A roux is the fundamental base for many Continental classic sauces and is essential in Cajun and Creole cooking. It is a wonderful way to thicken a sauce and is easy to make. The one key to a roux is that the flour must be cooked long enough for the flour to lose its raw taste.

There are four basic types of roux:

White- Only for the most delicate sauces, primarily used in French or Italian cuisine.

Light Brown- For delicate dishes like soups (bisques), or as an addition to a sauce.

Medium – For most poultry and seafood dishes. It’s the color of light milk chocolate.

Dark – For smoky dark gumbos for wild game, turkey or really any meat if you like that smoky flavor. It’s the color of dark chocolate.

In a heavy sauce pan or Dutch oven and turn the heat onto medium. Let it heat for a few minutes and then add the oil and allow it to heat for a few more minutes. This is my trick to allow the oil to heat first, as I find that this can allow you to make a perfect dark roux in as little as 30 to 45 minutes. If you are using butter, skip this step as the butter has a tendency to burn.

Now add the flour and stir with a figure eight motion for as long as you need, to reach the darkness of the roux you need. I like to use a wooden spoon to make my roux, and the only key at this point is don’t stop stirring or it will burn.

If the mixture is cooking too fast and starting to burn, turn down the heat. Roux will burn in an instant, and once burned is not salvageable.