The Often Overlooked Step For An Ultra-Smooth Homemade Béchamel Sauce

Béchamel is a word that conjures images of some of the richest, most comforting foods known to man. Lasagna, mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, and croque monsieur — all of these dishes are made better by the inclusion of the creamy, subtly seasoned sauce. It's easier to cook than you might think, but according to Dan Mancini, founder of Mama Mancini's, there's one step that's crucial to remember when aiming for a smooth homemade béchamel.

"... [Warming the milk] makes all the difference in taste as well as texture," Mancini told Food Republic. "I always warm the milk before making a béchamel. It's simple to do and this step speeds up the process. You will also have less chance of dealing with lumps in the sauce. No one wants lumps in their sauce." 

When it comes to how to heat the milk to avoid overheating or even worse, burning it, Mancini suggested staying away from the microwave, which is harder to control, thereby increasing the risk it will boil before you realize it. "I recommend a simple double boiler and to keep stirring the milk so it heats evenly and slowly," he said. "Or a saucepan on the stove works perfectly (always on low heat), and to also keep stirring so it heats evenly and does not boil."

Once you've warmed the milk thoroughly, you need to add the milk slowly to the roux, half a cup at a time. This prevents the roux from shocking, which causes difficult-to-remove lumps.

Béchamel, one of the five French mother sauces, is made by adding milk to a roux made from flour and butter and finishing it off with salt and nutmeg — though some recipes call for egg yolks or even mustard. Because of the temperature-sensitive nature of the butter and milk, the sauce's texture can turn on you quickly. It's important to have a variety of strategies to ensure it stays smooth and creamy without the dreaded lumps.

Using a glass is a great trick for sifting flour in a mess-free way, but beyond avoiding an unwanted white-dusted countertop, this distributes the flour in a controlled manner that helps prevent uneven clumps that could hurt the texture as it combines with the butter. Fill the glass with the desired amount of flour, cover it with a sieve, and flip the whole thing over your pot. Move the glass in slow circles to ensure a uniform distribution.

Using a griddle to cook the béchamel over indirect heat is another technique that can help create the most velvety, thick béchamel possible. Putting a griddle on the burner and then putting the saucepan on the griddle allows for a more gentle cooking process that will prevent burning and will allow the milk to incorporate with the roux more slowly, which makes for an even richer texture. Above all, remember what Dan Mancini said: "You just need to warm the milk, not boil it."