If you're in a hurry, you can keep the sauce over high heat, but you'll want to keep whisking to prevent it from burning. Allow the sauce to simmer until it gets to the consistency you want, then strain out any seasonings.Traditional seasonings for béchamel are diced onion, a bay leaf, a couple cloves, and a pinch of nutmeg. Whisk the mixture until smooth, then add seasonings if you wish.When you combine the ingredients at different temperatures, they heat up at a moderate rate-not too fast, and not too slow-creating a velvety-smooth sauce. If the roux is hot, the milk should be cool, but if the roux is cool, the milk should be hot. If you're making a white or light-colored cheese sauce, keep the heat low so the roux doesn't brown.When all the flour is incorporated, continue stirring and cooking for a few minutes to activate the starch granules.Once the butter is melted, begin whisking in the flour.Dice the butter into small cubes and melt it in a saucepan over low heat.Measure out equal amounts of butter and flour.Be sure to shred reduced-fat cheese very finely, and allow it to melt over very low heat while stirring constantly. They will take longer to melt and will be tougher. Reduced-fat cheeses have different melting characteristics than regular cheeses.Simply sprinkle some lemon juice over the shredded cheese before heating it. This is why most fondues have a base of white wine. Adding an acidic ingredient such as wine or lemon juice will help prevent the cheese from becoming stringy.If using all-purpose flour, add it to the mixture before the cheese it needs to be cooked for a few minutes to remove the starchy taste. Starch (such as all-purpose flour, cornstarch, or potato flour) will keep the cheese from curdling.Allow the shredded cheese to come to room temperature before adding it to a hot mixture.The colder the cheese is, the easier it will be to cut. Shred, crumble, or finely dice the cheese before heating to ensure quick, smooth melting.Often, you can remove the pan from the burner the residual heat will melt the cheese. When making soup, sauce, or fondue, add the cheese last then heat it only as long as it takes to melt. As seen on AM Northwest: Step by step instructions on cooking a classic roux, developing it into a bechamel (white sauce), then into a cheddar cheese sauce, and finally into my classic mac & cheese! How To Make A Roux For Mac N Cheese Soup

Make a roux for mac and cheese