There are several easy ways to make a delicious gravy. It can be thickened with a cornstarch slurry, made smooth with the addition of a roux, or served simply as the drippings straight from the pan. Gravy made with a roux—a mixture of fat and flour—is an age-old preparation which uses pan drippings from your holiday bird or roast. The roux thickens the gravy while adding an intense flavor and velvety texture.
But dont worry if you arent cooking a whole turkey or beef roast in the oven—you can still make a roux gravy using butter or oil to amp up an ordinary chicken or Salisbury steak.
A traditional roux uses roughly an equal amount of flour and fat, but gravies often call for a bit more flour than that, to ensure the gravy is thick enough. (The classic ratio for gravy is three:two:one, so 3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons fat, and 1 cup of hot stock.)
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The Basic Roux Gravy Formula
The ratio of fat to flour to liquid is essential when making a roux-based gravy. You can adjust the amount of fat and flour depending on how thick you like your gravy. To make 1 cup of roux gravy, start with 2 tablespoons of fat, 2 tablespoons of flour, and 1 cup of liquid. If you would like a thinner gravy, decrease the fat and flour measurements to 1 1/2 tablespoons each, to 1 cup of liquid. The liquid can be broth, milk, heavy cream, wine, or any combination depending on how rich you want the finished product.
A Roux Defined
A roux combines equal parts fat from either oil, butter, or the renderings of roasted meats with flour. It can be used as the base of a sauce or as a thickener in dishes such as clam chowder and macaroni and cheese.
Roux ranges in color from pale to deep brown, darkening the longer you cook it. A lighter roux preserves the flavor of the fat, whereas a darker roux takes on its own nutty, caramelized character. Depending on what you are serving, you can decide how long to cook the roux. For example, a clam chowder should retain a white, creamy color so the clam flavor shines through. In this case, a pale quick-cooked roux works best. On the other hand, Gumbo benefits from a deeper, more complex-tasting roux, so cooking it until darker is best. For a holiday gravy, you might prefer something in between, perhaps in the color range of peanut butter.
How to Make a Roux | How to Thicken a Sauce | Roux Recipe | Sauce Thickener | Pro Style Roux | Roux
FAQ
What is the ratio of roux to broth for gravy?
What is the ratio of roux to liquid?
What is the ratio of roux to water?
How much roux does it take to thicken 4 cups?
How much fat & flour should I add to Roux gravy?
You can adjust the amount of fat and flour depending on how thick you like your gravy. To make 1 cup of roux gravy, start with 2 tablespoons of fat, 2 tablespoons of flour, and 1 cup of liquid. If you would like a thinner gravy, decrease the fat and flour measurements to 1 1/2 tablespoons each, to 1 cup of liquid.
How to make roux based gravy?
The ratio of fat to flour to liquid is essential when making a roux-based gravy. You can adjust the amount of fat and flour depending on how thick you like your gravy. To make 1 cup of roux gravy, start with 2 tablespoons of fat, 2 tablespoons of flour, and 1 cup of liquid.
How much fat is in Roux gravy?
4.5 tablespoons of fat (that’s 1.5 tablespoons fat X 3 cups of gravy = 4.5 tablespoons fat) 4.5 tablespoons of flour (that’s 1.5 tablespoons flour X 3 cups of gravy = 4.5 tablespoons flour) Now that we’ve used our gravy ratio to get our measurements, we can make our roux gravy.
How much flour is in a roux?
A traditional roux uses roughly an equal amount of flour and fat, but gravies often call for a bit more flour than that, to ensure the gravy is thick enough. (The classic ratio for gravy is three:two:one, so 3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons fat, and 1 cup of hot stock.)