Swapped my flat whisk for a balloon whisk when making roux, and my gumbo stopped tasting like flour paste | Chefs - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Swapped my flat whisk for a balloon whisk when making roux, and my gumbo stopped tasting like flour paste
I've been making gumbo for maybe 12 years now, and for most of that time I used a flat whisk to stir my roux. I thought it was fine, you know? But last month my buddy who runs a spot in Lafayette came through and watched me work. He didn't say anything at first, just kind of stared at my roux for a minute. Then he asked why I wasn't using a balloon whisk. I told him I didn't think it mattered. He grabbed one from my drawer and made me do a batch side by side. The balloon whisk got into the corners of the pan way better and broke up the clumps before they could even form. My roux came together in like 14 minutes instead of my usual 25, and the color was way more even. The finished gumbo didn't have that raw flour taste I always just accepted as normal. Now I keep two balloon whisks in my knife bag. Has anyone else had a tool swap that seemed small but changed a whole dish for them?