Chat GPT's Béchamel sauce

 Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

(Andre's commentary: This can be done, but personally, I'd take the extra time incurred by going even lower-- the next few steps require very low heat and constant attention, and I'd rather not need to change burner settings all the time. If I can do a task on one setting, even if it takes longer, I'll do it, if that consistency in the temperature means I keep more control and can put out better food. On top of that, the low heat setting makes it much harder for the butter to brown, and we want to avoid browned butter in a bechamel at nearly all costs.)

Add the flour and whisk continuously for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture turns a pale yellow color.

(Good start, but I see one main issue here: One of the defining features of this sauce is as little color as possible. Keep the roux over low heat and whisk constantly, yes, but only do this until the raw flour smell has cooked off. As soon as it starts turning nutty, start adding the milk, at first drop by drop, and then gradually faster.)

Gradually pour in the milk while whisking continuously.

(Roux have thickening power based on the gluten in the wheat flour interacting with the fat in the butter and creating a chemical matrix, and this is only achievable above a certain temperature. That said, the milk shouldn't ever come above a simmer. That hot is plenty hot enough for the roux to thicken the sauce. Stir constantly over very low heat)

Add the salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Continue to whisk until the sauce comes to a boil.

(The French are very particular about color uniformity in a bechamel sauce-- so the addition of the far-more-common black pepper, even if freshly ground, is practically sacrilege to French cooking. If you can find white pepper, get it. And use it often! The flavor profile of white pepper is slightly spicier and less floral than black, but they're essentially interchangeable to home cooks)

Reduce heat to low and let the sauce simmer, whisking occasionally, for 5-10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency.

("Whisk occasionally" is terrible advice. Don't stop whisking until you're ready to use it.)

Remove the saucepan from heat and use the béchamel sauce as desired.