White sauce is used in many dishes, including lasagna, creamy pastas, as well as cheese and mushroom sauces. Making it yourself turns out to be easier than it seems. In South Africa, it is usually called white sauce, although it is also known as béchamel.
To create this sauce, you only need three main ingredients: butter, flour, and milk, with salt and pepper added to taste. The key is achieving the correct consistency and preventing unpleasant lumps. Once you master the gradual preparation of the sauce and constantly whisk it while adding milk, it will become a simple and useful culinary skill.
For preparation, you will need: 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of flour, 3–4 cups of milk, and salt and pepper to taste.
The process begins by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Then, add the flour and whisk until the butter and flour are completely combined. This mixture needs to cook for two to three minutes, stirring or whisking regularly, so that the flour has time to cook before adding the milk.
Slowly pour in about half of the milk, continuously whisking while pouring. Continue whisking until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. After that, add the remaining milk and season with salt and pepper. Keep whisking until all components are fully mixed, then let the sauce simmer gently until it thickens to the desired consistency. Remove the sauce from the heat and use it immediately or cover it if you plan to use it later.
Lumps most often occur due to improper mixing of the flour and butter mixture with the milk. Adding all the milk at once complicates achieving a smooth sauce, especially for those who are making sauce based on roux for the first time. Gradually adding milk while constantly whisking gives the flour mixture time to soften before more liquid is introduced.
At this stage, it is preferable to use a whisk instead of a spoon, as it helps break down small clumps of flour as the sauce forms. If small lumps do appear in the sauce, continue whisking it over low or medium heat. For particularly stubborn lumps, you can strain the sauce through a fine sieve before serving.
The ideal thickness depends on what dish the sauce is being made for. For lasagna, it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but still easily spread between layers. A thinner sauce is suitable for drizzling over vegetables or pasta, whereas a thicker white sauce is indispensable when making cheese sauce.
It is important to remember that the sauce will continue to thicken during cooking, so it is best to remove it from the heat as soon as it reaches the desired thickness, rather than waiting for it to become very dense.
After you have obtained a smooth white sauce, it is easy to transform it into a cheese sauce. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in grated cheese until it melts and is completely mixed. Cheddar is particularly good for South African-style cheese sauce, but the type of cheese can be changed depending on the recipe. The main condition is to add the cheese after the white sauce has thickened, not to cook the cheese for a long time over high heat.
Once you master the basic recipe, you can adjust the seasonings according to the dish. Traditionally, a little nutmeg is used in béchamel, and mustard works well in cheese sauce. The advantage of making white sauce from scratch is the ability to control its thickness, the amount of spices, and the exact required quantity.
Making peanut butter at home turns out to be simpler than many people assume. Since peanut butter is often used in school lunches, sandwiches, baking, and quick snacks, the price in jars can increase significantly. However, if you have peanuts at home, you can quite easily make your own peanut butter.
The preparation process is simple because peanuts already contain a sufficient amount of natural oil. With enough mixing, they transform from crushed nuts into a smooth, spreadable butter without the need to add vegetable oil. By making it yourself, you can also completely control the product's composition: you can use only peanuts and salt, or add a little honey for a sweeter taste.
Since homemade peanut butter does not undergo the same processing or contain stabilizers as many commercial varieties, the safest way to store it is in the refrigerator. When serving, always use a clean, dry spoon and keep the jar tightly closed. If the peanut butter develops an unusual smell, taste, or visible mold, it should be thrown away.
