Unsalted butter, then add a pinch of salt?

[johnnywgk]

Just watching Jamie ferkin Oliver making cookies. Add unsalted butter, a bit of this and a bit of that. Then add a pinch of salt! Why not use salted butter?

[VAGLover]

Couple of reasons.
1. The salt added is of a better quality than the salt you would find in the butter
2. It allows you to more accurately control your seasoning by being in complete control of how much salt goes in

[ambuletz]

I've noticed this alot too, not just with him. Can't say it's something that minute that i would noticee. maybe make one batch with and one without?

[21TonyK]

A quick check on google tells me salted butter contains 1.7g of salt per 100g. Thats quite a lot.

Adding salt to a sweet food item is there to enhance and promote the flavour, not add a salty taste.

So unsalted with a pinch makes sense for small quantities.

Edited by 21TonyK on Thursday 29th August 22:37

[FurtiveFreddy]

I never use salted butter in any type of cooking, savoury or sweet.

You can add it but you can't take it away.

[Lucas CAV]

VAGLover said:

Couple of reasons.
1. The salt added is of a better quality than the salt you would find in the butter

Sodium Chloride Vs Sodium Chloride?

[VAGLover]

Lucas CAV said:

VAGLover said:

Couple of reasons.
1. The salt added is of a better quality than the salt you would find in the butter

Sodium Chloride Vs Sodium Chloride?

its the minerals, flavour and texture

hence Malden sea Salt v table salt.

[mikal83]

FurtiveFreddy said:

I never use salted butter in any type of cooking, savoury or sweet.

You can add it but you can't take it away.

This.

[Lucas CAV]

VAGLover said:

Lucas CAV said:

VAGLover said:

Couple of reasons.
1. The salt added is of a better quality than the salt you would find in the butter

Sodium Chloride Vs Sodium Chloride?

its the minerals, flavour and texture

hence Malden sea Salt v table salt.

Salt crystals in butter?

[VAGLover]

Lucas CAV said:

VAGLover said:

Lucas CAV said:

VAGLover said:

Couple of reasons.
1. The salt added is of a better quality than the salt you would find in the butter

Sodium Chloride Vs Sodium Chloride?

its the minerals, flavour and texture

hence Malden sea Salt v table salt.

Salt crystals in butter?

No. The butter generally has lower quality salt. If you use unsalted you can use the finest salt going alongside it

[Murph7355]

Salt's used for more than just flavour in baking.

Controlling the amount is the primary reason for me.

(I also like unsalted butter on bread with a few grains of decent salt - as it's not fully blended the taste in your mouth is different ).

[21TonyK]

Lucas CAV said:

Salt crystals in butter?

Yep, Morrisons do their own. Pretty good stuff as well.

https://groceries.morrisons.com/webshop/product/Mo...

[RobXjcoupe]

Hot toast spread with salted butter, then grind a bit of your favourite posh salt on top. Awesome

[anonymous-user]

As has been said already, it is more the control of seasoning that you can vary when adding salt afterwards. You have no idea how salty it will be if using salted butter.

[geeks]

Salted butter has a higher water content to absorb the salt. Unsalted butter doesn't. It was discussed on a cooking program recently and two chefs were going back and forth over it. Can't remember whom though, one was french, might have even been Gordon Ramsay, Gino D'Acampo and Fred Sirieix now I think about it.