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 ...