Salted Butter Explained

• Salt was originally added to butter as a preservative. Salted butter stays fresh two or three months longer than unsalted butter in the refrigerator. With modern refrigeration, though, preserving butter is less of a concern and you probably are safe with unsalted butter. Salted butter may contain up to 3/4 teaspoon of salt per stick, but the amount of salt varies, depending on the manufacturer.

Baking With Salted Butter

• Baking with salted butter is a bit of a gamble because you can't be sure exactly how much salt is in the butter. The general rule is to omit any extra salt in a recipe when using salted butter. However, doing so may yield baked goods that aren't salty enough. Add extra salt and the baked good may be too salty. When using salted butter, your best bet is to use the same brand consistently and experiment with the amount of salt needed. You'll soon learn exactly how much salt to add to a baked good.

Using and Storing Salted Butter

• Although salted butter has a longer shelf life than regular butter, it won't last forever. Keep salted butter tightly wrapped and store it in the coldest part of your refrigerator for three to five months. You can freeze salted butter for up to six months, but it may be somewhat grainy or watery when you thaw it. You probably won't notice a difference when making something simple, such as oatmeal cookies, but you may notice a change in quality when making fine-crumbed cakes or other delicate baked goods. To gauge butter's freshness, smell and taste it. You should notice no off flavors or odors. Cut a slice of butter. The outside of the butter should be the same color as the inside.

The Economics

• Whether to use salted or unsalted butter sometimes comes down to economics. In a regular grocery store, salted and unsalted butter typically cost the same. However, butter sold at warehouse stores may be considerably cheaper, but salted butter may be your only choice. The price difference between butter sold at the grocery store and butter sold at a warehouse store may be enough to convince you to overcome any inconveniences of baking with salted butter.