KITCHEN ANSWERS

Today is the day I answer questions and take on your kitchen problems, and on that note I would like to dedicate this post to a special friend who actually starting talking about this very topic on her blog. Without her encouragement, support and confidence in what I do, I would have not have had the nerve to start this blog.  Thanks Theresa!!!!

Anyone who knows me or who has associated themselves with my cooking knows how much I detest the use of canned soups, especially using them to thicken up soups, stews, casseroles or in any other form of cooking.  My motto is “From Scratch Is Best”, and it really is a lot quicker than you think, once you have some basic knowledge and simple cooking techniques, down you will be rolling right along.

Not only are canned soups expensive but most of them are filled with so much salt your heart will probably turn around and sue you for abuse.  So when I received Danielle’s e mail asking me how to thicken her dishes to duplicate a “can soup texture”, I thought this would be a perfect time to address the canned soup issue once and for all.

When making a cream soup a basic Béchamel Sauce will work. But if you do not want all that dairy, you can puree boiled potatoes and add it to the soup. Believe it or not, cooked cauliflower can be pureed and used also, cornstarch will also work well.  Equal parts of corn starch and cold water mixed together and poured into a slow boiling liquid will give you creamy perfection.  Just make sure to use cold water and mix the cornstarch together thoroughly or you will have lumps in whatever you are thickening.  Once your base is made you can any ingredient you would like, assorted cheese for a cheese sauce, cut up some assorted mushrooms and saute them for a great cream of mushroom soup, add a cup full of Parmesan Cheese for a thick and creamy Alfredo Sauce.  These are just a few basic ideas that you can use to turn a Béchamel Sauce into something wonderful once you have mastered the basic sauce.”  So please stop using canned soup, and start saving some money and eating better.

Basic Béchamel Sauce

This is a very basic recipe for this simple white sauce using what professional chefs call a roux. It can be used many ways besides thickening soup. There are lots of variations to this sauce and it is often used as a starter to other classic sauces or by itself as a sauce for cooked vegetables.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sweet unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1-cup milk
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Freshly grated or ground nutmeg to taste

How to Make Béchamel Sauce at Home

Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, stir until smooth and cook for five minutes but be careful not to let the flour brown. You want the flour to end up a light, golden color.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, add the milk and bring it to a boil. As soon as the milk comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and pour it into the butter flour mixture and start whisking. This mixture will soon come to a boil and start bubbling. That’s OK, just be sure to keep whisking so the sauce doesn’t burn and the sauce stays smooth. The bubbling will stop but the sauce will continue to boil.

Keep cooking and whisking the sauce for 8 to 10 minutes until it thickens to the desired consistency. You may want to turn down the heat if it feels like it is cooking too fast.  At this point, remove the saucepan from the heat and season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. You should end up with a creamy, smooth sauce.

It is now ready for your soup. However, if you are making Béchamel for a sauce and need to keep it warm, just pour it into a small container, cover the surface with plastic wrap and place it in a water bath to keep warm until you are ready to use. Be sure to give it a good whisk before using.