How to Thicken Stew, Soup, and Sauces with Roux | Chef Jean-Pierre

A couple things the good Chef left out:
1) The darker the roux - the less thickening potential the roux has
2) Roux is generally equal parts fat and flour by weight
3) A good starting formula is 1 lbs (454g) of finished roux thickens about 1 gal (3.8L) of sauce (you can play with this ratio as you gain experience)
4) To avoid lumps, add cold roux to hot liquid or add hot roux to cold liquid (this isn't foolproof, but it helps a lot)
5) After adding a roux to liquid, you'll have to continue GENTLY simmering for 20-30 min to get rid of the starchy taste. Be careful because once the roux is in, there is an increased chance of scorching the bottom of the pot. Stir a lot.

You are absolutely the best. Thank you so much for teaching ❤me

Love Chef's numbers! Thanks for everything you do!

I made a batch of this cooked roux around the time this first came out, I kept it in a air tight container in a cabinet, I just used the last of it today. Worked great every time, I'll have to make another batch.

Chef, please come up with a low carb roux.... thanks for all of your great videos, i am such a better cook because of you

Thank ;you for this information. We have had a difficult time thickening since we no longer buy white flour. The whole grain does not thicken. We just bought some `arrowroot from Namaste raw goods. Hopefully this will work. When you mentioned arrowroot on your show we decided to give it a try. Thank you. Eva

Can you store clarified butter for any length of time?

Amazing! I make decent soups the way we do it in my country! But.. remember, “texture is the conductor of flavor” hence.. my desire to make it less watery and this video it’s amazing! A child could do it! Thank you maestro🫵🏿🫶🏾

I always learn something 👍

I still use Buerre Manie😊

I discovered Chef JP when I was in college, so I didn’t have much space or time to experiment with his recipes. Now that I’m back home, I’ve been cooking a ton and his lessons are absolutely invaluable!

Oh my goodness, yesterday I was in the kitchen making the cheater beef broth recipe and clarified butter….and yes, I tasted the broth and it was magical, can’t wait to use it….today, I will make this roux for a counter top addition….thank you so much Chef. I will see you in the kitchen….

Tk u for the roux

I love this guy!!

I wonder if there is a replacement for the flour if your gluten free

JP to the rescue

Chef, can you show us how to de bone a turkey breast and stuff it?

I am making this baked roux this weekend and I was wondering if I can freeze it and how long it will last frozen, refrigerated, and fresh. Thanks again Chef Jean-Pierre for your videos, I feel so much more confident cooking now and trying the new techniques that I have learned from watching your videos, it's not rocket science.

Excuse my stupidity..but is clarified ester the same as distilled water? Google is not clear on this..

Awesome!!!

thank you chef. comprehensive and just all the options i was looking for :)

Peace and Blessings! Awesome lesson, thank you!!!

Thank you chef Pierre. Yet another complete game changer in the kitchen for me.

Will this keep longer in the fridge? I do not need a Roux as often as I am sure you do. So keeping longer is a must for me. Or can I half the recipe?

If the roux is equal parts butter and flower… is that by volume or weight?

Thanks so much for this and all the wonderful videos, Chef!

I was brought up using Beurre Manie, but just for canned vegetables. You must remember that frozen vegetables were rarely available in the late 40's and early 50's so many times if you couldn't get fresh peas or beans, for example, we'd use canned instead. The "roux" was thinned out using the liquid in the can since it was already flavored, and you cooked it long enough to take the taste of raw flour out of it. A roux made of flour & water was our thickening agent for all gravies and stews. You must also remember that coming out of war-torn Europe, not much was available so we used what we could get. In those days we used Maggi or Boullion to add flavor to the gravies, if needed, and in those times Boullion was not a liquid or cube of salt as it is today! Later, we came upon the methods Chef Jean-Pierre is speaking of and they are wonderful since each is designed for specific foods. Thank you, Chef!

Hello Chef, your channel was suggested to us by RoseRed Homestead. I LOVE this video! I really value kitchen education. My question about Roux is: I have serious gut issues with wheat flour. Can I substitute Almond or coconut flour? Spelt or Einkorn flour? I'm not celiac but have serious gluten issues. Thank you from Arizona!

Thank you

I'm a newbie here to your channel recently as RoseRed Homestead demo'd your roux method on her channel. So glad to have found you! I love watching you cook and have learned so much from your methods and techniques. And I love your flair!

Since this process cooks the roux for 2-3 hours and then sits in hot oven till it's room temp by morning, does this mean that it has actually cooked enough to add to sauce at the end of cooking time or do you still need to add at the beginning to cook out the starchy flavor? I'll experiment either way but just wondered if this is the purpose or if it's a matter of convenience to have it ready to go.

Hi Chef
Some of the alternative thickeners mentioned can also be added at the end as well as cooked Roux. Why choose one over the other?

How much cooked roux do you add to a recipe to thicken the sauce? Is there a formula? Ratio? Roux to liquid

I have celiac so I can’t make traditional roux with wheat flour anymore. I’m currently using avocado oil and sorghum flour for my roux. Will that be shelf stable? My parents use vegetable oil (gross) and treat their roux as shelf stable.

We Cajuns don’t call it a gumbo roux, we just say roux. And we don’t use brown or black, we say light or dark. My in-laws like a light roux, the color of peanut butter, my family likes a dark roux, the color of dark chocolate.

Thank you so much again Chef! You are amazing!

Can you make a black roux like this?

I cannot wait to try this. This is ingenious. New subscriber.

I love gumbo roux, dark brown. If I wanted that with this recipe, would I just leave it in the oven longer or will that ruin the taste? I love the idea of seasoning with roux! Thank you.

Thank you chef for this wonderful technique. Would the shelf life of this roux be about 3 months then?

I made your baked roux. I tried to make clearified butter but got ghee instead. Got distracted. Wonderful nutty taste. But I got a paste so I added more flour and cooked it again. I started with 1 cup ghee and 2 1/2 cups flour and baked it 3 hours and left it in oven over night. It did not come out crumbly like in the video.

Roux Roux ur boat.

❤Thank you Chef!!!👍

I am not particularly comfortable leaving food out in the open on my counter. ( I live in an old Victorian!) What kind of container should the roux be kept in? Should it be covered? Will covering it promote mold? Should it be put in the fridge each night? If it is should it be covered to keep from absorbing fridge odors? Love these videos! I have learned so much and it makes cooking fun and easy again. And the variety of foods! These are a nice change of pace from my usual stand-by recipes.

Hello chef. After the roux is baked in the oven and cool down do you refrigerated it of can you put it in a jar on the kitchen counter (for 17 years 😁.)

Chef, you are a great teacher. I love watching your videos. Thank you.

Does this cooked roux have a name ?

🍸💙🍷

2 1/2 cups of ap flour by weight (313g) or by volume??? 🤔

This is wonderful information just like all the other lessons you teach!
This may be a lazy question but can clarified butter be purchased and if so which would be the best brand to buy?