Un-salted vs. Salted Butter????

 
Hi miles

Great question! As far as I can tell it is just to be a pain in the butt . . er.

Here is one answer:

"Butter comes two ways: salted and unsalted. Salt is added to butter for flavor and as a preservative so it will have a longer shelf life. Salt, however, can sometimes overpower the sweet flavor of the butter and can also mask odors. Additionally, the amount of salt added to salted butter varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, so it's hard to know how much extra salt you're adding to a recipe. Using unsalted butter allows the chef to control the amount of salt in a recipe.

If you have no choice but to use salted butter in a recipe, the rule of thumb is to omit about 1/4 teaspoon salt per 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter.

Unsalted butter has a short shelf life because it contains no preservatives. If you buy unsalted butter and do not use it right away, it is best to freeze it. If properly wrapped so it won't pick up any odors, butter can be frozen for around six months. Just remember to defrost the butter overnight in the refrigerator before using it.

-Food Network Kitchens"

In all my years of cooking I don't think I have ever bothered with unsalted butter nor have I ever made allowances for the salt in salted butter. I happen to be biased and like salt and I like butter and think the combination is brilliant!

Gator

 

think about it....

So you can control the amount of salt in the recipe. Especially important in baking.

Like others have it is to control the amount of salt in a recipe. In 99 out of 100 recipes in your kitchen for home use you will not notice a difference, but were it comes into play mostly is with baking for consistent results.
The unsalted butter is used so that you can have a set measured amount of salt every time because the more salt you have the more reactive your baking soda will be in your recipe.