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Here's an even simpler way to thicken a soup that my dad taught me: Add a few shakings of instant mashed potatoes to your pot and stir to the desired thickness. This is especially handy if you don't have time to cool down the soup enough to add flour. Instant mashed potatoes in that small amount don't change the flavor and are very forgiving to rushed cooks.
If you're missing that delicious roux flavor, or if you're ruing the lack of roux, just add a dollop of butter for flavor.
This works especially well with thickening ham and bean soup.
This is great information. Especially the part about a roux can be made with bacon grease! I just thought that a roux was always butter and flour.
A Cajun roux is equal parts fat and flour. Different dishes call for different colored roux. The darker the roux the less of a thickening agent it becomes. Peanut butter, red brown, dark red brown and black roux are used in Cajun cooking.
Saturday I made a new to us recipe that called for 1-1/4 cup flour and 3/4 cup corn starch in a fried chicken coating. Worked very well.
My Mom would make enough roux to keep in the refrigerator so when I got married in the 1960's, I did the same. We, my family, make a dark roux, oil and flour, when done its the color of chocolate. My Mom was French Creole and she nor I have ever made a roux with butter, it's burns and you can't get it dark enough. By keeping some in a glass jar in the refrigerator you will always have a tablespoon or such at your disposal. In fact years ago there was a cookbook called, First You Make a Roux.
My Mom would make enough roux to keep in the refrigerator so when I got married in the 1960's, I did the same. We, my family, make a dark roux, oil and flour, when done its the color of chocolate. My Mom was French Creole and she nor I have ever made a roux with butter, it's burns and you can't get it dark enough. By keeping some in a glass jar in the refrigerator you will always have a tablespoon or such at your disposal. In fact years ago there was a cookbook called, First You Make a Roux.
I've noticed that also, unless I don't go all the way to dark roux. I'm not from LA, never been there, never had a "true" gumbo. Go by what I've learned on youtube and my own experiences. I like a thicker roux so I'll go dark, then add a TBS or 2 and cook it out a bit then add trinity. Makes for a thicker "soup/sauce".
Another way to thicken soup is to use corn or potatoes. They are both starch. I'll take frozen corn and grind in a blender/food processor and add to the soup. Potatoes I'll let cook down and it gives off starch.
Also someone said that noodles thicken a chicken soup, thats great advise. A nice thick noodle helps thicken great, not those flimsy thin ones.
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