I haven't done *that* for a while

[stephbg]

Friends of a domestic inclination: How do you make a white sauce (butter, plain flour, milk) without lumps?



I've forgotten what the trick is, beyond the outright cheat of adding cheese (which strictly speaking I'm not supposed to do). Do you add all the milk at once or a tiny bit at a time? Is the only solution a disciplined sieving? Faster? Slower? A bit to the left?

Does it require power tools? My rusty whisk technique seems to be subconsciously leaning in the direction of my desire to paint, for I seemed to splash most of the sauce-in-progress on the kitchen walls. Adding electricity to this process strikes me as very Mythbusters, and thus perhaps best done in a deserted quarry.

OTOH it tasted OK, or was at least sufficiently disguised by the flanking leeks, celery and lamb to pass muster.

I miss seeded mustard. And mushrooms.

On the bright side, got out this afternoon for some distributed shopping, then to BB for some scalp massage and physio, topped off by a visit to Dad. I do not believe I have challenged anyone's immune system, and in BB's case the happy hormones must surely outweigh any threat I represented to his lymph system, some of which I shifted about. The boy can certainly purr, and the nurses requested a sample. Didn't do the feet this time, for he's now sporting some fetching mid-thigh white pressure socks. We discussed his chances for joining the house troupe at The Moulin Rouge. Briefly.

Comments

[cricketk.livejournal.com]

Add the milk a little at a time. I use a potato masher rather than a whisk, for the added benefit of mashing out any lumps as they form.

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

Mashing sounds good, ta.

[delicious-irony.livejournal.com]

I find gradually adding the milk is a good thing. And being more discreet with the size of each addition is a good way to avoid oversloshing. Though I love whisks with very heavy handles - you get more power for your beating, resulting in easier slaying of lumps.

Glad to hear everyone's doing reasonably well health wise. Looking forward to catching up with you at Swancon.

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

I sort of added the milk gradually, but I think I failed to blend each bit enough before adding the next splash. Subtle business, cooking. I'm quite enjoying getting back into the swing of basic techniques, and because I'm restricted to very basic flavours I can focus on the skills rather than wierd experiments.

OK, maybe a few wierd experiments. Speaking of which, it was a truffle-oil-based dip of yours at a Swancon room party 2 years ago that inspired my dabblings with truffles a few months ago.

[fe2h2o.livejournal.com]

I find warming the milk helps tremendously, and then taking the time to stir well each addition of milk. But there was a definite jump in the 'un-lumpiness' when I started warming the milk (I just do it in the microwave for about a minute per cup).

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

The secrets emerge! Thanks.

[lauredhel.livejournal.com]

If the lumps don't come out with careful/gradual milk-adding, I just give it a few seconds with a stick blender. No mess.

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

Power tools, excellent :-)

Stick blender = whipper snipper, yes?

[rabbit1080.livejournal.com]

Melt the butter.
Stir in the flour. Make sure all of the flour is thoroughly dissolved in the melted butter. If in doubt, add a little more butter.
Then add the milk, a bit at a time. I've always just added cold milk and stirred with a spoon - the only times I got lumps in the sauce was when I hadn't quite dissolved all the flour in the butter first.

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

There's a good chance the flour wasn't quite dissolved enough - I didn't want the butter-flour mix to get too thick and pasty from the butter evaporating off, so may have started the milk in a bit too soon perhaps.

All of this is becoming a bit of a moot point, for my half share of the sauce added up to just too much dairy. Options: make less sauce, or investigate milk alternatives.

[anthanum.livejournal.com]

I've never had a problem replacing cows milk with either soy or rice milk in any form of sauce or cake/baking situation.

[rabbit1080.livejournal.com]

The flour/butter mixing only needs low-ish heat - apparently the melting-point for butter is around 30 degrees (just the thing for an Aussie summer).

I use half milk, half water.

[transcendancing.livejournal.com]

Whisking is my technique, and I haven't had issues - but I do use a similar technique to rabbit1080 with the melting of butter and flour being mixed in etc. I don't usually add the milk slowly - but in 2-3 lots, and make sure each addition is thorougly mixed in before adding the next. Good luck!

[fred-mouse.livejournal.com]

most of what I would say has been said above. Some thoughts: I use oil, rather than butter (macadamia oil if I want a rich flavour, or grapeseed or rice bran oil if not), and whatever flour comes to hand, and it works pretty well. I add milk gradually, but use a beehive whisk to mix it in, which lifts the flour mixture off the bottom.

I also find that I do a better job on gas than I do on electric, because I can control the heat much better. And I think that not cooking it too hot helps with not getting lumps (although it is possible that others would disagree with me).