Making roux on the stovetop takes at least 45 minutes of continuous cooking and stirring, and my arm gets tired. Every year, I make turkey gumbo with my leftover Thanksgiving bird, and every year I ...

Adding cooked chicken to the gumbo, which was made in a microwave oven. (Photo by David Grunfeld / Nola.com / The Times-Picayune) The first person I ever saw make a roux was a guy who grew up in ...

Many family dinners are planned ahead of time after pulling a delicious-sounding recipe out of a cookbook and making a detailed grocery list. But there are plenty of nights when this home cook just ...