Pioneer woman 3 sauces every cook should know is a beginner guide to white sauce, cheese sauce and gravy, all built from one basic roux. That makes it a quick easy weeknight dinner skill for casseroles, pasta, roasts or potluck sides, since one technique covers three different sauces.
The step that matters is adding the milk in stages and whisking hard after each pour, since dumping it all at once causes lumps. Getting that first third smooth before adding the rest is what keeps the sauce silky, and it only takes an extra thirty seconds.
Most sauce tutorials focus on one recipe and assume you already know the basics, which leaves beginners guessing. This version teaches the roux once and builds three sauces from it, so you learn one method and walk away with a full set.
Pioneer Woman 3 Sauces Every Cook Should Know
Course: Side DIshCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy2
servings2
minutes8
minutes140
kcalA basic white sauce made from butter, flour and milk that serves as the foundation for cheese sauce, Alfredo, gravy and dozens of other recipes.
Ingredients
- White Sauce (Bechamel):
1 tablespoon butter (or more, up to 4 times the amount, as desired)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (or more, up to 4 times the amount, as desired)
1/4 teaspoon unrefined salt
1 pinch black pepper
1 cup whole milk
- Cheese Sauce (Mornay), add to white sauce:
3 ounces shredded cheese per cup of milk (2 parts soft cheese, 1 part sharp)
Pinch of nutmeg (optional)
- Gravy, adjust to your pan drippings:
Pan drippings or animal fat (butter, lard, chicken fat, beef tallow or bacon fat)
Equal amount all-purpose flour
Stock or broth (same type as the meat)
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Directions
- White Sauce (Bechamel)
- Make the roux: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour, salt and pepper, then whisk to combine. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture is bubbly and smooth, about 3 minutes. Do not brown the roux.
- Add milk in stages: Pour in about a third of the milk and whisk hard until smooth. Gradually add the remaining milk while whisking. Bring to a boil, then boil and stir for 1 minute.
- Cheese Sauce (Mornay)
- Start with white sauce: Make a white sauce using 2 1/2 tablespoons each of butter and flour per cup of milk.
- Add cheese: Remove from heat and stir in 3 ounces of shredded cheese per cup of milk, whisking gradually until smooth and melted. Add a tiny pinch of nutmeg if desired.
- Gravy
- Build the roux: Use the fat and cracklings from your roasted meat. Add an equal amount of flour and cook, stirring, until the roux turns light brown.
- Add stock: Pour in about a third of the stock and whisk fast until smooth. Add the rest of the stock gradually. Season with salt and pepper.
- Boil and strain: Bring to a full boil and boil for 1 minute. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a serving dish for a completely smooth gravy.
FAQs
How much butter and flour should I use per cup of milk?
Use equal parts butter and flour for a balanced roux, since too much flour makes the sauce pasty and too much butter leaves it greasy. One tablespoon of each per cup of milk gives a light coating, while four tablespoons of each creates a thick pizza sauce.
Should I warm the milk before adding it?
Cold milk works just as well as warm milk, since the gradual addition method prevents lumps either way. Adding about a third of the milk first and whisking hard is the real trick, because that initial blend sets the texture for the rest.
What cheese works best for the Mornay sauce?
Use two and a half tablespoons each of butter and flour per cup of milk, then stir in three ounces of shredded cheese. A mix of two parts soft cheese to one part sharp gives the best balance, since soft cheese melts smoothly and sharp adds flavor.
How do I make gravy from pan drippings?
Start with the fat from your roasted meat, add an equal amount of flour, then cook the roux to light brown before adding stock. Strain the finished gravy through a fine mesh sieve for a smooth result, which removes any cracklings or lumps.
How much salt should I add?
An under-salted sauce is the most common mistake, so start with a quarter teaspoon of salt per cup of milk for white sauce. For gravy, use a half teaspoon per two cups of stock and taste as you go, because the salt in store-bought stock varies by brand.
