Quick answers
The main purposes of adding salt to butter are:
- To enhance the flavor
- To extend the shelf life
- To change the texture
Enhancing the flavor
Adding a small amount of salt to butter enhances its natural dairy flavor. Salt brings out the sweetness in butter and balances the richness. It gives butter a more complex, rounded taste. Salted butter has a slightly salty flavor, but the salt blends smoothly with the richness of the butter.
Butter contains fat-soluble flavor compounds. Salt helps dissolve some of these fat-soluble compounds into the water phase of butter. This allows your taste buds better access to the flavor compounds, accentuating the creamy dairy taste of the butter.
Salt also suppresses bitterness. So adding a pinch of salt reduces any bitter flavors in the butter, leaving just the delicate sweetness and richness. This is why salted butter is preferred for spreading on bread, cooking, and baking.
Amount of salt added
The amount of salt added to butter is very small, just enough to enhance the natural flavor. Salted butter typically contains around 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt per 1⁄4 pound of butter (113 grams). This equates to about 1% salt by weight.
This subtly enhances the butter flavor without making it taste overtly salty. If too much salt is added, it gives the butter an unpleasant harshness.
Extending shelf life
Salt acts as a preservative to extend the shelf life of butter. It helps prevent spoilage and rancidity.
Butter contains both water and fat. This combination provides an ideal environment for microbes like bacteria, yeasts, and molds to grow. These microbes cause butter to spoil more quickly.
Salt creates a less hospitable environment for microbe growth. The sodium ions in salt interact with water molecules, making the water less available for microorganisms. Salt also helps slow the oxidation of fats, which lead to rancid flavors.
Salting butter helps reduce microbial growth and slow rancidity. This extends the shelf life of butter from a few days to several weeks when refrigerated.
Unsalted butter has a shelf life of just 7-10 days. With the addition of salt, butter can last 3-4 weeks in the fridge without spoiling.
Amount needed for preservation
Only a small quantity of salt is required to extend butter’s shelf life. More salt is added for flavor enhancement than is needed for preservation.
As little as 0.2% salt by weight can inhibit microbial growth in butter. For good preservation, salted butter generally contains 0.5-1% salt. Beyond that level doesn’t provide much additional preservation benefit.
The small amount of salt slows spoilage while allowing the fresh dairy flavor to still come through.
Changing the texture
Salt modifies the texture of butter in several ways:
- Makes it easier to spread directly from the fridge
- Creates flakier baked goods
- Helps butter hold more air when creamed
Salt lowers the freezing point of butter slightly, so it remains spreadable even when cold. Right out of the refrigerator, salted butter is easier to spread than unsalted. This makes it highly convenient for spreading on toast, waffles, and more.
In baked goods, small pockets of air are incorporated into the batter or dough as the butter is creamed with sugar. Tiny salt crystals help create these air pockets by cutting through the fat. Salted butter results in flakier textures like biscuits, pie crusts, and puff pastries.
During the creaming process, the salt crystals help the solid fat separate from the liquid components. Extra air can then be whipped into the fat. Using salted butter allows more air to be incorporated, creating lighter cakes and frostings.
Choosing between salted and unsalted butter
Both salted and unsalted butter have their uses in cooking and baking:
- Salted butter – Best for spreading, cooking, and most baking when you want convenience and enhanced flavor.
- Unsalted butter – Preferred when you want full control over salt content, like in recipes where butter is a main ingredient.
Salted and unsalted varieties typically contain the same quantity of butterfat. The only difference is the presence of added salt.
When following a recipe, pay attention to whether it calls for salted or unsalted butter. Using the wrong type can potentially result in the dish ending up too salty or not salty enough.
If a recipe simply lists “butter” without specifying, it’s generally safe to use salted. Unsalted gives more flexibility if you’ll be adjusting seasoning to taste at the end.
Price difference
Due to the convenience it offers, salted butter is the more common option in stores and tends to be a little cheaper than unsalted butter. There is usually a small price difference per pound or kilogram.
Some bakers prefer the cost savings of buying unsalted butter in bulk and adding salt themselves as needed. But for general cooking, the price difference is minimal.
How butter is salted
With basic salted butter, the salt is added directly to the fresh churned butter. The salt is sprinkled over the butter and worked in.
The butter churning process separates the fatty portion (butterfat and milk solids) from the liquid whey. Salt can be added at various points:
- In the churn after the whey has been drained off
- After the butter has been washed and worked
- Right before packaging
Gourmet butters like fleur de sel butter feature specialty salts sprinkled over the outside rather than worked throughout. This provides pops of saltiness with the rich, creamy butter.
