Bechamel sauce

[Opportunitynox]

What am I doing wrong when I make bechamel sauce? It always goes lumpy even though I think I've done everything correctly.

Or you can use this!

https://www.ocado.com/products/Chef-Parmalat-Bechamel-Sauce/304870011

Ot the point, but I find it rather soothing to make.

I use olive oil rather than butter. Mix the oil and flour, add a little bit of milk (straight from the fridge) and mix it into a paste, add more milk then start heating it, keep stirring, add the rest of the milk.

Lots of great tips. I feel more confident now and I'll be trying out lots of them. My aim is to make a decent macaroni cheese (without lumpy sauce). Thanks for all your suggestions.

What does it tell you? 😀

True Bechamel should have nutmeg but never cheese. I agree with PP about starting slowly too. I often take the roux off and on the gas until I’ve got the paste to the right consistency by adding a little milk at a time, and I agree it’s easier with warm milk. If I’m using cold milk it needs even more attention at the beginning until it’s sauce like enough to add the remaining liquid.

If I’m feeling lazy, crème fraiche and grated cheese is a very easy cheese sauce and Boursin with garlic and herbs is happily UPF free and good with pasta & salmon.

Just don’t panic about lumps. If you see one stir harder, or lift it off the heat and break it up with a fork but keep going. Take no nonsense from it. A roux can sense your fear.

What do you want the sauce for? If its a cheese sauce just add cheese to cream and melt it through. A white sauce quite honestly I would just use thick cream or perhaps marscapone, thin it with milk, flavour with herbs.

I do it with cold milk to save on washing up. melt butter over medium heat, add flour, combine and cook a little, add milk in small amounts at first, stirring until combine and the pan back up to temperature before adding more milk. as the sauce develops you can add the milk in larger quantities. once you start adding the milk you can turn the heat up if you want to speed things up. once all the milk's in season with s&p and nutmeg. works every time for me.

Delia herself would say that that’s what sieves are for. That said, a whisk will sort you out.

A béchamel is the base sauce to prepare, when you add cheese it then becomes a Mornay.

I’m a bit like @oldwhyno I avoid washing up whenever possible and so a sieve doesn’t seem like a very efficient solution.

The milk says, make me warm as it’s easier to blend me in without lumps that way

When I make macaroni cheese

i put the flour and butter in after melting butter and take off the heat to beat like hell

tnen add milk, and beat vigorously then slowly but never stop stirring across
then it thickens

i add horseradish sauce

then the macaroni and chopped up cooked smoky bacon

place cheddar grated ontop, and if I have cream cheese stir that in

Well yeah, obvs. But needs must sometimes.

Most of the recipes say equal parts butter and flour. I find if I use more butter, it avoids lumps. But, yes, if there are a few lumps a whisk sorts it out.

Bechamel and cheese sauces are distinct.

These whisks are very good for sauce.

Use a low heat, add the milk gradually and whisk smooth in between.

i made all in one recently by mistake
it was perfect

Low heat is key

Alternatively, for a vegan alternative, cook some cashew nuts in a dry pan -once brown, add milk and blend with nutritional yeast. Delicious!

I have been using the all in one method for about 20 years (maybe longer) and its brilliant. No faffing about adding milk slowly. Just bung it all in the saucepan (I don't even measure any of the ingredients) and whisk. I actually have it on a pretty high heat as I just don't have the patience to stand and wait for it to heat up.

If its good enough for Delia its good enough for me

i also love making a roux and I can now do it in 5 mins from
the origins 20!

warm milk, pasta stage slowly add it, wooden spoon, hold your nerve

hollandiase is my nemesis