbillies Jed Clampett, for instance call 'em "crawdads", tourists and Yankees call 'em "crayfish".

If you go to New Orleans and ask for "crayfish", you'll be asked, "Oh hey dawlin', where ya from? New Orleans-based chef Susan Spicer of Bayona and Mondo reminded me that the "thickening power lessens the darker it gets.

Darker roux are as much a flavor component as they are a thickener. There are four main kinds of roux, each named for their hues. In Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen , the classic resource on Cajun and Creole cuisine, Prudhomme writes that Cajun cooks traditionally use light roux with dark meats like beef, venison, or duck and dark roux with light meats pork, rabbit, veal, chicken, or seafood , but there are always exceptions to this rule.

You can use almost any fat when making a roux, from butter to oil to animal fat. Spicer told me she uses "several different kinds of fat, from vegetable oil to duck fat or even smoked duck fat," depending on the dish she is making. In a heavy Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet, heat your fat of choice over medium. You can start with any amount of fat you'll just need to add an equal amount of flour in the next step. Whisk the flour into the fat until you have a smooth, thick sauce.

If it's too thick to whisk, add a little more fat. If it's too thin, add more flour. The key to good roux is to watch it carefully and whisk it almost constantly if black specs appear, your roux has burned, and you should start over. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. I made a gumbo on Sunday. First I made the roux, using equal parts flour and oil, high heat, constant stirring. I ended up with a beautiful dark brown roux.

At no point did it stick to the pan, at no point did I see black flakes rise to the top. I took it off the heat and added the trinity, returned to a lower heat for awhile, added garlic spices and stock, in this case it was a homemade beef stock that was still frozen when I added it.

I brought it to a simmer and tasted. It was burned! It had a bitter after taste and it tasted distinctly burned. No burned taste. No bitter after taste. Can anybody explain this to me? I was born and raised in the heart of Cajun country.

My entire family loves gumbo, especially my moms. This is what I learned: get the roux as dark as possible without burning it that makes the best gumbo. I think that's what happened to yours; you probably got it just right. Then you add the other ingredients so that it mellows down the bitter taste.

I, unlike my mom, have actually slightly burned my roux many times. When I do this I add half a potato for about min and it helps remove the burned flavor don't forget to take out the potato. I'm guessing that you were tasting a deep, concentrated char the first time, just shy of burnt most likely in the roux itself. The simmering afterwards mellowed it, giving you the perfect you may never duplicate it level of caramelization in the final gumbo.

My guess is you burned the roux without realizing it. Rouxs should not be cooked on high heat; medium is best. You don't want to rush it. Here is a link about roux. You can also google the Alton Brown episode where he talks about roux. He has a method for cooking it in the oven to whatever shade you desire, with little to no chance of burning.

Like candies, roux takes a lot of attention and shouldn't be rushed. Take your time, cook it at a lower heat, and youi will like the results. FWIW, the link says the darkest roux should take 45 minutes, assuming medium heat.

So plan ahead, and maybe just make a big batch and freeze it for future use.