Microwave roux?

The last time that I made gumbo, I had the fortune of doing it in a friend's high-rise kitchen. The little updraft vent over her stove did wonders for sucking the smoke and fried flower smell out of the room - I'm still jealous.

I've got an urge to make gumbo tomorrow, and while looking for an alternative to the 30-45 minute process of prepping the "cajun napalm" (and the lingering odor in my apartment), I found mention of people making roux in a microwave.

It sounds almost too good to be true. All the benefits of a dark roux, with zero chance of burning it - and you get to skip the 45 minutes or so of constant stirring? What's the catch?

Has anyone tried this? Does it actually work? Should I just suck it up and open all my windows and make a real roux and stop my whining?

(Edit - I realize microwave roux is mentioned in the fantastic Gumbo Advice? thread that YourPalWill started a few months ago - but it never achieved more than a simple mention. As an aside, rereading that thread has doomed me to realizing I won't be happy unless I make this gumbo using ducks, and my own homemade duck stock. Bless you Evil Ronnie, you magnificent bastard. Your posts have lead to more experiments in my kitchen than I'd care to mention.)

Pete wrote:As an aside, rereading that thread has doomed me to realizing I won't be happy unless I make this gumbo using ducks, and my own homemade duck stock.

Whew! Glad you saw the light!

But, as an alternative, and if you're pinched for time, you could try the various jarred rouxs. Savoie's comes to mind. However, I'm not certain if they're available up there. Obviously it won't be nearly as excellent as a duck fat-based roux, but it sure is convenient.

I hadn't even considered rendering the duck fat and using it for roux.

What's the smoke point like on duck fat? Will I have any problems with it burning?

I'd like to consider myself somewhat of a gumbo-phile, I'll admit to using only vegetable oil for my roux as I've had consistent results and can crank out a lovely dark DARK roux in 15 minutes. Granted, I have 16,000 BTU burners at my disposal but that's another show.

I'd think if you were using duck fat (or any other aminal fat), you'd go low and slow to ensure the roux doesn't burn. Low and slow may also impart additional smoky flavors *drool* into the roux. I would treat this special and take my time. There's no room for error, unless you've got extra fat hanging around....wait, that didn't sound right !

If you're skipping the duck fat and using oil, you can cut the roux cooking time in half by using *gasp* a non-stick skillet and really high heat. Stir constantly and have the Trinity handy cuz you're going to want to toss the onions in as soon as you hit the dark chocolate stage. With my old cranky stove, I was able to achieve roux in 20 minutes. Just don't walk away from it.

Open a window because there's no getting rid of the smell. Besides, once you get your pot of gumbo to the simmer stage, the lovely aroma takes over......

Pete wrote:I hadn't even considered rendering the duck fat and using it for roux.

What's the smoke point like on duck fat? Will I have any problems with it burning?

This page indicates the smoke point of duck fat is 375F. I would guess it perhaps varies some within that range, so maybe 350-400F.

Actually, that's a really useful page. But note that for most of the vegetable/legume/etc oils the smoke points are for the unrefined version. The version of the same oil you buy in the grocery store will have a significantly higher smoke point.

And on second look, they also recommend not using soybean oil because most of the US crop is genetically modified.

I suspect their numbers are good, though, for smoke points and fat structure. Even if the commentary is a little sketchy.

i've heard of doing a dry roux in the oven, but not in the microwave. however, i found the following in a quick search...

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cookware/msg012154138592.html

i would love to hear how it goes if you try it.

k.

I've made my roux the last ten times in the microwave. Unfortunately, I've yet to codify the process, so all I can offer is advice and generalities.

First, you CAN burn roux in the microwave. I've found as it gets darker I need to reduce the coooking time for stirring sessions more often.

Second, use only a pyrex container. Roux gets really hot! The first time I made it I used a "microwave safe" tupperware container. The bottom of the container melted!

I use equal parts olive oil and flour. No particular reason for the fat choice -- its just what has worked for me. I start nuking it for a few minutes, remove and stir. I continue this process -- continually reducing the cooking time. I apologize again for the lack of specifics.

Aside from the container disaster, I've only burned the roux once this way. When I make roux on the stove it takes me about (and sometimes more) than an hour to get it to the color I like for gumbo. I'm probably too cautious with my heat level, but burning the roux at say the 45 minute mark is a disaster.

I think the main reason why I like to do it in the microwave is if it does burn its not that much of a loss. I can whip up my mud bug stew (a streamlined seafood gumbo) for a "quick" week day meal this way.

Thanks for all of the advice. I ended up buying some goose lard while I was at Paulina Market, and just used that for the roux. (Well, I goofed and bought lard with grieben - but I managed to salvage 1 cup of lard by heating and straining the grieben out. I'll know next time.)

Wow, I have to say that the goose lard roux had a rather potent smell. I think I'll cook it outside next time. Now that it's in the gumbo it has a fantastic chocolate/smoky smell - but I've got all of the windows open to air the place out. (Brrr.)

I just used the standard stovetop method, but I'll certainly give the microwave a shot in the future.