Cooking & Baking
Related: About this forumevlbstrd
(11,205 posts)It toasts, infuses the flour with fat and makes a better thickening agent.
Graybeard
(6,996 posts)Browning the flour first in some butter. I prefer just a light browning but I've seen recipes that call for a deep, dark roux.
Major Nikon
(36,814 posts)If I'm making a roux, I will cook the flour in oil until it darkens to the level I want. In this case the very act of browning the roux creates a flavor element for the dish. For some recipes I may just mix softened butter with flour and add directly to a stew if I'm looking for just a bit of thickening.
If you cook the flour under high heat, you will weaken its thickening power. So that's something to keep in mind.
Lucinda
(31,164 posts)So... we use one or the other, depending on who is cooking.
eridani
(51,907 posts)MrMickeysMom
(20,453 posts)...Good comments on how it flavors it... Makes perfect sense to me.
You don't mean toasting flour by itself, though, do you?
Hotler
(11,325 posts)TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)I often use instant or mashed potatoes for thickening. The lack of gluten means you need more for equal thickening, but the results are often tastier, and perhaps healthier and a bit more diet friendly. (Certainly healthier if you have any celiacs around.)