If an enamelled stewpan has been used, owing to this retaining the heat the mixture will go on frizzling for quite a quarter of an hour after it has been removed from the fire. It is generally best to slacken the heat by throwing into the mixture a large slice of cut raw onion✪ Brown Roux. This will increase the spluttering, but it tends to check the heat, while the 136 CROSSE AND BLACKWELL'S onion itself, which will very soon turn brown, imparts a slight richness to the brown roux. The onion should be re- moved from the roux when the latter is sufficiently coloured, and the roux should be poured into pots and put by for use. Empty marmalade pots are very useful for keeping roux. As the roux settles a certain amount of clarified butter swims at the top. This will keep it good for months, and when cold it has exactly the appearance of choco- late, and is almost of the same consis- tency. This brown roux is now useful for thickening every kind of soup and gravy. Of course the soup or gravy will not thicken until it boils. When brown roux is used for thickening any kind of soup or gravy, the cook should bear in mind that the roux itself con- tains butter, and that when the soup or gravy is required perfectly free from fat, this fat requires to be removed. This can only be done by allowing it to boil, gently by the side of the fire, when the soup will throw up its grease. A great assistance to the soup in throwing up the fat is to throw in very small quanti- ties of cold water. The grease can then be removed by skimming. There is no doubt that one great cause of indiges- tion is the carelessness of the cook in not removing the fat from soups. Of course brown roux is best when made with butter, but there are many circum- stances under which butter cannot be obtained, especially in the case of long voyages or in very hot climates. Brown roux will not keep good when exposed to excessive heat such as that of the Red Sea. On board large ships very small quantities of butter are allowed every day to the cooks, who use fat for making roux instead. Cooks should remember that it is not the butter that thickens the soup, but the flour, and when they add raw flour the effect on the soup or gravy is to give it a gruelly taste, but when they add flour every minute grain of which has been fried a brown colour in butter or fat, they not only thicken the soup but impart a richness as well. Of course when the roux has been made with fat or dripping of any kind, the greatest care must be taken to remove all the fat. The Peninsular and Orien- tal Steamship Company’s ships owe a great deal of their deserved popularity to the very great care which they take ip always obtaining the best cooks

AI-modernized reading of the original text

If an enamelled stewpan has been used, owing to this retaining the heat the mixture will go on frizzling for quite a quarter of an hour after it has been removed from the fire. It is generally best to slacken the heat by throwing into the mixture a large slice of cut raw onion. This will increase the spluttering, but it tends to check the heat, while the onion itself, which will very soon turn brown, imparts a slight richness to the brown roux. The onion should be removed from the roux when the latter is sufficiently coloured, and the roux should be poured into pots and put by for use. Empty marmalade pots are very useful for keeping roux. As the roux settles a certain amount of clarified butter swims at the top. This will keep it good for months, and when cold it has exactly the appearance of chocolate, and is almost of the same consistency. This brown roux is now useful for thickening every kind of soup and gravy. Of course the soup or gravy will not thicken until it boils. When brown roux is used for thickening any kind of soup or gravy, the cook should bear in mind that the roux itself contains butter, and that when the soup or gravy is required perfectly free from fat, this fat requires to be removed. This can only be done by allowing it to boil, gently by the side of the fire, when the soup will throw up its grease. A great assistance to the soup in throwing up the fat is to throw in very small quantities of cold water. The grease can then be removed by skimming. There is no doubt that one great cause of indigestion is the carelessness of the cook in not removing the fat from soups. Of course brown roux is best when made with butter, but there are many circumstances under which butter cannot be obtained, especially in the case of long voyages or in very hot climates. Brown roux will not keep good when exposed to excessive heat such as that of the Red Sea. On board large ships very small quantities of butter are allowed every day to the cooks, who use fat for making roux instead. Cooks should remember that it is not the butter that thickens the soup, but the flour, and when they add raw flour the effect on the soup or gravy is to give it a gruelly taste, but when they add flour every minute grain of which has been fried a brown colour in butter or fat, they not only thicken the soup but impart a richness as well. Of course when the roux has been made with fat or dripping of any kind, the greatest care must be taken to remove all the fat. The Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company’s ships owe a great deal of their deserved popularity to the very great care which they take in always obtaining the best cooks

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Brown Roux

The housekeeper's guide to preserved meats, fruits, vegetables, &c