---
title: "Nappe: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates"
description: "Nappe 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."
url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/nappe"
---

# Nappe

Nappe 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.

Also called Nappé.

Nappe, from the French _napper_, "to coat", describes a sauce that is thick enough to cling to food in a thin, even layer. In practice it means the sauce [coats the back of a spoon](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/coat-the-back-of-a-spoon). It is the target thickness for custard sauce, many cream sauces and reduced stocks.

## How to do it

1. Dip a metal or wooden spoon into the sauce and lift it out.
2. Turn the spoon over and look at the back. The sauce should cover it in an even, opaque layer, not run off.
3. Draw a finger across the back of the spoon.
4. If the line stays clean and the sauce on either side does not run back into it, the sauce is at nappe.
5. If the line fills in, keep cooking or [reducing](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/reduce). If the sauce is gloopy and clumps, thin it with a little liquid.

## How to tell it is done

For custard sauce, _crème anglaise_, nappe comes at about 77 to 82°C (170 to 180°F). A [thermometer](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/thermometer) helps, because above that range the yolks start to scramble. For a [béchamel](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bechamel) or a reduced stock, there is no exact temperature; use the spoon test.

## Why it works

A sauce thickens when starch swells, egg proteins set, or liquid evaporates and leaves more gelatin behind. The spoon test is a quick way to check thickness while the sauce is hot. Most sauces thicken more as they cool, so nappe when hot gives a good texture at the table.

## Common mistakes

* Testing with a cold spoon in a gelatin-rich sauce, which sets the sauce on contact and fools you.
* Overshooting a custard while waiting for it to look thick. Take it off the heat as soon as the line holds.
* Testing on the front of the spoon, where the sauce pools.

## In recipes

You will see "cook until nappe", "until it coats the back of a spoon" or "until it naps the spoon". All mean the same test.

## Related terms

* [Coat the back of a spoonA sauce that coats the back of a spoon is thick enough to cling in an even layer and hold a line drawn through it. It is the classic test for custard.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/coat-the-back-of-a-spoon)
* [Crème pâtissièreCrème pâtissière is a thick custard of milk, egg yolks, sugar and starch, used to fill eclairs, tarts and doughnuts. Here is how to make it smooth.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/creme-patissiere)
* [LiaisonA liaison is a mix of egg yolks and cream stirred into a hot sauce or soup at the end to thicken and enrich it. Temper it first so the yolks do not curdle.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/liaison)
* [ReduceTo reduce is to simmer or boil a liquid uncovered so water evaporates, leaving a smaller amount that is thicker and more intense in flavor.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/reduce)
* [BéchamelBéchamel 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.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bechamel)

[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)