Back to Organizing Quick Tips Index Organizing Quick Tips

Butter…salted or

unsalted?

by Maria Gracia Join our newsletter to be notified when the newest Organizing Quick Tip is available. Most people keep some form of butter in their refrigerators. When you go shopping for it, do you buy salted or unsalted…and do you ever wonder which is the right choice for cooking and baking? You may or may not know that both salted and unsalted butter is made of the very same butter. The only difference is that salted butter has salt added to it. For the most part, no matter which you purchase, most of the time either can be used interchangeably without any major issues. However, sometimes one or the other is preferred depending on what you’re making. Here are the rules I go by. 1. If a recipe calls for one or the other, I use the one listed in the recipe because, chances are, the flavor of that recipe has been tested with the type of butter indicated. 2. If I don’t have a specific recipe and I’m using butter for general cooking (for veggies, meats, pasta, rice, etc.), I use salted butter. I also use salted butter to butter plain or savory toast. 3. If I don’t have a specific recipe and I’m baking (cake, muffins, pie, etc.) or making candy, I use unsalted butter. I also use unsalted butter to butter sweet breads, like corn bread or banana bread. That all being said, I use butter in limited amounts and only where no other fat will do. There are many other healthy substitutes, but nothing compares in my mind to real butter in some specific recipes…like butter cookies. Back to Organizing Quick Tips Index