Béchamel sauce

Pay attention to the temperature: the roux and milk must have different temperatures to avoid lumps forming, this means that a lukewarm roux needs hot milk.

Do not forget to adjust the power of the fire during the different phases: the roux needs a moderate flame, while the sauce must be cooked on an extremely low flame.

Again, to avoid lumps, it is necessary not to pour the ingredients slowly but at once, both the flour that is added to the melted butter and the roux that is added to the milk.

Do not leave your béchamel sauce alone as it needs to be stirred often to become fluid and to avoid that is sticks to the bottom of the pan. It is better to stir it vigorously at first, and then gentler once the mixture has stabilised.

Do not hurry to turn off the béchamel: give the flour time to cook otherwise you will obtain an unpleasant-tasting sauce. If you want to speed up the cooking time, you can replace the flour with corn starch, potato starch or rice flour as these need only a few moments to cook.

If you need to store it: the béchamel sauce can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days; pour it into a bowl and cover with cling film to prevent a that a layer forms on the surface.

If it is too thick when you use it, use an immersion blender so it will be immediately fluid and easy to use.

If you have leftover béchamel sauce, freeze it, and use it within 1 month; when you are ready to use it, let it defrost in the refrigerator, use the blender and place it over a low heat.

The béchamel sauce can be more or less thick depending on how you will be using it. The doses in this recipe are for a rather thick béchamel sauce that is suitable for lasagne.

A more liquid sauce can be obtained by changing the proportion between the roux and the milk: by decreasing the roux in proportion to the milk, the béchamel will be more liquid and vice versa.

The taste of the béchamel can vary by changing the liquid: for a richer béchamel, replace half the milk with the same amount of liquid cream; for a lighter béchamel, add half milk and half water. You can also replace the milk with vegetable stock. The use of vegetable milk can also be a good alternative to lighten the béchamel sauce (e.g., soya, rice, or oat milk).

The roux cooking time varies according to the result you wish to obtain:

Cooking time 1-2 minutes: You will obtain a white roux with a sweeter taste

Cooking time 3-4 minutes: the roux will be blond

Cooking time 6-8 minutes: the roux will be brown with a roasted taste