How to make cheese sauce

By Will Godfrey

Whether you’re making a traditional mac ‘n’ cheese, or are looking for a sauce for your steak, the basics of a cheese sauce always stay the same.

The starting point is a white sauce (béchamel). The trick to a great white sauce is to use ice cold milk, this will keep the sauce silky smooth. Also, only stir your cheese into the sauce once it’s off the heat at the end, otherwise it will split. Try adding different types of cheeses for a more complex flavour. Blue cheese, gouda or gruyere all work well.

Cheese Sauce Recipe

Cook time: 15

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter (30g)
1 tbsp flour (30g)
350ml whole milk
80g mature cheddar cheese, grated
a pinch of salt

Method

Melt the butter in a pot over a medium heat
Once melted, add the flour and stir it in with a wooden spoon for 1-2 min or until a sandy paste forms – this is your roux.
Gradually whisk the milk into the roux, a little at a time, and cook for 5 min or until a smooth, thick sauce remains – this is your béchamel sauce.
Remove the béchamel sauce from the heat and stir in the grated cheese. Season with a pinch of salt – this is your cheese sauce.