"first, You Make A Roux..."

[Papa-Hen]

OK, folks,

Before I try silly experiments of my own, please let me know what you have learned about the possibility of making a gluten-free roux. (I guess corn starch would be my first trial.)

What about thickening agents, in general?

Thanks,

- Henry

[DingoGirl]

I have used corn starch, it is at least decent, I suppose. I have also tried rice flour and it was slightly lumpy (Trader Joe's Sweet Brown Rice) but I could work to take the lumps out, I think. haven't really tried anything else yet....sorry! Let us know how you do.

[kabowman]

Arrowroot flour is an equal replacement for corn starch so that is what I use (actually my mom used that while we were growing up because she liked the outcome better). However, I am horrible at making gravy and hubby does it for me - mine is truely bad. I can bake, I can cook, I can create, etc but I canNOT make gravy.

[queenofhearts]

Will your dish be served right away, or do you need to hold it? And is the roux crucial for structure (cream sauce) or just to add a little body (soup, &c.)?

Leah

[jerseyangel]

I use potato starch because of my sensitivites to corn and grains.

It works for thickening gravys, in a roux, and even in my German Potato Salad!

[penguin]

I use a blend of brown rice flour/potato starch/corn starch with outstanding results

I tried just cornstarch once and I couldn't get past the look of it...it looked like elmer's glue

[chrissy]

i've used cornstarch for years to thicken-----long before we were cooking gluten free.

don't try tapioca starch. my daughter did this by accident once (thought she was grabbing the cornstarch) it was a chicken gravy. the taste was fine, but i just had a really hard time eating it because it looked like the alien slime you see on sci-fi shows---it was really slimy and stringy.

[Nantzie]

I use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free Flour. It works PERFECTLY. No weird flavors that I can tell. My non-gluten-free husband uses it now to thicken all the sauces he makes when he cooks. I even used it to make a cheese sauce to put over veggies and it worked perfectly.

I'm not sure if you need to use more or less compared to wheat flour. I always just eyeball it and add more or less of whatever until I get the right consistency.

[eleep]

If it's a cajun-style roux you're looking to make, I've had good results with garbanzo-bean flour.

eleep

[eKatherine]

Sweet rice flour makes a sauce that doesn't break when you refrigerate it.

[Papa-Hen]

Will your dish be served right away, or do you need to hold it? And is the roux crucial for structure (cream sauce) or just to add a little body (soup, &c.)?

Leah

Geez,

I didn't know of a difference until you asked and I saw that eKatherine added that sweet rice flour would not separate when in the refrigerator.

I was thinking only of Cajun dishes and gravy that would typically get eaten right away, but leftovers are always good, too.

I hope you'll let us know more about the differences.

Thanks,

- Henry

Thanks, everyone,

Hopefully, I'll be able to make some good reports, soon.

- Henry

[queenofhearts]

Geez,

I didn't know of a difference until you asked and I saw that eKatherine added that sweet rice flour would not separate when in the refrigerator.

I was thinking only of Cajun dishes and gravy that would typically get eaten right away, but leftovers are always good, too.

I hope you'll let us know more about the differences.

Thanks,

- Henry

Thanks, everyone,

Hopefully, I'll be able to make some good reports, soon.

- Henry

I too am partial to sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice, NOT GLUTENous, mind you!) & you can get terrific deals on it in an Asian grocery. It was the separation/hardening issue I was thinking of too. If you're using it in a looser suspension like a soup you have more choices. In my experience though, cornstarch & tapioca work better when added later to a sauce, having been mixed with cold liquid to dissolve thoroughly, than in a roux. They do make a "clearer" sauce, especially tapioca, which could be off-putting if you want a creamy effect.

I like eleep's idea of bean flour in a highly-flavored dish; haven't tried it myself but I intend to! You wouldn't want it in a delicate cream sauce though.

Leah

[prinsessa]

OK, folks,

Before I try silly experiments of my own, please let me know what you have learned about the possibility of making a gluten-free roux. (I guess corn starch would be my first trial.)

What about thickening agents, in general?

Thanks,

- Henry

I use corn starch. It works better than flour (I think at least). Just make sure you don't use as much corn starch as you would flour. There are usually recipes on the box that I go off of. Good luck!

[Sweetness]

I use potato starch because of my sensitivites to corn and grains.

It works for thickening gravys, in a roux, and even in my German Potato Salad!

I also use potato starch in my roux...it makes a great paste with the butter! I get an even thickening every time. (And yes, in my German Potato Salad, too!)

Sweetness