• At around minute 3 of cooking the roux (butter and flour mixture), the consistency will start to loosen up and become smoother and silkier.
• At around minute 4 of cooking the roux, you’ll notice the smell of the butter changing and becoming more prominent (to me it starts to smell like clarified butter).
• Add any herbs or seasonings to the milk as it heats to easily infuse the béchamel sauce with your favorite flavors just be sure to strain them before adding to the roux.
• For the smoothest and silkiest béchamel sauce, be sure to whisk constantly and vigorously while adding the milk (and use a big pot because it splashes!).
• Use a Microplane grater for the nutmeg.

• Can you freeze béchamel sauce? Yes, you can freeze béchamel sauce.  Just be sure to cover it completely with plastic wrap to prevent a “skin” from forming on the top. Then seal it in an airtight container and freeze it until you need to use it.  Thaw in the fridge overnight and whisk a little additional milk into it as you heat it if the mixture seems too thick.
• How do I know if béchamel is cooked?  Béchamel is cooked perfectly when the sauce is slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Meaning, when you dip a spoon into the sauce and wipe a finger through the middle of the back of the spoon (and the sauce doesn’t fill back in the stripe or drip and run), your béchamel is ready.
• How do I make sure béchamel tastes good? Use good butter, and fresh milk, and always cook your flour and butter mixture (aka the roux) for several minutes in order to make sure the flour cooks and the butter gets lightly toasted and nutty.  Salt it properly and season it with whole, grated nutmeg. Also, whisk the sauce vigorously to ensure a smooth sauce free from pockets or lumps of flour. If you want to add even more flavor to a béchamel sauce, infuse the milk first with fresh or dried herbs, onions, shallots, etc.

How Ensure Béchamel Sauce is Silky Smooth & Lump-Free

Follow this recipe and the below tips to make sure your béchamel is always smooth and free of any lumps.

• The first key to ensuring béchamel has no lumps is to get the correct ratio of butter to flour which is why I use a scale.  I measure equal amounts of butter and flour (70g each of butter and flour for this recipe).
• Always cook the flour and butter for about 4 to 5 minutes. Whisk the melted butter and flour constantly until it starts to smell fragrant and becomes loose and runny (after about 3 minutes of cooking). Continue to whisk and cook it for at least 2 minutes more for a total of 5-7 minutes.
• A critical technique to achieving a smooth béchamel sauce is to whisk constantly and vigorously with one hand while you ladle in the hot milk with the other hand.  It will be a blobby mass usually until about the 5th or 6th ladle full of milk has been added before it finally starts to become smooth and creamy and loosen up to resemble a sauce. When you first add the milk, the roux gloms onto the milk and absorbs it very quickly, leaving what looks like a pile of mush.  But keep going and whisking and adding more hot milk and I promise it will all come together.
• Use a large heavy-bottomed pot especially if you’re making it for the first time. This way, you don’t have to worry about it splattering sauce all over the stovetop as you whisk.  Using a slightly larger pot than is necessary allows you to be able to concentrate better on whisking and not worry so much about the pan moving around or splattering. 
• Slow the whole process down when whisking in the milk. This is a great trick especially if you’re making béchamel for the first time. Turn the heat to low and slowly increase the temperature as you feel more comfortable while adding the milk which will keep it from burning if your vigorous whisking skills haven’t been perfected yet!
• Lastly, what always works best for me is adding 3 or 4 ladles full of milk one by one fully incorporating each addition before finally dumping in the remaining milk all at once.  It’s never failed me to this day. Just be sure to whisk your little heart out the whole time.
• Get a helper and make it even easier. If you really want to make this task easy, ask someone to be your helper and have them ladle in the milk for you as needed while you hold the pot with one hand and whisk with the other.