why do cooks insist that unsalted butter is nec. when the recipe then calls for adding salt? To the same bowl

Question

I've even heard Martha Stewart say to so so, but she didn't give the reason.

Answer 1

Because you can then control the *amount* of salt in the recipie.
Bakers never use salted butter....

Answer 2

Unsalted butter is the only thing to use for cooking! Salted butter is deemed a lower grade of butter by many cooks because the salt is often used to mask unpleasant qualities of inferior butter.

Answer 3

When you use unsalted butter, you can control the amount of salt you need or that the recipe calls for. Alot of other spices have salt already so you may not need to use salted butter. Look at the entire recipe and decide for yourself. ( My mom and boy friend who cook delicious food always said "You can always add an ingredient if needed but you can't take it away."

Answer 4

It is not all that complicated. It is simply a way of establishing norms in cooking.
Unless otherwise specified butter always refers to unsalted. The reason is simple: while you can always put salt in you can never take it out.
Eggs are always large
Salt is always Kosher
White sauces always get white pepper
Unless specified flour is always all purpose
The list goes on

Answer 5

Its to do with tranparency in the salt content in the finished product. The salt amount can be quantified for labelling, selling on, etc..so if its for yourself salted butter is fine and reduce the amount of salt stated in the recipe.

Answer 6

Your source (Martha Stewart) explains everything. Unless you are on a low sodium diet, feel free to use salted butter and cook how you want to cook.

Answer 7

That's a load of crap! You can use salted butter as long as you don't add the salt that the recipe calls for.

Answer 8

if you add the salt yourself, you are getting a precise measure, which is essential when baking

sweet butter doesn't brown/burn as easily as salted

Answer 9

to control the amount of salt you add to the dish