Making a white sauce is one of those skills in life that you just need to learn! Whether it's for lasagne, macaroni cheese or potato gratin, it forms the base of many tasty dishes that we all love.
Yes, you can cheat and pop to the shops for a pre-made sauce, but why bother when it's so easy to make! Still not sure? Just take a look at our quick and simple recipe and see for yourself...
Ingredients
- 50g (2oz) butter
- 50g (2oz) plain flour
- 600ml (1 pint) milk
- Grated nutmeg, optional
GHI TIP: Makes 600ml (1 pint)
What to read next
Method
- Melt butter in a pan over a low heat. Add flour and cook for 1min, stirring continuously, until mixture is smooth, thick and no floury lumps remain.
- Turn off heat and slowly add milk a little bit at a time, stirring continuously to make sure there are no lumps. When combined and smooth, turn heat back on and keep stirring, making sure to get spoon into bottom and edges of pan.
- Once sauce boils, it should start to thicken. Change to a whisk and whisk constantly, simmering sauce for 2min, to cook out floury taste and make sauce glossy.
- Season to taste. To enhance flavour, add a little freshly grated nutmeg. For macaroni cheese, just add the cheddar!
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A crack team of highly skilled food content producers, the GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time.
