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Béchamel and 6 Other Creamy Sauces

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BY Mark Bittman

PUBLISHED December 22, 2023

The classic French thick and creamy white sauce is so versatile: Use it to “bind” pastas and noodles; layer it between thinly sliced vegetables or meats; spoon it judiciously under or over fish fillets or boneless chicken. Neither the main recipe nor any of the variations should be intimidating, even for new cooks.

Since béchamel begins simply by cooking fat and flour (a mixture called a roux), all of these sauces are virtually foolproof. The key to success is making sure that the flour actually cooks, otherwise it won’t have any thickening power. You can carefully taste the flour to see if it’s no longer raw if you’re not sure. To brighten any of these further, stir in 1 tablespoon or more prepared mustard, capers, or both during the last minute of cooking, or up to 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs or 1 tablespoon lemon juice after.

 

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Béchamel and 6 Other Creamy Sauces

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Makes about 1 1/2 cups 1x

Time 10 to 20 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups milk
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Put the butter or oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When the butter melts or the oil is hot, use a wire whisk to incorporate the flour. Turn the heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture turns tan and smells like toast, about 3 minutes.

2. Stir in the milk a little bit at a time, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. When about a cup of the liquid has been stirred in, the mixture will be fairly thick. Add more milk a little at a time until the consistency is just a little thinner than you like, then cook, still over low heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture thickens again.

3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately or keep warm for up to an hour, stirring occasionally, over gently simmering water or in a double boiler.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Completely Revised 20th Anniversary Edition

Recipe variations

Mornay (Cheese) Sauce
Add 1/2 to 1 cup grated Emmental (Swiss), Gruyère, or other good melting cheese to the sauce after it has thickened.

Brown Sauce
A pinch thyme is good here: In Step 1, cook the flour-fat mixture until brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Use beef, chicken, or vegetable stock in place of the milk.

Velouté (White) Sauce
Use chicken, fish, or lobster stock in place of the milk.

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