h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I disagreed with this entry when it was in the Peer Review forum and still do.

Sure it is *a* way of making cheese sauce, but oh what a palaver.

Simply mix a little milk (cold) with Flour keep adding till all milk added, add butter (or low fat, low taste substitute), heat whilst stirring. Add Cheese, add other flavours (mustard, pepper etc)

End of story, same taste, same constitency, same bl***ding sauce.



CHawke

You really ought to try this method... unless you like it lumpy.

That's the thing, my way does not produce lumps, honest, my mum taught me it, even Delia teaches it, simply add the mil slowly, mix a paste as in the method outlined but instead of making the paste out of molten butter (and having the risks of the flour burning) the paste is made from flour and milk.

As soon as past has been made, the rest of the mil is added and sauce is complete AND NO LUMPS

CHawke

Hmmm... I'll have to give your method a try. I can see this Entry turning into something as monumental as the 'Scrambled Egg' opus.

I missed that one, luckily, but then I never really like scrambled egg that much.

Also, I have actually seen a TV cook simply bung the flour in the milk in one go and wisk to b*****y (self censorship despite an historic post using similar word being left intact), the TV cook said as long as the fat (ideally butter) is dissolve first you don't get lumps. Tried it and I got lumps .

CHawke

'Scrambled Eggs' is a good one! Have a look; it'll make a convert of you.

I agree: the bung-and-whisk method seems a bit haphazard. This TV cook must be a bit of a charlatan.

JTG

ok

I have made cheese sauce several different ways and I have to say that whatever method you use if the sauce feels like being lumpy on the day then it will be and there's absolutley nothing you can do to stop it.

In general I have found that the following things help.

Add the milk gradually but erevery time you do so remove the pan from the heat for a moment to prevent something sticking while you are juggling the milk bottle and may not be able to stir fast

Let the milk thicken before adding the cheese. (added advantage that if it goes really wrong you can start again and wont have wasted cheese)

If the milk won't thicken after an age and you mustn't risk over cooking it because it will split and look like sick (we had flush one disaster down the loo because it was so bad) the the answer is to mix some cornflour with water then chuck it in the sauce. you must let this cook through so don't just throw the cheese in straight away and then serve.

Finally, I always bung in some Worchester sauce. (but shake the bottel first 'cos brown lumps look disgusting).

Good luck

FABT

p.s.

my Mum manages to make cheese sauce by throwing everything in the microwave and stirring it everynow and then.

but then,.....she's clever

It seem's as if everyone's mum makes cheese sauce except mine

I agree with the method in the article though

Thankyou La Fajita. This is the method I've been using for some years now, and I've never yet had to suffer a lumpy sauce.

Now, mixing all the ingredients cold, then still having to heat it all up (whilst avoiding lumps in the process of course) really does sound like a palava!

Thanks John.

~A~

My pleasure.

JTG

Using method as described in the article was basically how i was shown to do it, but can, somtimes (if the sauce feels like it), end up with lumps, an easy solution is to fry a very little bit of garlic or onion in with the butter (i never liked it with low fat substitutes, and i don't think it works as well and doesn't thicken up properly or as quick), and fry for a little while in teh butter, (this may reuqire slightly more butter than otherwise needed), then as before add milk gradually; i haven't a clue why, but the onion or garlic finley chopped appears to prevent it going lumpy, no matter how poor a pan stirer you are

Mmm... that sounds good to me. Cheese, garlic and oninon sauce. May have to try that later.

I think that's something me and Pegasus can agree on -= regardless of method, cheese, onion and garlic sauce sounds yummy. I was wondering what to cook tonight, now all I need is to think what to put in the sauce.

ChawkE

agreement on cooking method/protocol/ingrediants for chees sauce: must be a first:: anybody fancy tackling the great risotto, now theres a cooking topic that would generate a large amount of disagreement Hmmm, pasta bake, made with cheese, garlic onion sauce, red peppers, mushrooms, bit of basil and chicken pieces hmmm, ::
I haven't even had breakfast yet

Stop it... you're making me hungry. *another smiley to add to the list*

Cheese, onion and garlic sauce would be nice over pasta... mmm... egg and spinach tagliatelle. *closest I can get for now* Served with maybe a side salad, and definitely some garlic bread.

Having just bought an enormous pack of mushrooms, I could relly do with a recipe for mushroom risotto now. Mmmmm... mushroom risotto.

However, it's more likely to be vegetable curry tonight and then vegetable casserole with herby dumplings tomorrow.

I am sooooooo hungry now!

Mushroom risotto as made by our works canteen - take mushrooms, take rice, mix serve. Not good.

Well Tomato and basil raviolli bought, plus mushrooms plus cheese, onion and garlic sauce tonight, it was going to be yet another curry but all this talk got me hungry, and the weather forcast that said the west would be cloudy and rainy got it wrong, it's a lovely sunny (if windy) day here in Devon, not really curry weather.

ChawkE

Mmm... now you've thrown mushrooms into the mix too. I would change tonight's menu, but I have things which need using up... plus a curry craving.

Tomorrow night may well involve mushrooms, cheese, onion, garlic and some sort of rice (not sure if I have risooto rice in the cupboard).

I always fling mushrooms with pasta - in fact with most things.

you mean there is a special rissoto rice? I tend to use anything. Before I gave up meat in my student days my favorite (for favorite red cheapest) was Vesta Pack beef rissoto - the only Vesta pack that only needed one pan (which you could eat it out of as well )

No, tonights menu (for 1 ) remains pasta in sauce, probaly baked just a little to brown the topping of cheese.



ChawkE

Sounds very nice to me:: Still haven't figured out how i got myself stuck in this kitchen-void of a halls of ressidence where I am (suposidly) doing my MSc, apparently it is a catered hall, so they didn't bother puting a kitchen (worth talking about: has sink and kettle), in, can't wait till finish (if i get my foot in gear), and go back to my house and be able to have a whole kitchen to myself: ah yes, my first expeiance of student life doing my BSc, eating and cooking out of the one pot: which is why i did a lot of rice dishes Hmm, don't think there is a particular rice to use, depends who you ask as to wether or not its ment to be long gran or bismati (however you spel it)

In my 1/2 catered halls we had a two ring Belling thing plus grill, most floors also had an enterprising (usually female) who organize a few quid from everyone to buy a microwave which she then took at the end of the year, usually with agreement.

Mind you more cooking equipment - more stuff to wash up, and the nightmares start.

Hungry already so off to cook.

ChawkE