I'm just curious to see who uses lightly salted butter or unsalted butter and why.

I've been using unsalted lately, but I much prefer the taste of the salted butter. I switched to unsalted to try and cut back a bit more on sodium to try and stem fluid retention. I din't know if there's enough sodium in lightly salted butter to make a difference.

Joan

I just bought unsalted this time for the same reason - don't want too much sodium in my diet. Although now that I'm not using soy sauces, etc. anymore this may not make much of a difference.

I use lightly salted because I can buy the 5-lb. tub of whipped butter at Sam's.

I use unsalted because of other health concerns.

Depends on what I'm cooking, so I always have a lb. of each on hand. If I'm going to add salt in cooking, I'll use unsalted.

I use unsalted because I like to control the saltiness of a dish. Plus, I like the taste better.

We have both.

I prefer the unsalted because of my hypertension. The wife likes the salted. Although I have noticed lately she has started to use "my" version more often - as a gesture of kindness for me I think.

JFF

WOW...I would love to be able to buy my butter in a "whipped tub"!! Here in the Pacific Coast of Canada (BC), we buy our butter in foil-wrapped lbs. Usually salted, in my experience, unless you are baking something that requires a certain amount of sodium...You lucky American consumers get the "trial versions" of everything!!

Unsalted only and not for health reasons.

Remember a few years ago when you could only find unsalted butter in the freezer section? Salt is a preservative so you never know how old salted butter is.

Water is attracted to salt so salted butter contains more water. Depending on the brand, it can contain a lot of water. You'll notice this when you melt butter for cooking. Some brands throw off more water than others.

I also like to control the amount of salt in a dish and not have my butter decide that for me. Salted butter just tastes caustic to my tongue.

My biggest reason is that it just tastes better. More fresh, sweet and clean.

Karen

Amen, Karen... I never thought of butter that intensely...makes sense...gonna'do the unsalted from now on..

I buy the salted but only because it's usually the cheapest Guess I never really thought about it....I'll check out the price of the unsalted vs. salted next shop!!

Nicole

It's my job and my passion to think intense thoughts about food.

Another reason - that really doesn't apply to us - is that it produces superior pastry because there is less water. Water combines with the gluten in flour and makes pastry tough. Pure fat helps keep it tender.

Karen

I use unsalted because I like to control the amount of salts in my foods. This way I can add some pottasium chlorde and get the taste I want. Soem things with alot of butter taste too salty to me, even without additional salt added.

unsalted for health concerns and because I decided I can just add salt if I want but I cant take it away and there are some things salted butter does not work well with.