Roux making question

Is there such a thing as too thick? Yes, I have been served gumbos that would substitute for spackling compound.

thickness is going to look different based on heat. What makes a gumbo thicker is going to be the ratio of finished roux to stock. Yes, a gumbo can be too thick.

Thanks for all the feedback so far. Maybe I didn't phrase my OP very well. I know that gumbo can be to thick, but I guess my question is more in-line with another post in here stating how do you know how much of a "thick" roux to add to a volume of stock to thicken it up. Anyone have any rules of thumb? Also, I don't plan on using okra (which I heard can act as a thickening agent) so is there anything else that acts as a thickener in a traditional chicken/sausage gumbo? I've heard file powder goes a long way in small doses.

i use equal parts flour to oil. the roux thickens the darker it gets so if you get it the color of an old penny (like my dad liked) it will be a little thick and not watery at all. if you get it the color of dark chocolate, it will be very thick, not quite as thick as peanut butter, but you have to drag your roux stirrer through it. once you throw in the veggies to stop it cooking it will congeal into a god awful mess.

file is a traditional thickener. do NOT use it until the gumbo is plated up, i.e. in the bowl. if you put it in the pot you will ruin the gumbo.

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file is a traditional thickener. do NOT use it until the gumbo is plated up, i.e. in the bowl. if you put it in the pot you will ruin the gumbo.

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This is an old wives tale. I cook probably fifty gumbo's a year, all with file' because I do not eat okra and I put my file' in the pot for the last thirty minutes of cooking. Make a slurry of your file' with some of the stock, add and stir in well so it doesn't lump. Let it cook for another half hour and it will thicken and gives it a nice sheen.

If it lumps mash on the side of the pot and stir in.

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This is an old wives tale. I cook probably fifty gumbo's a year, all with file' because I do not eat okra and I put my file' in the pot for the last thirty minutes of cooking

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seriously? well i'll be damned. i'd never even dared to try it - been told all my life it would f up the gumbo. i'm gonna give that a try on my next pot.

Thanks for the tips on the file - will keep that in mind.

It sounds like the roux consistency is determined by the oil/flour ratio and only the darkness is really altered by cooking times - is this a pretty basic summary?

I was under the impression that the longer it cooked the darker and also the thicker it got...

How thick the finished product comes our have more to do with the color of the roux and not the thickness of it. The lighter the roux the thicker the gumbo. I like a dark thick gumbo so I just use more roux.

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I was under the impression that the longer it cooked the darker and also the thicker it got...

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It does get darker and thicker. The oil is incorporating with the flour more. But to get a 'thick' roux, I think you need more flour than oil.

Learning to cook roux is a little tricky at first. You don't want to burn it, so you keep the temp down, and it takes forever.

Be brave. Grab a cast iron skillet and put it on your burner at med hi heat. Put in your oil and flour and stir immediately and continue stirring on med hi to hi heat until it's the color you want.

Then reduce the heat down to medium, maybe a little less, and add the trinity. And don't stop stirring. (I add the okra w the trinity). When everything is sauteed (maybe 3-4 mins) add garlic. Another 2 or 3 mins. Then add your stock.

I use this process for all my gumbos. The only thing that changes is the color of roux, thickness of roux, the type of stock and the main ingredients.