Cooking In European cooking, a mixture of butter and flour called a roux is used to thicken liquids to make stews or sauces. In Asian cooking, a similar effect is obtained from a mixture of rice or corn starch and water. These techniques rely on the properties of starches to create simpler mucilaginous saccharides during cooking, which causes the familiar thickening of sauces. This thickening will break down, however, under additional heat. Types of fat include vegetable oils, animal products such as butter and lard, as well as fats from grains, including corn and flax oils. Fats are used in a
Drawn butter and flavored with vinegar, salt, pepper, capers, watercress, and so on. Drawn butter Drawn butter is melted butter, often served as a sauce for steamed seafood. Some cooks restrict the term to clarified butter; while others insist that it should not be clarified. When it is served with seafood, diners often add lemon juice to it. In the 18th century, a small amount of flour and water or milk was often added to melted butter to thicken it and prevent it from separating. Later in the 19th century, increasing amounts of flour and water were used. These sauces may themselves