How to Make Cheese Sauce

Originally a traditional sauce in British kettles, cheese sauce is now popular around the world. A rich cheese sauce can spice up vegetables or everyone’s favorite dishes, from mains like noodles to side dishes like fries. With the following simple, quick and easy recipe, you will need only a few ingredients and a little time to prepare.

Table of Contents

Ingredient

110 g grated cheddar cheese or another cheese of your choice
45 g butter
45g flour
480 ml milk
1/2 teaspoon (2 g) grated fresh nutmeg (optional)
1/2 or 1 diced onion (optional)
Clove powder (optional)
1 bay leaf (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice (fresh or bottled lemon)

Finished product: 700 ml cheese sauce

Chop and grate the ingredients

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Shredded 110 g cold cheese. Cheddar cheese is commonly used, but you can use any cheese or cheese blend. Take the cheese out of the fridge, spread a sheet of parchment paper on the counter. Rest the scraper on the table, tilted at an angle of 45 degrees. Place the cheese slice perpendicular to the grater and push down towards the parchment paper. One hand holds the grater firmly, the other hand holds the cheese, pressing the grater while pushing the cheese down. ^{[1] X Research Source}

With parmesan and harder cheeses, you can hold the cheese at a 45-degree angle on the parchment paper and use a knife to grate vegetables from the top of the cheese into large pieces.
If possible, use cold cheese. The cheese will reach room temperature when grated and will melt easily.
If you don’t want to have to grate the cheese, you can buy pre-shredded cheese.

Pour shredded cheese into a separate bowl. When you’re done, lift the parchment paper and pour the cheese into the bowl. Squeeze about ¼ of a fresh lemon or a few drops of bottled lemon juice into it to prevent the cheese from spinning. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Set the bowl of grated cheese aside to let the cheese come to room temperature while preparing the other ingredients. This is when the cheese will melt.

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Grate 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) of fresh nutmeg for a spicy-sweet flavor. Place each nutmeg on a cutting board and mash with the flat side of the blade, then peel so that only the seeds remain. The back of the scraper is flat on the cutting board, tilted at an angle of 45 degrees. Use your thumb and index finger to hold the top of the nutmeg and grate it in slices about 5 cm long. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Continue to grate the nutmeg until enough.
You can buy pre-ground nutmeg so you don’t have to grate it, but keep in mind that pre-ground nutmeg loses its flavor faster than whole nutmeg.

Cut halves or a diced onion for a slight pungent taste. Slice an onion lengthwise and face it flat on a cutting board. Next, cut the onion in half lengthwise and peel off the outer skin. Place half of an onion on a cutting board, remembering to turn the stem away from you. Hold the onion with your left hand and cut it lengthwise from head to tail, leaving a small portion uncut, then turn perpendicular and continue to cut all half of the onion. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Continue cutting the other half of the onion in the same way. If you only want to use half an onion, you can wrap the unused half in cling film and store it in the refrigerator for up to 7-10 days.

Cut 45 g butter into small pieces to melt. Butter cut into small pieces will melt faster and blend more easily with the flour. Place the 45g avocado on a cutting board and use a knife to cut the avocado into finger-sized pieces. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

You can buy stick butter to make it easier to cut.

Cooking sauce

Melt butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan at 90 degrees Celsius. Put the butter pieces in a small thick-bottomed saucepan and place on the stove. Turn on the stove to low heat, usually the number “2” on the knob, or about 90 degrees Celsius ^{. [6] X Source of Research}

Try to use a thick bottom pan to help distribute the heat more evenly.

Stir the flour into the melted butter and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Hold the spatula between your index finger and thumb and swirl it around the pan, letting the handle wobble slightly in your hand. Stir with your hands even after the flour is well incorporated to ensure that the floury taste is removed. Continue to cook the mixture over low heat 1-2 after stirring in the flour. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

When the eyelash powder turns slightly yellow, it’s time to move on to the next step.
Leave the swing in your hand while stirring to reduce hand fatigue.

Pour in 480 ml of cold milk and stir for 3-4 minutes. Take the milk out of the refrigerator. Gently pour the milk into the saucepan and continue stirring. Remember to stir slowly and continuously until the mixture begins to simmer. By this time, the mixture should bubble and thicken. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Make sure the butter and flour mixture is hot before pouring in the milk. If not, you need to leave it for another 1-2 minutes. Mixing ingredients of different temperatures is the way to make sure everything cooks at the right speed and the cheese sauce gets the best texture.

Add nutmeg, onion, cloves, bay leaf, salt and pepper to the mixture. Start by sprinkling some salt and pepper to taste. Next, season with ½ teaspoon (2 g) of grated fresh nutmeg and diced onion. Finally, add a pinch of clove powder and 1 crushed bay leaf to the mixture. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Add the spices one at a time and taste the sauce after mixing. Experiment with different amounts of ingredients to get the flavor you want.

Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until sauce is smooth. When the sauce starts to boil and bubble, turn the heat down to “Min” or the smallest number on the knob. The temperature will now be just enough to simmer, which is a little below boiling point but still hot. Remove the saucepan from the heat when the sauce has thickened. ^{[10] X Research Source}

It’s important not to let the sauce get above enough temperature to maintain the liquid, so you should use low heat just to be sure.

Add the shredded cheese to the mixture, but do not boil. After removing the pan from the heat, sprinkle with grated cheese and stir well. Continue stirring until cheese is smooth.

If the cheese doesn’t melt, you can return it to the stove and bring it to a boil. Remember to keep the heat to the lowest setting, as the cheese can spin when reheated.
Add the cheese last and cook only until the cheese melts. Don’t let the cheese boil, or it may solidify and burn.

Strain out the seasoning ingredients if the sauce is thick. If the sauce is lumpy, you can use a small spoon to scoop out the extra ingredients in the sauce, because the flavor of the sauce has already blended in. You can also place the sieve over the rim of the bowl, line the sieve with cheesecloth and gently pour the sauce in. Be sure to choose a piece of cloth that is wide enough to cover the surface of the sieve and hang over the outside of the rim. ^{[11] X Research Source}

If you filter with cheesecloth, you will have to leave the sauce out for a few hours at room temperature, so this should only be a last resort.

Serve the sauce and store the leftovers in the refrigerator. Drizzle cheese sauce over your favorite pasta or use it to make a Philly cheese steak sandwich. For side dishes, you can use cheese sauce to dip your fries, drizzle on nachos or a salad with broccoli and cauliflower. If you have leftover sauce, you can store it in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Heat cheese sauce in microwave on high power for 1-2 minutes or heat in saucepan at 90 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes.

Advice

Starch (wheat) helps keep the cheese from freezing. Add the flour to the butter first, stirring well for a few minutes to remove the floury taste.
The key is to stir the mixture well by hand to prevent the dough from clumping and to help the sauce become smoother.
If using low-fat cheese, you must mince it more than regular cheese because low-fat cheese will take longer to melt and be firmer. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Warning

If you don’t stir well, the cheese sauce will get mushy. Continue stirring until the ingredients are evenly combined and smooth.
Shredded or shredded cheese will take a long time to melt in the pan.

Things you need

Grate table
Whip
Flat scraper table
pot
Ladle
Bowl