View topic - Would you like salt with your butter, sir?

by **Sakkarin** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 12:16 pm

I weaned myself off salted butter onto unsalted long ago, but now I have to watch the pennies, I was prompted to try Lidl's "Simple" butter, which is 5p cheaper than the cheapest unsalted butter. I am astonished at how salty it is, and looking at its "nutrition" details on the pack, it's clear that there's nearly a whole teaspoon of salt in a 250g block (4.3g), which is equivalent to two whole teaspoonsful in a pint of melted butter.

It undoubtedly tastes better for most uses, but I'm pretty sure that is down to the salt, and whatever you are doing with the butter, I'm thinking you could reproduce the effect by increasing the salt in the situation you're using it for.

Is there a point to the salt in butter other than fooling you into thinking it tastes better than it does? Although I know it's there in plain sight on the wrapper (it says salted/unsalted), have we become oblivious to it, as we did to the sugar in many things before we were alerted, making it a hidden source of salt? It certainly isn't there as a preservative, as unsalted butter lasts forever in my house, unrefrigerated.

by **Suffs** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 12:23 pm

My understanding was that the amount of salt in butter was introduced as a preservative when we were importing it in large amounts from New Zealand (presumably when large scale refrigeration wasn’t available). Then we in the UK got used to it and other butter producers followed suit. That’s what I remember being told .., it may however be apocryphal ... I can’t remember who it was told me. We almost always use Wrose own brand unsalted as our day to day butter.

by **jeral** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 12:37 pm

Put some on and scrape it off again? My mum used to spread hers 1/2" thick, then switched to marg in later years. I never thought I'd see the day.

Salt is funny though. I notice that all bread tastes sweet to me; maybe it always did but now with less salt has become noticeable.

The most noticeable difference I find salt makes is to the taste of porridge. It's like a whole nuther animal.

How does Morrison's butter price compare? Wondering if there might be any bargains there after reporting a drop in sales lately.

by **cherrytree** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 12:58 pm

I’m afraid I love very salty butter. I particularly like the stuff with salt crystals in. This is strange as I am notorious in our family for undersalting food.
My favourite salty butter in the UK is Aldi’s West Country butter but if there is another, please let me know!

by **Meganthemog** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:04 pm

I love salted butter and fortunately in Wales we like our butter salty. We can buy it in the market where they have varying degrees of saltiness.

by **jeral** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:14 pm

As a kid, a guest house we stayed at on holiday served butter in curls 8-)

Could you sprinkle Maldon crystals on any old butter made into curls?

by **Pampy** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 7:22 pm

I love salted butter too, particularly Welsh and the ones with crystals. For me, salt seems to make the butter taste less greasy - I have no idea why that should be, but it does!

by **karadekoolaid** » Sat Jan 18, 2020 8:57 pm

Generally speaking, I use unsalted butter. That means that I can adjust the salt content of whatever I´m cooking ( or spreading) to my requirements.
Personally, I like salt, but everyone to their own.Perhaps it has to do with living in a tropical climate.

by **Gillthepainter** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 9:34 am

I buy my cheaper butter salted.

But expensive treats, like president or French butters unsalted. I find them richer without the salt, and prefer it.
I find it so hard to spend too much on a butter tho!

by **Wic** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 2:15 pm

I prefer my butter salted, too, especially on toast. I keep trying with unsalted, but it always tastes too oily to me. If I’m baking and it specifies unsalted I will use it, if it just says 'butter' I use whatever I have.

by **Sakkarin** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 4:53 pm

A chart I just drummed up with most of the salt contents. It's noticeable that the two French butters with crystals have at least 50% more salt than most of the others, howver it may be that they're both the same supplier but different packaging for own brands.

by **jeral** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 5:24 pm

I imagine some of the salt is naturally occurring as Waitrose Essential double cream has 0.09g per 100ml. So, does that mean that "unsalted" is "de-salted" or just no added extra salt?

Edit PS: A quick Google says no added salt. Salt is added for flavour and shelf life. One says butter tastes sweeter and more mellow without the added salt.

by **Sakkarin** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 6:09 pm

Just looked at my unsalted butter, and it says 0.02g of salt - I guess as milk is supposed to give calves all the nutrients they need it would have to include salt.

A teaspoonful is 5g, which makes 0.02g 1/250th of a teaspoon per 100g, just a few grains...

by **karadekoolaid** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 6:47 pm

Having glanced at your chart, Sakks, I´d call the Food Police.
We´re looking at a serious case of Assalt and Buttery. :gonzo

by **Sakkarin** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 6:57 pm

by **jeral** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 7:10 pm

Tee hee.

Wasn't there's an advert with a jingle "A betta bitta butta on yer knife"?

Not forgetting Greg Wallace enthusing, via Youtube gif rap: (a painful 2 mins)

by **Sakkarin** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 7:17 pm

Ha! A celebration of the glottal stop!

by **jeral** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 7:42 pm

Here's Country Life Butter:

by **Sakkarin** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:09 pm

Amazing how advertising reverberates back across the decades! Remember it well. Couldn't put a year on it, early 80s?

Which came first, Tetley Tea Folk or Country Life Butter-on-yer-knifers?

by **jeral** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 8:22 pm

There is a butta ad for Xmas 1984, so just prior to that I expect. Would have to look up the Tetley folks.

View topic - Would you like salt with your butter, sir?

Would you like salt with your butter, sir?

Would you like salt with your butter, sir?

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