Which statement best describes roux?

Which statement best describes roux?

• A. The color of a roux is determined by how long it is heated, and it acts as a thickener
• B. It is made from sugar and water
• C. It is a dairy-based emulsion
• D. It is never heated

Answer: (A)

Roux is a paste made by cooking flour in fat to create a thickening base for sauces. The color you see comes from how long and how hot you cook it; quick cooking yields a light, white roux, while longer heating gives blond and brown varieties with deeper flavor. Heating is essential not only to cook the flour and remove a raw taste, but also to develop the starch structure so it swells properly when liquid is added, providing body and thickness to the sauce. This is why describing roux as something whose color depends on heating and that it acts as a thickener captures its true purpose. It isn’t sugar and water, it isn’t a dairy-based emulsion (even though butter is often used, roux is a flour–fat mixture, not an emulsion), and it is certainly not never heated.

Roux is a paste made by cooking flour in fat to create a thickening base for sauces. The color you see comes from how long and how hot you cook it; quick cooking yields a light, white roux, while longer heating gives blond and brown varieties with deeper flavor. Heating is essential not only to cook the flour and remove a raw taste, but also to develop the starch structure so it swells properly when liquid is added, providing body and thickness to the sauce. This is why describing roux as something whose color depends on heating and that it acts as a thickener captures its true purpose. It isn’t sugar and water, it isn’t a dairy-based emulsion (even though butter is often used, roux is a flour–fat mixture, not an emulsion), and it is certainly not never heated.