Basic Cheese Sauce...

So, the discussion has been brought up yet again about whether Velveeta should be included in anyone's diet. My personal conviction is that Velveeta serves as a warning to all who would choose to go completely plastic in their diet - as long as they wish to be recycled when they die, go ahead. But, honestly, it's one molecule away from being a plastic itself.

The real question is, why would anyone want to *eat* that?! Well, because we've been told that eating quick is now preferable to eating healthy. Not only that, but obviously, a cheese sauce must be extremely difficult to make if companies constantly make packets of powdered substances and bricks of food-grade plastic to consume.

WRONG!!!

Let me tell you what - I guarantee that I can teach you how to make a good cheese sauce - and one that is super easy and simple. Don't believe me? Try the following out, and let me know what you think.

Simple Bechamel Sauce (that's French for Cream!)

Software:
1 lb of cheese, grated
2 c milk (you can do skim, 1%, 2% or whole)
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter or oil

Hardware:
1 medium-large sauce pot (stainless is preferred)
1 wooden spoon
1 whisk

In the sauce pot, over medium heat, melt butter or heat oil.
Once completely melted or heated, add the flour and stir with the wooden spoon.
Cook flour until you smell it turn nutty, stirring often.
Cook another minute after you smell the flour turn nutty, then...

Switch to the whisk and slowly, 2-3 Tbsps at a time, add the milk while whisking (this keeps the lumps down to nothing).
Once one portion of the milk is absorbed, add a little more milk, and repeat until you have a nice smooth mixture, and then add the remaining portion of the milk.

Whisking slowly, let the milk heat up for about 7 minutes. Then start adding the cheese, a hand-full at a time. Do not add more until the last handful is completely melted.

Let cook another 10 minutes or so, and it will be done.

You can use pretty much any type of cheese you wish in this - even two or three different types of cheese if you prefer. You can also add in half milk and half stock, if you prefer, to add an alternative flavor to it.

This sauce is great on veggies, making mac and cheese or potatoes au gratin. If you increase your flour and oil/butter ratio equally, you can make it thicker - which would be great for a fondue.