Bechamel Pot

A béchamel or white sauce is one of the classic french mother sauces that form the basis of much french cuisine.

Bechamel pot. If the sauce is too thin. Taste it before you continue cooking because it may already taste burnt. Do not let it brown.

It s a soup or it can be. Cook the roux for 5 minutes stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon until the mixture thickens. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan. If you do scrape the bottom of the pot and notice brown or black bits floating in your bechamel strain it right away and put it in a new pot. Once melted stir in the flour until smooth.

Just remember that any bechamel will thicken very quickly after you take the pot off the heat. It always needs to be thinner than you plan to because it will thicken. A béchamel is one of the five mother sauces that are considered benchmarks in french cooking the others are the velouté béarnaise espagnole hollandaise and tomato.

Simmer it down the sauce will thicken quickly or cook a little more flour and butter in a small saucepan on the side then whisk it into your sauce. White sauce is perhaps the most commonly used mother sauce for home cooks. Then gradually add 3 cups of warm milk to the roux whisking and stirring as you slowly pour the liquid into the pot.

Number two is to stir the sauce regularly making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot. Gradually add milk and continue to whisk constantly. It s also the base for macaroni and cheese if you know what you re doing at least.