To make a really good sauce is considered an art in itself and one which has not always been given the careful consideration it deserves. Many common-place and otherwise hopeless dishes may be transformed and made most appetizing when served with a well-made sauce. If given care a smooth creamy, well-cooked sauce is not difficult to prepare, and may be plain or quite elaborate, as desired. However, it must be free from all lumps and thoroughly cooked and the seasoning used should be suitable for the food the sauce is to be served with.

Sauces made with milk are economical, for they supply nutriment and increase the value of the food with which they are served. In using left-overs of fish, meat and vegetables it is almost necessary to use a well-seasoned sauce.

A plain white sauce is perhaps the most useful adjunct to good cooking and the foundation recipe may be varied in many appetizing ways by the addition of other ingredients. This white sauce is made of a different thickness, according to how it is to be used. For creamed soups it is quite thin, for croquettes very thick, and for the usual creamed dishes of a medium thickness. The medium sauce is made by using 2 tablespoons (level) of butter or butter substitute, 2 tablespoons of flour to each half-pint measuring cup of cold liquid, which may be water, milk, thin cream or white or brown stock, depending upon what kind of sauce you wish. With these measurements in mind you can prepare any quantity of sauce desired.

There are several approved methods of preparation, but the one given will be found very easy and most satisfactory if the directions are carefully followed. Put the butter or butter substitute in a saucepan over a low fire and melt, but do not brown; when fat is melted remove from the fire and add flour, stirring until smooth and well blended; return to the fire and cook the mixture until it bubbles or becomes frothy, then add the cold milk gradually, stirring until boiling point is reached and sauce thickens. Add seasoning.

If it is necessary to keep this sauce hot for any length of time, set in a dish of hot water, add a few small pieces of butter and cover. This will prevent a crust from forming on top. Do not boil after the sauce becomes creamy and thick or it may separate and become oily. If this should happen, add 1 tablespoon of cold liquid for each cup of sauce, place over the fire and stir constantly until the boiling point is reached again.

The secret of good white sauce is in cooking the flour until the starch grains burst; this removes the raw, pasty, unpleasant taste one so often finds in undercooked sauces. If the liquid is added gradually and stirred constantly there will be no difficulty in keeping the sauce smooth.

A brown sauce is made in the same manner, allowing the fat to brown before adding the flour, then cooking these two ingredients together until brown, using a dark stock or water for the liquid. The best results are obtained if all the seasonings are added before the sauce is completely cooked.

The more delicate sauces are thickened with the yolks of eggs and a quantity of butter. These sauces require considerable skill in preparation.

For every-day cooking the plain sauce may easily be varied to form almost any sauce desired.

Catsup, Chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Kitchen Bouquet, whole cloves, grated onion, etc., all give a variety of flavorings.

Stock of some type can be used in place of milk. The thickness of the sauce is governed by taste. One table-spoonful of flour and shortening to each cupful of liquid gives a thin sauce. Two tablespoonfuls of each give a medium sauce.