4. A whitewash thickening
agent is a mixture of flour
and water that has been
combined prior. The mixed
liquid is then added to a
soup/sauce.
Whitewash
5. A slurry thickening agent is the
same as a whitewash, except
cornstarch is used instead of
flour. The proper adding
technique is to add a cold
slurry to a hot liquid while
stirring constantly.
Cornstarch Slurry
6. Roux is a mixture of fat and
flour. It is the recommended
method for thickening sauces
and soups as it does not
separate. It is a cooked
mixture of equal parts by
weight of fat and flour.
Roux
8. A white roux retains its initial
color and is only cooked
slightly to remove any
starchiness from the roux. It is
used for béchamel and other
white sauces based on milk.
White Roux
9. A blonde roux is caramelized
slightly to give it a darker
blonde color. It is used for
veloutés.
Blonde Roux
10. A brown roux is cooked until
almost burnt; highly
caramelized, it also has a nice
nutty flavor to it. The flour may
be browned before adding to
the fat. It contributes flavor
and color to brown sauces.
Brown
Roux
11. An arrowroot thickening agent is
derived from several tropical plants
and is similar in texture, appearance
and thickening power to cornstarch
and is used in exactly the same way.
Arrowroot is more expensive, but
produces a clearer finished product
and doesn’t break down as quickly as
cornstarch would.
Arrowroot
12. Beurre Manie thickening agent is a
combination of equal parts flour and
softened butter. It is then kneaded
together and formed into tiny balls to be
dropped into sauces for flavor and
thickening power. It is mainly used for
quick thickening or thickening at the end
of the cooking process. The butter adds
shine and flavor as it melts.
Beurre Manié
13. . A liaison is a mixture of egg yolks
and heavy cream that adds richness
and smoothness with minimal
thickening. It is important to ensure
you prevent the egg yolks from
coagulating when they are added to
a hot liquid. Ratio is generally 3 yolks
to 200ml (7 fl. oz) cream.
Liaison
