First Things First - WHITE SAUCE

Bechamel - White Sauce - The Beginning

THE MOST IMPORTANT SAUCE RECIPE YOU'LL EVER NEED!

I can't be too assertive about this.  It is my opinion that there are some basics every single American cook needs to learn and perfect.  I'm not trying to say that you cannot cook without learning these; but I am saying that you'll become a well-rounded, great cook of just about any ethnicity's recipes and any type of dish.

First of all, I'm going to teach you how to make a 'White Sauce.'

"White sauce?" you ask.  "What does 'white sauce' have to do with making fried chicken, Mimi's stew, etc?  White sauce, correct name is Bechamel because it originated in France, probably in the Dark Ages(!), is THE BASIC OF ALL BASICS.  Remember, cooking is Chemistry.  You're combining various foods together to make a "dish."

Here's the very simple recipe:

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt:
2 Tablespoons butter or fat

Add:

2 Tablespoons of flour
      and stir constantly to work out any lumps (very important - you don't want a lumpy sauce).
      This also 'cooks' out any raw flour taste (also important to the success of your sauce).  It
      takes only about one minute - stir constantly - don't let it brown.

While stirring constantly, slowly add:

1 cup of milk
    It's nice if you have a whisk; if not, use a spoon or a fork and really stir it to make sure your
    sauce will be smooth - with no tell-tale lumps, the sign of a rank amateur!
    Keep stirring as the sauce thickens to a medium thickness - like gravy.

Okay, so now that you've practiced making this sauce once, you're ready to make perfect roast beef gravy, perfect consistency stew gravy, perfect tuna casserole, perfectly wonderful macaroni and cheese,  etc.  The list goes on and on.  This one simple sauce will immediately turn you into a professional-like cook, instead of a hacker!