How to Make a Roux

We find that we make roux rather often as a basis for soups, sauces, and even Mac and cheese. It’s a simple and phenomenal technique to add richness to all of the aforementioned culinary feats, and it also serves as a tremendous thickening method. We tend to rely on this about equally with the use of corn starch to thicken…but each has its own perks. Given how frequently we use this technique and how difficult it can be to explain in words without pictures, we decided to make a “How To” post that we can recall in the future!

We used this particular iteration as the base for our Apple Cider Glazed Pulled Turkey, so the pictures below that show turning our roux into sauce reflect that.

Time: 10 Minutes

What You’ll Need:

• To make your Roux:
  • Butter or some other type of fat
  • Flour (equal proportions to the butter)
• To turn your Roux into a Sauce:
  • Liquid you’d like to thicken. A few of our favorites are:
    • Milk
    • Apple Cider (pictured in the process steps below)
    • Red Wine
    • Vegetable or Chicken Stock
  • Any additional seasonings/herbs you please.
• Saucepan

Method 1:

• Melt some butter in a saucepan.
• When your butter has fully liquified, add in your flour, and whisk to combine.
• Allow to sit for 1-2 minutes over low heat.
• To turn it into sauce:
  • Add in your liquid, and whisk to ensure smoothness.
  • Simmer until it thickens to your desired level and is ready for use.