Sometimes when I make a roux-based sauce, it turns out too thin. Are there any ways to make it thicker after the sauce is done? Adding salt helps a bit, but I don't want to add too much for obvious reasons. Ideas how to prevent the sauce from getting too thin in the first place are also welcome.
Sauce – How to make roux-based sauce thicker
rouxsauce
Related Topic
- Sauce – Does salt-seasoned pasta and starchy water in the sauce have to yield a salty sauce
- Soup – How to prevent the roux from sticking to the bottom of the pan
- Sauce – Why the banana sauce is not smooth
- Sauce – How to thicken tomato-based pasta sauce without adding starch
- How to lessen the effects of thickening caused by roux
- Sauce – How to mix parmessan (or any hard cheese) into oil sauce
- Sauce – Exact difference between demi glace and bordelaise
Best Answer
If your sauce is too thin, the problem is that your initial roux was either too thin (not enough flour) or you added too much liquid for the amount of roux that you made. Standard ratios are 1 Tbsp butter - 1 Tbsp flour - 1 cup liquid for a thin sauce, 2-2-1 for something in the middle and 3-3-1 for a thick sauce.
Once you've made the sauce and it's too thin, the best fix is to add a beurre manié, which is essentially butter and flour that you mash together in a small bowl and then whisk into your sauce. It's kind of like adding more roux after the fact. However, because it's not pre-cooked like the roux, you need to make sure you give it enough cooking time after adding to get rid of the floury taste.