White sauce (for lasagne) Qs and recipes

VfM4meplse

Definitely nicer to mke you own, also v quick too. Sound like you will need a pot at least the size of a presssure cooker on this occasion, but even a large batch won't take more than 10 mins to make.

I don't usually measure out the butter and flour but always get the best results by:

• NOT using a non-stick pan
• browning the roux thoroughly but don't let it burn
• using a balloon whisk to knock out any lumps (these tend to take teflon off with then hence point 1).
• using the strongets smelliest blue cheese you can find means you can get away with a lot less. :T

VfM

Penelope_Penguin

There's a whole thread here on cheese sauce I'll add this one later to keep recipes together.

Penny. x

tattoed_bum

hi basic white sauce ,
put 4 tablespoons of butter into a pan and melt
slowly add roughly the same amount plain flour to the pan and mix till it all comes together into a thick paste
keep mixing and slowly add about 1 litre of milk keep stirring so it doesnt go lumpy add salt and pepper to taste it should be right when it covers the back of the spoon add grated cheese if required .

this should be enough to make the large trays of lasagne that you hope to make

summerlou

thankyou off to make it now will save a fourtune on jar sauces now and hopefully taste nicer:T

clarebelle

good luck! i hope it goes well, id be afraid of making so much white sauce at once, my roux nevr tastes right at best of times! xD

ascot64

When I need to make large quantities of white sauce I use a buerre manie.

From Wikipedia -
Beurre mani! (French "kneaded butter") is a dough, consisting of equal parts of soft butter and flour, used to thicken soups and sauces. By kneading the flour and butter together, the flour particles are coated in butter. When the beurre mani! is whisked into a hot or warm liquid, the butter melts, releasing the flour particles without creating lumps.
Beurre mani! should not be confused with roux, which is also a thickener made of equal parts of butter and flour, but which is cooked before use.

I just melt the butter and stir in the flour in a bowl and keep it in the fridge till I need it.

So long as you simmer carefully to cook out the flour I find this works better than a roux - more reliably lump free!

mouseymousey99

We used to do 'all in one' sauce at school (in the dark ages) a very basic roux - a tablespoon flour (I've moved onto cornflour), a tablespoon butter, 1/2 pint milk - all in the pan. The trick is to keep stirring. You can add whatever you want to it (grated cheese) or parsley for a parsley sauce etc.

billieboy_2

mouseymousey99 wrote: »

We used to do 'all in one' sauce at school (in the dark ages) a very basic roux - a tablespoon flour (I've moved onto cornflour), a tablespoon butter, 1/2 pint milk - all in the pan. The trick is to keep stirring. You can add whatever you want to it (grated cheese) or parsley for a parsley sauce etc.

That's how I make mine, 2oz butter, 2oz plain flour, 1pt milk, lob it all in pan put on heat and whisk all the time until it has thickened then cook very gently for about 2mins stirring (to cook out the floury taste), add cheese, pepper and salt to taste, hey presto.

Mellika

Here's how my mum has always done it:

250ml milk
50g butter
1tbsp cornflour

Mix cornflour with milk very well, leave no lumps. Add the butter and heat gently until it thickens. Turn heat up a bit and let it boil for 1 minute. Take off the heat and add salt and any other spices you want in it.

blueberrypie

I don't use white sauce at all in my lasagna - I prefer it with a ricotta mixture (ricotta with a beaten egg mixed in, bit of basil too if you want - or you can use cottage cheese instead of ricotta). I believe it's a Northern Italy/Southern Italy difference, but I like the firmer results the ricotta gives - lasagnas with white sauce always seem too watery for my taste.