Salting butter before or after churning
Salt can be added to the cream before churning. But more commonly, it is added after churning once the buttermilk has been drained off. Adding salt earlier in the process would require extra churning to evenly distribute it.
Salting butter right after churning allows the salt to dissolve and disperse evenly with minimal effort.
Impact on baking and cooking
Using salted vs unsalted butter impacts recipes in a few key ways:
- Salt enhances flavor in savory cooking
- It can affect food safety in recipes with raw eggs
- Salt controls the rate of browning and burning
- It changes the texture of baked goods
In general cooking, salted butter contributes a nice background savoriness. In baking, salt influences the chemistry behind recipes in subtle ways.
Enhanced flavor in cooking
The small amount of salt in salted butter gives it a tasty savory edge. Dishes like sautéed vegetables, grilled meats, and pan-fried seafood benefit from the extra bit of seasoning the butter provides.
When a recipe calls for coating food in butter before or after cooking, use salted for the added flavor. Compound butters also benefit from a salted butter base.
However, high quality seafood like pan-seared scallops or salmon fillets are often best cooked in unsalted butter. This allows their delicate flavors to shine through.
Food safety with raw eggs
Salt lowers the temperature at which egg proteins coagulate. In recipes with raw or undercooked eggs, like cookie dough or Caesar salad dressing, salt can help reduce the risk of food poisoning.
It’s best to use unsalted butter in such recipes to better control salt content. This ensures there is enough salt to make the eggs safe.
Browning and burning rates
Salt interactions affect the rate at which foods brown through reactions like the Maillard reaction. A small amount helps speed up browning, resulting in a desirable golden crust on foods like bread.
But too much salt can cause over-browning and burning. When baking delicate cookies or pastries, unsalted butter gives more control.
Texture changes in baking
As mentioned earlier, salt alters the texture of baked goods in various ways. It interacts on a molecular level with gluten and other proteins.
Follow recipe directions for salted or unsalted butter. When developing your own baking recipes, adjust salt content carefully to fine-tune the texture.
Taste comparison
The most noticeable difference between salted and unsalted butter is the enhanced flavor provided by the salt.
Tasting butter plain allows you to focus on the subtle impacts of the added salt. Salted has a rounder, fuller dairy flavor, while unsalted showcases the pure creaminess and sweetness.
When spread on bread or cooked into dishes, salted butter makes foods taste more savory and complex. Unsalted allows other ingredients to shine through.
Appearance
Visually, salted and unsalted butter look identical. They have the same rich golden yellow color. Both are sold as sticks, cubes, tubs, and whipped.
The only potential difference is if specialty salt crystals are visible, like with fleur de sel butter. But most often, the salt in salted butter blends in seamlessly.
Making your own flavored butter
Making flavored butter at home is easy. Unsalted provides a neutral base for absorbing other flavors. Start with softened unsalted butter and mix in desired ingredients like herbs, spices, citrus zest, or garlic.
Add flavored salts like smoked salt, celery salt, or lemon salt to make your own salted butter. Shape into a log or tubs and refrigerate until firm.
Frequently asked questions
Does salted butter go bad faster?
No, salted butter generally keeps longer than unsalted due to the preservative effect of salt. With proper refrigeration, salted butter lasts 3-4 weeks vs 1-2 weeks for unsalted.
Is unsalted butter healthier?
Nutrition-wise, salted and unsalted butter are nearly identical. Unsalted contains just trace amounts less sodium. Both contain the same amount of fat, vitamins, and other nutrients. Neither variety is considered truly healthy.
Why is salted butter creamier?
The salt enhances the natural sweet creaminess of butter. It also allows the fat to incorporate more air, creating a lighter texture. This makes salted butter taste richer and more luxurious.
Does salt change butter’s cooking properties?
Yes, salt slightly alters butter’s behavior during cooking and baking. It can accelerate browning, change how eggs coagulate, and create flaky textures. These effects are subtle with the small amount of salt in butter.
What’s the best butter for baking?
It depends on the recipe. Follow directions for salted or unsalted. When developing your own recipes, test both varieties to see which gives the ideal chemistry and textures.
Key takeaways
- Salt enhances butter’s natural flavor and extends its shelf life.
- Only a small amount around 1% is added to balance flavor without making it too salty.
- It makes butter easier to spread when cold and creates flakier textures in baking.
- Use salted for cooking, spreading, and most baking. Unsalted offers more control over saltiness.
- Pay attention to whether a recipe calls for salted or unsalted butter.