Butter is a basic baking ingredient that must sit in every baker’s fridge. But with its power to turn a simple dish into a magical one, many people ask which is better: unsalted butter vs. salted butter.
Hold your spatula because we’re here to answer that burning question. In this post, we will explain which is better and how you can use both to create mouthwatering dishes.
What Is Unsalted Butter?
As its name suggests, unsalted butter has no salt in it. Think about it as the purest form of butter because it has no added ingredients.
However, as a result, unsalted butter has a shorter shelf life than salted butter. Plus, many experts say that this kind of butter has a fresher taste.
Unsalted butter also has a more noticeable mellow sweetness compared to salted butter. It also works well in baking or other cooking methods.
What Is Salted Butter
As the name implies, salted butter is just butter with salt added to it. The salt makes the butter salty (couldn’t we be more obvious?).
In addition to that, salt serves as a preservative. It prolongs the shelf life of the butter. On top of that, salted butter works perfectly for crusty bread or homemade waffles or pancakes.
Unsalted Butter vs. Salted Butter
Forgive us for saying this again, but the difference between the two is the salt.
Unsalted butter has pure cream, while the salted one has some salt in it. However, the amount of salt differs from brand to brand.
Since salt acts as a preservative, salted butter has a longer shelf life. It can typically last for about five months. On the other hand, unsalted butter lasts for about three months.
This also means that if you go to the supermarket, the unsalted version will likely be fresher.
Unsalted Butter vs. Salted Butter: When Should You Use Each Kind of Butter?
If a recipe calls for unsalted or salted butter, use that type. If the recipe did not specify, consider the following guidelines.
When to Use Salted Butter
You can use salted butter in tons of ways in your kitchen. Since salt helps bring out the flavor in food, feel free to add it to any dish. Yes, even delicious, sweet desserts.
In particular, use salted butter when creating sauces, sauteeing veggies, spreading over on your toast, or even making the perfect Noche Buena ham.
Mind you, the hint of salt in the butter will help bring out any flavor, from sweet to umami. On the other hand, unsalted butter can provide the fat you’d need, but not that extra oomph flavor.
Truth be told, you can use salted butter in any savory dish. You can also spread it on anything that welcomes spreads. Given this, salted butter must be your go-to for many dishes, including kakanin.
When to Use Unsalted Butter
Unsalted butter is more popular than salted one in the baking recipe department. Plus, unsalted butter features a neutral, creamy flavor. This serves as a great base for many baked treats.
We’ll go a little technical here, so hold your measuring cups.
Baking calls for precise measurements to get the right flavor and texture. This even extends to tiny amounts of condiments such as salt.
Since you can’t be sure of the precise amount of salt in every brand of butter, baking recipes usually require unsalted butter. By doing this, you can add a certain amount of salt. This also means that whatever brand of butter you choose, the recipe will turn out the same if you use unsalted butter.
So, in general, if a baking recipe doesn’t mention the type of butter needed, you can assume it needs unsalted butter.
Unsalted Butter vs. Salted Butter: Is Salted Butter Better Than Unsalted?
No, salted butter is not better than unsalted butter and vice versa.
Both salted and unsalted versions work in baking and cooking. They both help you create delectable dishes that will make people love you more.
Now, the best type depends on the recipe. Keep in mind that the recipe and the measurements matter the most. So, stick to them even if it means going against your instinct.
Unsalted Butter vs. Salted Butter: What Happens if You Use Salted Butter Instead of Unsalted?
If you fall in love with a certain recipe that calls for unsalted butter and you only have the salted one, don’t stop. Grab your baking pan and preheat your oven because you can still use your salted butter.
Fortunately, you can use unsalted and salted butter interchangeably. If a recipe needs unsalted butter and some salt, just put a little less salt than the recipe tells you to put. Seriously, that’s the only change you have to make!
Now that you know the key differences between these kinds of butter, you might want to buy extra boxes.
So keep this—plus some of Hicap’s best butter products— in mind next time you shop.
Recipes With Butter
Wondering what you can make using butter? We got you, fam! Here are some recipes worth checking out:
1. Durian Butter Cake
When you what the words durian and cake in the same sentence, it might sound gross at first. Trust us, we’ve been there, done that.
But we regretted thinking that way because this durian butter cake recipe blew our minds. This recipe features a rich, creamy texture that will make you forget the smell of durian.
Yes, it’s worth trying, and your taste buds will prove that.
This recipe features large amounts of durian blended into the smooth, buttery cake. The result won’t let you or your loved ones down. Although durian smells and tastes strong, the overall flavor will make you sing.
We get what you’re thinking: “Eating all that durian is going to make me sick!”
No, it won’t. Instead, this cake will make you feel so alive. Begin by making your own version of this buttery, soft, and fluffy cake recipe now.
2. Stable Strawberry Buttercream Recipe
One of the hardest techniques to perfect is making strawberry buttercream icing for cupcakes. It’s time to exude confidence and distinguish yourself from the crowd. Use this recipe for stable strawberry buttercream icing or frosting in your favorite baked goods.
There are several reasons why this strawberry buttercream recipe is the greatest.
