Béchamel Sauce

This is the basic white sauce of classical French cuisine. It’s also the basis for a great many other things. Cheese added to a well-seasoned béchamel yields a cheese sauce for a great baked macaroni and cheese. Lasagna traditionally includes a layer of béchamel. Any number of cream soups start with a béchamel, as do almost all savory soufflés. The technique of cooking a roux and blending in liquid is also used to make gravy, and doing it correctly is how you avoid lumps. In short, it’s a basic technique and mastering it will make you a better cook.

The general rule is to use equal portions of butter and flour per volume of milk. 1 tbsp. each of butter and flour per cup of milk will yield a medium-thin sauce; 3 tbsp. each yields a thick, heavy sauce appropriate for use as a soufflé base.

Ingredients #

Instructions #

Place the milk in a saucepan over medium heat and bring just to the edge of simmering (make sure not to scorch it).

Place a heavy saucepan over medium heat and add the butter. When the foam subsides, add the flour and cook the resulting roux, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes. The aim here is to cook the raw taste out of the flour, but we don’t want to brown the mix.

Pour in the hot milk all at once. Immediately and vigorously whisk the mixture with a wire whisk, making sure to scrape the corners and edges of the pan to catch and unincorporated lumps of roux.

The preceding step is the traditional technique. If you’re worried about lumps, try adding 1/4 of the milk at a time, whisking until the liquid is completely incorporated and everything is the same consistency before adding the next 1/4. You’ll start with a very stiff paste and end with a thickened sauce.

Stir the sauce continuously with the whisk until it comes to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.

If you’re making this in advance, smear a bit of butter over the surface of the sauce and cover tightly with plastic wrap – otherwise, an unpleasant skin will form.