# Non-bechamel cheese sauce?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-bechamel-cheese-sauce/101406
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 2, 2002, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-bechamel-cheese-sauce/101406 "2002-04-02T16:22:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Flypsyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flypsyde)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2002, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-bechamel-cheese-sauce/101406/1 "2002-04-02T16:22:07Z")
Below is a recipe I found for a cheese sauce, but it’s making me curious. Since there’s no flour involved, what exactly is holding the damn thing together? The eggs?
2 egg yolks
1/2 C. beer
2 T. butter
3 C. grated sharp Cheddar or Colby cheese
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash of cayenne pepper
I’m planning on making a batch of sauce in the near future, but I’d feel a lot safer with a bechamel. Can this recipe be modified to include flour? Also, and I can never remember this, if the roux is hot, should the milk be cold? I seem to remember somewhere saying that they should be opposite temperature wise, but it seems to go against common sense to me-I’d think cold milk would break the sauce.
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2002, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-bechamel-cheese-sauce/101406/2 "2002-04-02T16:45:30Z")
The egg yolks and butter react to form a mayonnaisey sort of sauce. The same principal is used in making [Hollandaise](http://beef.allrecipes.com/AZ/HollandaiseSauce.asp). It works beautifully, as long as you don’t overheat or overcook the egg yolks.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2002, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-bechamel-cheese-sauce/101406/3 "2002-04-02T20:21:02Z")
Yes, the egg holds it together, but there’s a fair bit of cheese in there too; more than you would put in a bechamel-based sauce (well, more than I would anyway) - the cheese will thicken it a fair bit.
Your recipe is not unlike a fondue.
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### Author:  [@Morgainelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgainelf)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2002, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-bechamel-cheese-sauce/101406/4 "2002-04-02T22:40:55Z")
The recipe looks suspiciously like a Welsh Rarebit (or Rabbit if you’re from southern Louisiana). The eggs thicken it, but it stays together because of the cheese.
As for adding liquid to a roux, it is best to add cool liquids to a hot roux or hot liquids to a cool roux. Here’s a [cite.](http://www.allrecipes.com/cb/kh/soup/roux/default.asp)