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graham[_4_]

On 10/23/2016 12:45 PM, wrote:
> On Sun, 23 Oct 2016 11:23:11 -0700, sf > wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 23 Oct 2016 09:10:31 -0400, Gary > wrote:
>>
>>> Alan Holbrook wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Every once in a while, when I get the feeling that my arteries are still
>>>> too flexible and my heart isn't working hard enough pumping blood, I'll
>>>> make a large skillet of sawmill gravy and pour it over biscuits for
>>>> breakfast. The recipe I follow says, as do all the other recipes I've seen
>>>> that involve making a white sauce, that once you have the roux the color
>>>> you want, you should take the pan off the heat to add the milk. I've often
>>>> wondered why that is and what would happen if you added the milk directly
>>>> to the pan containing the roux while it's still on the burner. Rather than
>>>> risk seven years' bad luck or something similar trying it, I thought I'd
>>>> ask. Can any of the RFC intelligentsia enlighten me?
>>>
>>> First, to answer your question: I've never removed the roux from heat
>>> before adding the milk. I first looked up "white sauce" in the dandy old
>>> Betty Crocker cookbook so many years ago. That book was my "cooking
>>> 101" textbook. I just looked again this morning and it does say to
>>> remove from heat, stir in milk, then return to heat. huh. I must have
>>> missed that part. I've always left it right on the burner and never a
>>> problem.
>>>
>>> I also use a very tiny wire whisk for making this. I just measured and
>>> it's only 3/4 inch at it's widest. This gets into the rounded corners of
>>> the smallest saucepan. It's perfect for stirring roux.
>>>
>>> Also consider this sometime if you're making a gravy to put on
>>> something. I also let the roux brown a tiny bit (it enhances the
>>> flavor). More importantly, I don't add all milk. I like to add chicken
>>> broth to replace some of the milk. I usually mix in 2/3 chicken broth
>>> and 1/3 milk. Try it.
>>
>> When I first started cooking, white sauce required a double boiler and
>> a 20 minute covered simmer. Then I threw off the shackles and started
>> doing it over direct heat without any encouragement from cookbooks or
>> television. I forged off in that direction unaided and alone.
>> <sniffle>
>
> What a load of crap! Double boiler was used for many things, I still
> use it occasionally, but never for white sauce.
>
An elderly cousin of my ex scrambled eggs using a double boiler.
Laborious perhaps, but they were damned good! I suppose she had learned
that technique from her French mother.