Basic White Sauces

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USING THE PROPER EQUIPMENT

When making BASIC roux sauces, melt the butter in a HEAVY saucepan. This is particularly important. The heat is not uniformly conducted in a thin pan, and the sauce may scorch. It is recommended to use heavy-bottomed enameled, stainless steel, oven-proof glass or porcelain or tin-lined copper saucepans. Aluminum tends to discolor sauces made with wine or eggs. To smooth and break up any lumps of flour in Basic White and Velouté sauces, use a wire whisk. A wooden spoon is fine for mixing the thicker Basic Brown Sauce.

Below is a chart giving the amount of flour and butter to use to vary the consistency. The amount of milk remains unchanged. Through repeated use, you will become familiar with the differing thicknesses and will soon be making flawless White Sauces that Béchamel himself would have been proud to serve.

THIN SAUCE (Consistency of coffee cream – for creamed vegetables; soup base)

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper


MEDIUM SAUCE (General-purpose consistency of thick cream – for creamed and scalloped dishes)

3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
Salt4 and pepper


THICK SAUCE (Consistency of batter – for croquettes and soufflés)

4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
Salt and Pepper


If you want your White Sauce to have an appetizingly rich sheen, “finish” it in the classic French manner by beating in 1 tablespoon butter just before removing it from the heat. Store the unused portion in a small bowl. As you do for mayonnaise, cover the top of the mixture, not the bowl, with a fitted circle of waxed paper rinsed under cold water. Then cover the bowl with foil or plastic wrap. These precautions prevent a film from forming on top.