--- title: "Béchamel: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates" description: "Béchamel is a smooth white sauce of milk thickened with a butter and flour roux. It is the base for lasagna, mac and cheese, gratins and croque monsieur." url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bechamel" --- # Béchamel Béchamel is a smooth white sauce of milk thickened with a butter and flour roux. It is the base for lasagna, mac and cheese, gratins and croque monsieur. Also called Bechamel, White sauce, Besciamella. Béchamel is a white sauce made by whisking milk into a cooked mix of butter and flour, called a [roux](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/roux). It is one of the French [mother sauces](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/mother-sauces). On its own it tastes mild and creamy, and it is the base for cheese sauce, lasagna, moussaka and many baked dishes. ## How to do it For a medium sauce, about 500 ml (2 cups): 1. Warm 500 ml (2 cups) of milk in a pan until it steams. 2. In another pan, melt 30 g (2 tablespoons) of butter over medium-low heat. Stir in 30 g (1/4 cup) of flour. 3. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes until it smells like cooked pastry but has not browned. 4. Pour in the warm milk a little at a time, whisking all the time, until smooth. 5. Bring to a gentle [simmer](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/simmer) and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, so the flour taste cooks out. 6. Season with salt, white pepper and a little grated nutmeg. ## How to tell it is done The sauce is smooth, glossy and coats the back of a spoon, a texture called [nappe](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/nappe). It should not taste of raw flour. ## How to use it Change the thickness by changing the roux. Use 15 g each of butter and flour per 500 ml for a thin sauce, 30 g for medium, and 45 to 60 g for a thick sauce that binds fillings or croquettes. Stir in grated cheese off the heat to make a Mornay sauce for [gratins](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/gratin) and mac and cheese. ## How to store it Cool it quickly, cover the surface, and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. It thickens as it cools. Reheat gently and whisk in a splash of milk. ## Common mistakes * Adding all the milk at once to a hot roux, which makes lumps. Add it slowly and whisk. * Not cooking long enough, which leaves a floury taste. * Letting it catch on the bottom. Stir with a spoon or spatula that reaches the corners. * Leaving it uncovered, so a skin forms. Press plastic wrap or parchment onto the surface. ## Béchamel recipes 1 recipe from the sites we collect. * [![](https://pinchofyum.com/tachyon/Chicken-Tetrazzini-Recipe.jpg?fit=225%2C225)Chicken Tetrazzinipinchofyum.com · 75 min](https://pinchofyum.com/chicken-tetrazzini) ## Related terms * [RouxA roux is equal weights of flour and fat cooked together to thicken sauces, soups and gravies. Cook it white, blond or brown depending on the dish.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/roux) * [Mother saucesThe five French mother sauces are béchamel, velouté, espagnole, sauce tomate and hollandaise. Learning them lets you make hundreds of other sauces.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/mother-sauces) * [VeloutéVelouté is a French mother sauce of light stock thickened with a blond roux. It is silky and pale, and it is the base of cream sauces for chicken and fish.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/veloute) * [GratinA gratin is a dish baked in a shallow pan until the top forms a golden crust, often of cheese or breadcrumbs. See how to get it tender and browned.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/gratin) * [NappeNappe is the thickness at which a sauce coats the back of a spoon and holds a clean line when you draw a finger through it. It is the test for custards.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/nappe) [More in sauces and stocks](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/sauces-and-stocks)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)