General Principles

Appears in
Professional Cooking
Professional Cooking

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2014

  • About
  • Liquid may be added to roux, or roux may be added to liquid.
  • The liquid may be hot or cooled, but not ice cold. A very cold liquid will solidify the fat in the roux.
  • The roux may be warm or cold, but not sizzling hot. Adding a hot liquid to a very hot roux causes spattering and, possibly, lumps.
  • Most chefs find they get the best results by combining a cold (or cool) liquid with a hot roux, or a hot liquid with a cold roux.
Within these general guidelines, there is room for a number of variations. Two of them are described here. Because successful use of roux is largely a matter of experience, you are advised to profit from your instructors’ experience when they demonstrate these techniques or whichever methods they prefer.