Page 454 - YC Cooking School

temperature if you want lump-free results. Cold milk poured onto a warm roux can cause it
to ‘shock’, which makes it clump together and form those nasty lumps. It’s also best to use
full fat milk for a béchamel sauce.

Add the milk a little at a time

If you only remember one thing today, let it be this: add the milk a little bit at a time if you
want to achieve perfect results. Once you’ve added the first small amount of milk, stir it in
and allow it to thicken. The starch molecules in the roux will expand in the presence of heat
and liquid. Adding small amounts of liquid at a time helps this process to happen evenly,
which results in fewer lumps. Only add more milk once it has been fully absorbed into the
roux mixture and you’re left with a solid mass in your saucepan. Keep adding small amounts
of milk and stirring continuously until the sauce is of the consistency you’d like.

Go for a low heat
Béchamel sauce needs to be cooked on a low heat, otherwise it will stick to the bottom of
the pot. It’s also important to stir it constantly until cooked.

Finish by bringing it to the boil
You’ll need to bring the béchamel up to a boil to know its final consistency. Once boiling, it
will have thickened to its maximum capacity. Any remaining floury taste or texture will also
cook out at this point.

Stir for an extra minute or two
Heavy-based or cast iron pots retain a lot of residual heat, so keep stirring for a few minutes
after pulling the pot off the heat.

Keep it cosy
Once you’ve finished your sauce, make sure it stays covered with a lid as this will prevent a
skin from forming on its surface.

A couple of great variations

A classic béchamel sauce is seasoned with salt, white pepper and a small amount of
nutmeg. Once you’ve mastered this version, play with a few of these flavour variations by
adding different ingredients to your 600ml base sauce:

To create a Mornay sauce, start with a basic béchamel and add 200 g of grated

gruyere cheese before seasoning it at the end. Emmental and parmesan are also tasty
options to try.
Another favourite variation is a gherkin, caper and parsley sauce. To make it, add 2
Tbsp of chopped capers, a handful of chopped gherkins, a squeeze of lemon and
chopped parsley to the béchamel sauce.

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