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Thread: Gravy vs Roux

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    Unobtanium Dogman's Avatar
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    Gravy vs Roux

    Both use mainly the same things, both are started basically the same way.

    Roux is flour and fat/oil cooked to what ever color wanted with other liquids added for zest.

    Gravy is the same, but water or other liquids are added for bulk/volume.

    Once a week I make a mess of gravy, usually with hamburger or other diced meats. Mostly white but other times brown, depending on mood. Then I use it in every meal or most of them anyway.

    Tho sometimes fat/flour and then milk is added along with ether dried beef and or hamburger for ether SOS or chicken fried steak, with a bunch of pepper corns ground up for a creamy white gravy.

    I love a good gravy on dam near anything or everything for my meals.

    Neat thing abt gravy it can be scratch made from nothing more than fat/oil and flour, (kinda bland) but then the zing can be added before or after, but before is best. ( I like to cook meat/dried or not with spices right after the flour is added but before the liquid is added but spices are added before the flour is added) so the meat is flour coated and cooked along with the rest of the flour.

    For some making a good roux is a challenge and the first time you will burn it, I remember my first try with others at a party, that we had not a clue on what we were doing, way before the internet and web.

    We were heating butter and flour highly intoxicated and waiting for magic, and we burned it (roux made by committee is a disaster in the making) Major house smoke out by the time we noticed it.

    Lmao, all that got done was the roux was burned and the house smoked up. The next day was a sucksess, because a coonass neighbor was asked to help.

    But a good roux is great for dam near anything as a thickening agent for any thing that is watery and can serve as a great sauce base.

    Roux and gravy basically the same, but roux is a gravy not completed at the time.

    Ether way good eating..

    Just a small note about gravy and roux,

    Tho depending roux is always something handy in the fridge to add some sparkle to most meals.
    "My reading no matter how transient is a dagger in the heart of ignorance."

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    Unobtanium Shami-Amourae's Avatar
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    Re: Gravy vs Roux

    I melt a pound of butter and carefully remove the milk solids. I'll put the clarified butter on a stove and whisk in gluten free flour until I get a nice blond roux. I let it cool a little then pour it into a shallow plastic tray and throw it into a freezer. Once it's solid I cut it into tiny chunks and store it ready for use in the freezer like that.

    That's how we did it in the culinary industry.

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    Re: Gravy vs Roux

    Rice flour not wheat flour.

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    Re: Gravy vs Roux

    Quote Originally Posted by Shami-Amourae View Post
    I melt a pound of butter and carefully remove the milk solids. I'll put the clarified butter on a stove and whisk in gluten free flour until I get a nice blonde roux. I let it cool a little then pour it into a shallow plastic tray and throw it into a freezer. Once it's solid I cut it into tiny chunks and store it ready for use in the freezer like that.

    That's how we did it in the culinary industry.
    A good roux has many uses, as a quick gravy starter (just add liquid) or a excellent thickener for a sauce, to add to the drippings from any meat cooked.

    One of my favorites is chicken fried steak and then in needed add a tad of fat after the steak is done, the drippings/fat will have (scale ? solids) that then the flour is added and cooked, then if mashed taters was also cooked, the tater water from the boiling was added to make the gravy. Or milk added for a white gravy with plenty of pepper or not depending on who is at the table.

    A good roux is a must building block for many dishes.
    "My reading no matter how transient is a dagger in the heart of ignorance."

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    Re: Gravy vs Roux

    Quote Originally Posted by hoarder View Post
    Rice flour not wheat flour.
    Never tried rice flour, haven't seen it here, but I can see where that can add a great twist and taste that sounds great.
    "My reading no matter how transient is a dagger in the heart of ignorance."

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    Re: Gravy vs Roux

    Quote Originally Posted by Dogman View Post
    Never tried rice flour, haven't seen it here, but I can see where that can add a great twist and taste that sounds great.
    Many of the gravy mixes use it. Less clumping and healthier than wheat. You can buy rice flour in health food stores.

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    Re: Gravy vs Roux

    Quote Originally Posted by hoarder View Post
    Many of the gravy mixes use it. Less clumping and healthier than wheat. You can buy rice flour in health food stores.
    Set in my ways, tho if I am ever near a health store, I may pick up a bag.

    I buy my rice in 20 pound bags, jasmine rice, love it.

    But I also use and like flour, both white and whole wheat, and use as needed to satisfy my taste bud cravings.

    Have used both making gravy, whole wheat gravy is totally different and not all people like it because of the texture.
    "My reading no matter how transient is a dagger in the heart of ignorance."

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    Re: Gravy vs Roux

    Quote Originally Posted by hoarder View Post
    Rice flour not wheat flour.
    Rice flour is too flat. It doesn't mimic wheat flour very well.

    I personally use Bob's Red Mill, which is mainly chickpea, potato, and tapioca flour based.

    http://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-All-Purpose-Gluten-Free/dp/B000ED7M3Q

    When you make roux with it, you have to use a larger ratio of flour to fat than you normally would with wheat flour, just a heads up. Just keep mixing it in till you get the right consistency and stir with a tempered spatula.

    The chickpea especially gives you a nice nutty flavor when you brown it up for the blond roux.

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    Re: Gravy vs Roux

    I used to be a saucier at a fancy restaurant so I'm a sauce freak. I've also made roux at the industrial scale too to support a large hotel for months of supply. One of the main things I did with it was make Béchamel sauce, which is basically a fake heavy cream where you use roux and milk to get the consistency of heavy cream (thickness and fat levels) without paying extra costs for heavy cream. We'd mainly use that to make New England Clam Chowder and Mac n' Cheese (for the kids menus.)

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    Re: Gravy vs Roux

    Here's the 3 types of roux for those who don't know:

    White Roux - Blond Roux - Brown Roux





    White Roux is best with white sauces, like Béchamel, but lacks any deep flavor.

    Blonde Roux is somewhat nutty and best for gravies and most sauces. It can also be used in Béchamel if you don't care about having a purely white color as much. Blond is my personal favorite.

    Brown Roux is more for dark sauces. So thickening up beef stock with brown roux would give you a nice nutty brown gravy.



    Personally I just stick with Blond since I just make it in bulk and use it over time.

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