What is a roux in cooking?

A roux is the combination of equal parts of flour and fat. A roux is the basis of many creole and Cajun dishes. The fat is usually butter, but olive oil and vegetable oils can also be used.

Roux must be cooked and stirred until the grains of flour are all evenly coated with fat, and no longer tastes 'floury'. At this point the roux is called "blonde".

As you cook it longer, the roux will get darker in color, moving from tan to milk chocolate, and finally to dark chocolate which is very close to burnt (useless and tastes terrible). The darker the roux, the deeper the flavor, but the less power it will have to thicken a dish.
 
Roux is a cooked mixture of wheat flour and fat, traditionally clarified butter. It is the thickening agent of four of the mother sauces of classical French cooking: sauce béchamel, sauce velouté, allemande sauce, and sauce espagnole. Butter, vegetable oils, or lard are commonly used fats. It is used as a thickener for gravy, other sauces, soups and stews. It is typically made from equal parts of flour and fat by weight.
 
It's your thickening agent. Equal parts fat (butter or bacon fat or oil, etc.) and flour. Cook them together but don't burn the flour. Then add your liquids and bring to a boil. You want it to boil for 2 minutes so the flour cooks as well as it then starts the thickening process.
 
It is the basis of a rich gravy. Cajuns use it in every gravy sauce or stew they make.
It is oil and four cooked over med high heat. Stirring constantly. The darker the roux the more rich and deep the flavor will be.. It could take 45 minutes at the stove to get a dark cajun roux. There are light rouxs just like you would make milk gravy by using pan drippings and cooking flour. Yuo would add milk instead of water..
 
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