| 1 | On tue, 13 sep 1994 18:40:58 -0400 |
| 2 | Does anyone >have an adequate substitute, or know if there"s one in the archives? it"s the starch in the flour that does the thickening, not the butter. |
| 3 | Flour needs to be cooked to get rid of the raw taste and the butterfat makes this easy to do without burning the flour. |
| 4 | However, it is possible to brown flour without fat, it just takes more care. |
| 5 | Furthermore, browned flour is relatively shelf stable, so you can make a big batch and use it over a month or two. |
| 6 | Other starches (cornstarch, potato starch, arrowroot, etc) can be used as thickening agents as well. |
| 7 | They vary in their strength, taste, and temperature sensativity. |
| 8 | See mcgee"s _on food and cooking_ for comparison info. |
| 9 | For examples of using browned flour as a substitute for a traditional roux, see enola prudhomme"s _low-calorie cajun cooking_ and paul prudhome"s _fork in the road_. |
| 10 | (which also contain instructions for browning flour). |
| 11 | Here"s instructions for browning flour from the archives: from the joy of cooking: browned flour a variant used in gravies to enhance color and flavor [and as we now know, to do fatfree cajun cooking]. |
| 12 | The slow but inexpensive procedure by which it is made is worth trying. |
| 13 | The flour, when ready, should smell nutty and baked. |
| 14 | Place: 1 cup flour in a dry heavy skillet. |
| 15 | Stir constantly over very low direct heat, scraping the flour from the sides and bottom of the pan. |
| 16 | Or, heat the flour in a very slow oven, 200 deg f to 250 deg f, in a very heavy pan. |
| 17 | Shake the pan periodically so the flour browns evenly. |
| 18 | Do not let it get too dark or, as with brown roux, it will become bitter and lose its thickening power altogether. |
| 19 | Even properly browned flour has only about half the thickening power of all-purpose flour. |
| 20 | It may be stored in a tightly covered jar in a cool place. |
| 21 | Fatfree digest [volume 10 issue 34], sept. |
| 22 | 14, 1994 |
