2026 Oct 4th
Foodservice definition, the three roux stages, a step-by-step line method, how a roux differs from a slurry and a reduction, and the pans that keep sauce work consistent.
A roux is equal parts fat and flour by weight, cooked together until smooth and free of raw flour taste. Kitchens whisk milk or stock into it to thicken sauces and soups. Cook it to white, blond, or brown depending on the sauce: longer cooking means more flavour and less thickening power.
Equal parts fat and flour by weight, cooked into a smooth paste that thickens liquid.
The roux should lose its raw flour taste before any liquid goes in.
Colour is set by cooking time. Pick the stage the sauce calls for.
A brown roux adds toasted flavour but thickens less than a white roux.
Whisk milk or stock in a little at a time to keep the sauce smooth and lump-free.
Sauce pans, a stock pot for batch work, hotel pans and lids for the hold. Cookware for the technique.
A roux (said “roo”) is equal parts fat and flour by weight, cooked together to make a starch-based thickener. When liquid is whisked into the cooked paste, it thickens sauces and soups.
Butter is classic. Oil or other kitchen fats can work depending on the application. The key technique is cooking out the flour while stirring, so the roux loses its raw flour taste while still matching the colour and flavour the sauce needs.
Roux is the thickening foundation for:
See CFIA — Requirements for food businesses. Verify current local requirements for your licensed kitchen.
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| Factor | Roux | Slurry | Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Fat and flour cooked together | Starch mixed with cold liquid | Liquid simmered so water evaporates |
| How it thickens | Cooked flour starch | Starch added to the hot liquid | Concentration |
| When it goes in | Built first, then liquid is added | Whisked into a hot sauce | No added thickener |
| Flavour | Neutral to toasted, by stage | Neutral | Concentrated base flavour |
| Typical use | Béchamel, velouté, gravies, chowder-style soups | Quick thickening of sauces and soups | Pan sauces and glazes |
Use a roux when the sauce needs a cooked fat-and-flour base. Use a slurry for starch thickening without that base. Reduce when the liquid itself needs body and stronger flavour.
Stainless sauce pan for small-batch roux and béchamel.
Sauce pan for cooking the roux and whisking in milk or stock.
Mid-size sauce pan for velouté and cream sauce batches.
Cover for the 3.5 qt sauce pan to keep finished sauce covered.
High-temperature spatula to scrape pot corners clean of dry flour.
Deep stock pot for batch roux-based soups and sauces.
Hotel pan for holding finished roux-based sauce for service.
Solid lid to cover held sauces on the line.
A roux is equal parts fat and flour by weight, cooked together until smooth and free of raw flour taste, then used to thicken sauces and soups.
Butter is classic. Oil or other kitchen fats can work depending on the application and the flavour the sauce needs.
White, blond, and brown. A white roux is cooked briefly and stays pale. A blond roux is cooked until lightly golden and nutty. A brown roux is cooked until deeper brown and aromatic.
No. The longer the flour cooks, the more flavour develops and the less thickening power remains. A brown roux thickens less than a white roux.
Cooking the flour in fat removes the raw flour taste and disperses the flour so it thickens the liquid smoothly instead of clumping.
Scrape the corners so no dry flour remains, then add the liquid gradually while whisking. Adding all the liquid at once can make lumps.
A roux cooks fat and flour together before liquid is added. A slurry is starch mixed with cold liquid and added without cooking fat and flour together first.
Béchamel (white roux plus milk), velouté (white or blond roux plus light stock), and espagnole-style bases (brown roux plus brown stock), along with cream sauces, chowder-style soups, and gravies.
If it is too thick, add more liquid. If it is too thin, cook it further or correct it with the kitchen’s approved thickening method.
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Canadian foodservice supplies for operators who need sauce pans, stock pots, and hotel pans for roux-based sauce work — not a poultry or meat distributor.
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Chicken Pieces uses foodservice-focused, Health Canada- and CFIA-aware language where relevant. It is a foodservice and hospitality supply company founded in 2018—not a poultry or meat distributor.
