How to Make a Cheese Sauce

Learning how to make a good cheese sauce will allow you to add to your basic cooking knowledge and help you make basic recipes taste better. By knowing how to make a cheese sauce, you can enliven vegetable or pasta dishes.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup grated cheese
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• Pepper
• Salt
• 3 tbsp. flour

Instructions

1. Place the butter in a small saucepan and heat it until melted. Then place the pan on another surface to keep from burning it.

2. Mix in the salt, pepper to taste and the flour.

3. Slowly pour the milk into the saucepan and return the pan to medium heat. Keep stirring while the mixture thickens.

4. Add the cheese. You can use any flavor cheese you prefer, so pair your cheeses well for different dishes. Spicy cheeses like pepper jack work well with chips or vegetables, while traditional cheeses such like cheddar and mozzarella go well with pastas and potatoes.

Tips & Warnings

• Stir the mixture constantly when you return the pan to the stove. Milk, butter and cheese all scorch and burn very easily.

• Make sure the heat isn't too high, as the sauce can bubble. Because of the thickness and the cheese, the sauce will stick to your skin and burn if it splatters.