How to Make Béchamel Sauce

Lesson Goals

Béchamel is one of the five mother sauces. Appreciated for its subtle flavor and neutral color, a well-made béchamel is rich, creamy and silky-smooth. It is an essential component in many lasagnes, cream soups, gratins and in an authentic Mac n’ Cheese.

In this lesson, you will learn about béchamel sauce and the ingredients used to make it. You will learn two different methods for making béchamel and how to prevent lumps. You will learn how to infuse the sauce with various flavors and how to adjust the consistency to suit the dish you are making. Finally, you will learn how to finish, store and reheat this extremely versatile sauce.

By knowing how to whip up a simple béchamel , a variety of interesting sauces, soups and mouthwatering mains will be at your fingertips.

Note: Béchamel is properly spelled with the following accent: béchamel.

At the end of this cooking school lesson, you will be able to:

• understand the basic techniques required to make béchamel
• list the steps in preparing béchamel sauce
• list some uses for béchamel sauce
• identify and describe the two methods for making béchamel sauce
• make béchamel sauce and vary it to make different dishes

Prerequisites

• How to Make Roux