Why is unsalted butter popular among cooks when it goes rancid & absorbs adverse flavors like a sponge?

Question

I really like to cook and I watch a lot of cooking shows, and read blogs about cooking. But every cook it seems prefers unsalted to salted butter, and always recommends unsalted for it's "flavor" and so the salt in their recipe doesn't have to be adjusted.

I cannot stand unsalted butter, and that's the only recommendation by cooks I have refused to take.
I have used unsalted butter before, and it's a magnet and a sponge for bad smells and flavors and goes rancid so quickly.
The pro's of using unsalted do not seem to outweigh the cons of using it, in my experience. So why is it so popular, really? It seems to me that this recommendation has more to do with parrotting some chef they heard recommend unsalted, and less to do with actually having a genuine preference for unsalted butter.
What do you think? Which do you prefer and why?

Answer 1

Salt can inhibit leavening (rising) of yeasts and if you leave it out of many ingredients you can control how much you ingest. (I agree with you, I like it better and use it almost exclusively without problems).

Answer 2

Unsalted butter doesn't go rancid or absorb other flavours if you store it properly(mine stays in the freezer until a while before I'm going to use it), and salted butter will also do those things if it's stored improperly, but unsalted doesn't keep as long as salted, all else being equal. Just the way it is. That said, if you don't care for unsalted butter then don't use it. There are no kitchen police coming around to check on you. Some cooks like it because they can better control the amount of salt in a recipe. Salted butter brands have different amounts of salt in them.



I buy both and use both, sometimes using the one I happen to have more of around. Sometimes I like salted butter on my toast, sometimes I like unsalted especially if it's cultured butter. Maybe I don't have super sensitive taste buds but I haven't yet cooked anything that was ruined by using the wrong butter.

Answer 3

I have always preferred the taste of unsalted butter, even before I learned how to cook, so I was not influenced by any other chef. The taste is fresher and creamier than salted butter.

I have never had any experience with butter absorbing odors, either before or after cooking. I always keep all my food sealed tightly both in the refrigerator and after my baked goods are on the counter.

For me it isn't even a matter of controlling the salt content of my baked goods, just that unsalted butter tastes better.

Answer 4

Not all cooks do. It's a matter of preference. Michael Ruhlman, for instance, prefers salted butter. Some other chefs do too.



I prefer unsalted butter because salt is a preservative, so unsalted butter has a shorter shelf life. This means that I am getting fresher cream when I buy butter. For me that is important, but it may not be for you.



It's really a matter of preference though. It's just what you are used to.

Answer 5

Unsalted butter is higher in fat and therefore richer and more butterier--my word. I use it for mashed potatoes and dishes where the butter taste comes through and is a prominent player. I just keep mine in a double zip loc and freeze it. I only take it out right before cooking and it stays fresh just fine. I used to think no big difference but there really is. The best way to try is by cooking a batch of mashed potatoes and then doing a side by side blind taste test with your family. Remember you have to add some extra salt to the dish to make up for the unsalted butter.

Answer 6

A lot depends upon the quality of the unsalted butter and how it's packaged. Those flimsy, waxed-paper wrappers that butter comes in are probably the worst. The cheaper butter possibly has latent bacteria which affects its freshness faster.



Place your stick of butter in a Ziploc bag and keep it in the butter tray of your refrigerator. I use foil-wrapped, unsalted butter, and a stick has gone up to two months in my fridge without going rancid or absorbing flavors.

Answer 7

There are some times I think that foods must have some sort of 'cachet' to them - like how did we ever exist without kosher flake salt, balsamic vinegar, baby field greens, and personal watermelons.



I do use unsalted butter when I make most cookies. The rest of the time, it's salted.

Answer 8

the two will artwork i could go with the single you experience will compliment the filling the terrific. I in many cases go with the main organic component so i could lean in the direction of genuine butter. i could double verify and notice what your recipe demands. i don't understand what the filling is yet i can bear in mind my Grandmother making crust with elementary Crisco yet that grow to be before there grow to be butter style and he or she could make be making pumpkin pies. additionally, if I bear in mind suited you prefer to artwork the butter while it somewhat is chilly and use ice chilly water. i could additionally basically as somewhat bit insurance verify what's suggested interior the excitement of Cooking Cookbook which has numerous sensible bits of know-how. i like that there is somebody obtainable nonetheless doing issues by applying scratch it form of feels further and extra human beings decide on pre-blended issues and that they do basically not style an identical. I applaud you!

Answer 9

I can suggest a couple of reasons: the first is that if they use loads of in in a dish, it isn't too salty. The other is that you don't get a slightly salty taste in any desserts, or sweet sauces.