It won’t melt easily to start. Additionally, you don’t have to add powdered sugar because of its smoothness and fineness. Thirdly, this frosting always turns out to be of a high caliber.
Fourth, you won’t get an aftertaste. It also tastes fantastic by itself (not that we recommend you eat frosting by itself). Last but not least, you can easily make this strawberry buttercream and keep it inside your fridge for a long time.
So if you’re looking for a tasty, quick-to-prepare, and long-lasting strawberry buttercream icing recipe, this is it!
Let us let you in on a little secret: the Magic Whizk Cream serves as this recipe’s kryptonite. This delicious and straightforward buttercream recipe won’t exist without it.
Simply add cold water and whisk for a few minutes, and you get perfectly whipped cream in a matter of minutes! When whipping it up, add butter and your preferred flavorings (in this example, Strawberry Emulco Flavor).
3. Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread
From rice cakes to Korean corn dogs, The land of K-pop and K-dramas now brings you this fantastic Korean cream cheese garlic bread recipe.
Although everyone agrees that garlic bread is delicious, it can be challenging to achieve the ideal flavor. Shout out to everyone who jumped on the garlic cream cheese bandwagon.
But this recipe makes things easier for you. This recipe’s fantastic blend of tastes and ingredients will result in the best-tasting garlic bread you’ve ever had! Plus, it’s foolproof!
See for yourself by trying this recipe for Korean cream cheese garlic bread. Trust us, you won’t regret giving this delicious dish a try.
This recipe’s cream cheese lends a rich flavor, and the butter adds just a touch more richness. For the love of all things Korean, bake this one next.
4. Spanish Bread Recipe
Spanish bread might sound Spanish, but this Filipino twist will get you off of your seat. So hold your yeast because this Spanish bread recipe will make you more lovable. After all, the way to everyone’s hearts is through their stomach.
The components for this Spanish bread include flour, yeast, sugar, and butter or margarine. While it’s odd that it has nothing to do with Spanish food, this one won’t make you regret trying.
Cooks prepare this traditional Filipino bread similar to cinnamon buns. It also has the same level of filling goodness as ube cheese pandesal, pan de coco, and ensaymada.
Filipinos serve the bread during tea time or merienda. It can also be served for breakfast with coffee, milk, or tea. You can also buy it from almost any bakery in the Philippines.
5. Butterscotch Bars with Coconut
You can’t make butterscotch without butter, so here you go.
What happens when you combine butter with dark brown sugar? You prepare butterscotch, which is one of the best sweets ever. What if you want to take things to the next level, though? Follow this butterscotch bars with coconut recipe.
Making butterscotch can be challenging, especially for beginners. Interestingly, this dessert’s intricate construction makes it hard to make, even for experienced bakers. The bars must be chewy, moist, and buttery, for starters.
The solution? Butterscotch mix. Designed to eliminate a lot of trial and error to make the best butterscotch bars., mixes also save you a lot of time.
Contrary to what many people think, butterscotch mixes taste just like homemade butterscotch. They are also quite easy to use. Additionally, you don’t need to prepare everything from scratch.
The coconut also improves the texture and flavor. Since many Filipinos enjoy coconut, this coconut butterscotch will likely be a hit at your store.
6. Graduation Cake Recipe
A graduation is a unique event that deserves to be honored. What better way to honor your graduate than with a decadent cake? Making the ideal cake for a loved one or client is made easier with the help of this rich and luscious graduation cake recipe.
We created this rich and creamy chocolate graduation cake with the help of a fantastic chef. Thanks to them, you can now bake a lovely, delectable graduation cake with this recipe without spending a lot of money.
This graduation cake features intricate layers, fondant with a graduation theme, and a delectable chocolate center.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, salted butter is not healthier than unsalted butter. From a nutrition perspective, both have the exact amount of macronutrients. The only difference is that salted butter has salt.
Unsalted butter is better than salted because it does not contain extra salt. But if you’re using unsalted butter, you will taste the natural flavor of butter. This features a sweeter, less salty, and smoother flavor and texture than its salted counterpart.
Salted butter is better because of the salt in it. Salt adds flavor and acts as a preservative, making the shelf life of the butter longer. Salted butter, therefore, adds extra flavor. It also saves you time because you don’t have to add salt.
It doesn’t matter if you use salted or unsalted butter. Both can be used interchangeably in any recipe. However, if the recipe particularly requires unsalted butter, use it. If you don’t have one, you can use salted butter. Just put less salt than what the recipe calls for.
Conclusion
Salted and unsalted butter has a slight difference: salt. As obvious as it may seem, the salt adds extra flavor and extends the shelf life of the butter. On the other hand, the unsalted version has a fresher, more buttery taste.
At the end of the day, it depends on the recipe you have. But if you don’t have the specific butter in your fridge, you can always swap it out.
About HICAPS
Over the years, HICAPS has helped bakers and businesses make delicious products by offering ingredients like ChiffonAide Cake Oil, Magic Whizk Whipping Cream, Red Velvet Flavor Emulco, and Instabake Brownie Mix.
HICAPS also provides tools and resources to valued partners such as the free “How to Increase Your Sales Amidst the Pandemic” E-book and free dealer locator that helps look for baking ingredients near me.
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