Flour and fat cooked together and used to thicken sauces is known as what?

• A. Beurre manié
• B. Slurry
• C. Roux
• D. Emulsify

Answer: (C)

Roux is a thickening base created by cooking flour with fat. The fat coats the flour particles and toasting time removes the raw flour taste. When you whisk this paste into hot liquid, the starch granules swell and absorb liquid, giving a smooth, stable thickness to the sauce. The color and flavor depend on how long you cook the roux: white roux is pale and gentle, blond roux develops a nutty note, and brown roux adds depth and aroma but thickens less. The typical ratio is roughly equal weights of fat and flour, though chefs adjust it to achieve the desired thickness. Other methods like beurre manié mix flour into butter to thicken, often added at the end; a slurry uses starch dispersed in water to thicken quickly; and emulsification is about blending fat and liquid into a stable mixture, not thickening with a cooked starch paste.