According to Alton Brown, making roux in the oven is easy. Weigh out equal parts of flour and oil by mass (he uses four ounces of each to make his gumbo), whisk it together in a 5-quart Dutch oven ...

A proper gumbo — thick, rich, affirming of hunger and soul — calls for a proper roux, the mix of toasted flour and fat that gives the stew a backbone. But a dedication to roux, in theory, used ...