Eric Jorgensen wrote:
> On 23 Aug 2006 11:10:33 -0700
> "Merry" > wrote:
>
>> Frank103 wrote:
>>> I have heard that pastry chefs usually prefer unsalted butter rather
>>> than salted butter. When it comes to cakes and cookies, can you
>>> actually taste the difference between salted and unsalted butter? I
>>> guess people who are professionals can but can most others tell the
>>> difference? thanks in advance.
>>> Frank
>> I use unsalted butter- most recipes call for salt anyway, so why ruin
>> what you are making with more. If I must use salted, I reduce the
>> amount of salt called for in the recipe
>
>
> I'm not making a judgment call on whether or not to use unsalted -
> that's gonna vary by recipe and by audience.
>
> But i am going to point out that factories don't make butter by
> churning it in the sense that you and i recognize. They whip it up and
> then chill it, and the fat crystallizes and rises to the top. They do
> this with whole milk - they don't separate out the cream and then work
> on that.
>
> Adding the salt during the crystallization process causes more of the
> milk solids to cling to the fat as it solidifies. These solids are
> responsible for much of the flavor of butter. Salted butter tastes
> better on a fresh biscuit not just because it has a little salt in it,
> but because it has more flavor in it.

And if you want still more of that flavor, keep your butter
in a butter dish on the kitchen counter at home, rather than
in the fridge. It "ripens" and the flavor intensifies.
Obviously, if it's very hot in the kitchen (more than 90°F),
this won't work because the butter liquefies. There's no
issue of spoilage or rancidity if it's used within a couple
weeks.

> Depending on the recipe and who you're feeding, subtracting a little
> salt from the recipe and using salted butter can work fine. But there's
> more to the problem than salt.
>
> The salt is also a preservative, as it retards bacterial growth. The
> bacteria in butter produces butyric acid, which is nice in infinitesimal
> amounts, but nasty in large amounts. Unsalted butter may thus have less
> of the whey flavor and more of the butyric acid flavor.

The amount of salt in salted butter isn't enough to exercise
much of a preservative value. It's a trivial amount compared
to what was done it earlier times when it really was
necessary because of lack of refrigeration and the present
nuisance of rancidity. Butter in colonial America was
heavily salted and had to be "washed" before it could be used.

Butyric acid is found as an ester naturally occurring in
fats and oils. The butyric acid in *refrigerated* unsalted
butter isn't much of a factor until it's been stored a long
time, heading well into rancidity. Much longer than the
usual retail sales cycles. It comprises between 3% and 4% of
butter and doesn't become an issue until hydrolyzed out of
its ester and the free butyric acid appears. It's a familiar
unpleasant, acrid smell and taste found in rancid butter,
Parmesan cheese, vomit and perspiration.

> Personally I keep a pound of unsalted butter in the freezer. If a
> recipe calls for it, I thaw it out and use it. It's just not that hard
> to keep it around.

Agreed.

But I just don't see the value of doing it. Most recipes are
written by recipe writers, not food scientists.

Pastorio