Unsalted v Salted Butter
I am attempting to be a better baker and cannot figure out why some cookie recipes call for unsalted butter, while others do not specify. I can tell a difference in the batches, but decided to just use shortening until I can figure out the difference. Can anyone explain the difference between the two butters and their affect on baked goods?
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23 Comments:
You're always supposed to use unsalted, I was told, so you have control over how much salt is in the recipe. Different salted butters may have different amounts, but even in a 'salty' baked good, with unsalted, you can control how much. Usually if they don't specify what type it means that it is taken for granted it is unsalted--or so I was told.
HeartofGlass at 11:25AM on 09/21/08
Just remember, when you bake, it's always UNsalted butter, unless it states so. Never vary from that rule, and your pastries and baked goods will always taste great!
Brownie at 12:09PM on 09/21/08
i am a lazy bugger and use salted butter for all my baking. so far i've had great success but i guess that could be a fluke.
lexophile at 12:15PM on 09/21/08
i really can't tell the difference... so I buy amongst my favorite butters whatever is cheaper the day I go shopping.
MadelynRodriguez at 12:25PM on 09/21/08
I typically use unsalted for anything I bake. Unsalted butter does not keep for long though
goldie725 at 12:39PM on 09/21/08
I use salted, because I typically don't buy two varieties of butter for baking / other uses. A sliver of salted butter over peas or steamed spinach = heaven. Just add a little less salt to your baking recipes!
Lilly at 1:25PM on 09/21/08
ALWAYS unsalted. The ingredients have to be purer and fresher. Salt can be used to mask the flavors of inferior ingredients so you don't know that you have the best quality product that's available. And as Heart and Brownie said, you have greater control over the outcome of your dish.
carolrsf at 1:35PM on 09/21/08
Yes to everything above about being able to control the salt in baking.
I used to buy only salted butter, but after seeing on 'good eats' that unsalted butter has a shorter shelf life, thus requiring it to be used up quicker and in theory be fresher, i switched to only using unsalted butter for everything.
I have found I like the flavor better now, even on things like toast. It tastes fresher to me. Also i can add salt as desired.
nightmoon at 2:32PM on 09/21/08
I agree...we use unsalted for everything.
bessfour at 2:56PM on 09/21/08
It depends on what I am making for all savories I use salted. For choco chips and chocolate anything I use salted. When its delicate or the flavor has to be perfected I use unsalted. I buy both. In due time when you know your recipes like the back of your hand you will know what you want to use. Butter is part of your flavor palette and you hold the brush.
JerzeeTomato at 3:39PM on 09/21/08
The "rule" is that you use unsalted, particularly in baking, unless salted butter is specifically stated. However, the person writing the recipes might not have known the rule. A cookbook that's compiled by the neighborhood watch group might be a little looser with all the rules and measurements than a cookbook produced by a company with test kitchens. As a relative of mine once said, she always wrote "butter" even when she meant margarine because butter was easier to spell, and shorter.
That said, swapping salted for unsalted butter, or the other way around, is a much closer match than substituting shortening for either one. With that sub, you'll still get something edible, but it's not going to be the same result because butter and shortening act differently in baked goods. Not to mention taste.
dbcurrie at 5:15PM on 09/21/08
Thank you all for clarifying a question I have every time I go to the supermarket but was ashamed to ask .
FoodLoversLikeMe at 5:52PM on 09/21/08
I agree that the rule of thumb for baked goods is UNsalted butter. But I'd take that a step further, and say that unsalted butter is best for all cooking that calls for butter (unless the recipe explicitly states that salted butter is to be used). In my kitchen, any butter used in cooking (not just baking) is unsalted. Even if the recipe doesn't specify, or it's obvious that it won't make a difference, I still use unsalted, because I prefer to control the salt myself.
But I do keep good quality, imported salted butter on hand for eating "straight" -- that is, for things like buttered bread.
LoCo at 5:59PM on 09/21/08
I never truly noticed a difference in my baking with salted verses non-salted butter until last week when I made a batch of Spritz cookies. They tasted a little "off" and not quite as rich as I remembered. I used salted butter because it was on sale and has a longer life. I think the overwhelming flavor was salt, not butter. I'll be using unsalted in the future so I have more control over the final product.
Josdean at 5:16AM on 09/22/08
I use Plugra brand butter (unsalted) for all my baking and can definitely taste the difference. It is better to have control of the amount of salt and use what the recipe says.
lucylucy at 9:45AM on 09/22/08
When a recipe does not specify, assume unsalted. The degree of saltiness in salted butter varie wildly. A recipe that might taste great with salted butter one time may taste very different the next time. If you use unsalted butter, it's not contributing any salt at all to the recipe so your addition of salt will be the only source of salt.
therealchiffonade at 10:01AM on 09/22/08
I don't bake very often, so I only keep salted butter on hand - I like it better for bread or whatnot. I guess I could add my own salt, but salted is just simpler. My baked goods (mostly cookies, occasionally muffins) turn out just with both salted butter and salt in the recipe. If I were making a more delicately structured or flavored baked good - a cake or something - I would probably buy good quality unsalted butter.
emisara at 5:59PM on 09/22/08
I keep butter in the freezer, in an airtight container except for what I'm using right now. And it's unsalted. I like salted butter, but find it gives a difference in baking. And on bread, sometimes it's nice when you put a few salt crystals on bread and unalted butter.
But please don't substitute shortening for butter in recipes if you're deeply serious about results. They're not interchangeable in terms of taste.
lemons at 6:24PM on 09/22/08
You're supposed to use unsalted butter. I'm lazy, and I usually use salted butter and cut back the salt (approximately 1/4 tsp salt per 1/2 cup butter). Even in recipes that don't call for salt (or baking soda/powder), I find I prefer that hint of salt.
jenilowrance at 6:55PM on 09/22/08
UNsalted. Always.
trueepicure at 10:57AM on 09/23/08
It makes me crazy to eat baked goods without enough salt. They are are either too sweet or bland. To my palette salted butter balances sweetness and enhances the flavor(precisely why we use salt at all) of the other ingredients like chocolate chip cookies that have a wonderful caramel flavor when you bite into it! And baked goods that aren't sweet, like fresh bread, don't need additional butter on top to make it palettable if there's adequate seasoning in the recipe. I use salted butter without exception(nice even distribution through your recipe!) but I don't use refined table salt when the recipe calls for salt. I use coarse sea salt, milder and more nutritious. It all works out in the end.
mindfulmeals at 11:43AM on 07/31/09
I remember years ago, on his PBS show, Jacques Pepin said that if you use salted butter, just cut down on the amount of salt in the rest of the recipe. If it works for Jacques, then it works for me!
Besides, I really don't like either the taste or smell of unsalted butter. Sort of makes me gag!
duncan1205 at 12:16PM on 07/31/09
I use unsalted for baking and salted for everything else.
caramel at 12:38PM on 07/31/09