Making Bechemel - Step by Step

I hope you are not intimidated by making Bechemel which is one of the mother sauces. Here's an easy, step by step recipe to help you master the Bechemel. From there you can add cheese to make a Cheese Sauce.


Start off with making a roux. A roux is simple equal parts flour and a fat such as butter. In a sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter.

Next add in your flour and whisk the mixture until well incorporated. Cook and whisk for a few minutes until you have cooked out the raw taste of the flour.

Next add in your liquid. In this case it's milk as I am making macaroni and cheese. The liquid can be a vegetable, seafood, chicken or beef stock or broth.

Keep whisking the roux into the added liquid.

You should end up with a thick and smooth sauce. That is the basic bechemel sauce.

Now, if you want to turn the bechemel into a cheese sauce, it's simple. Begin by adding in some cheese. In this instance I am adding some grated Parmesan cheese. Whisk this all together until blended.

For the cheese sauce I'll add in some shredded cheddar cheese. You can add any kind of cheese you like just be sure the cheese has good melting properties.

Whisk and cook until the cheese is blended. There you have it - from bechemel to cheese sauce. That wasn't hard was it?
Cheese sauce is not just for macaroni - use it to top off vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower or even asparagus.

To learn more about The Mother Sauces use the link to my article, The Mother Sauces - Bechemel.