Usually figure 1 tsp of salt as the recommended amount for one day.
Butter: salted or unsalted?
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Usually figure 1 tsp of salt as the recommended amount for one day.
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Greg Who Cooks
Executive Chef
Usually I figure the RDA maximums are too much! 
Or if they're minimums, then not enough...
Irrespective of the 1/2 teaspoon (mine) or 1 teaspoon (yours) I worry about all the salt used in so many of the foods we eat, unless I make my own foods from whole natural ingredients where no salt is added. How much of the RDA is contained in foods you don't control the salt in? I don't know...
Or if they're minimums, then not enough...
Irrespective of the 1/2 teaspoon (mine) or 1 teaspoon (yours) I worry about all the salt used in so many of the foods we eat, unless I make my own foods from whole natural ingredients where no salt is added. How much of the RDA is contained in foods you don't control the salt in? I don't know...
NoraC
Senior Cook
Unsalted for baking/sweet stuff, because there is usually a tiny amount of salt needed for pastry etc. and salted butter is too much. Salted for savory cooking, because I leave the salt cellar in the cupboard and am not tempted to over-salt. Silly in it's own way, but it works: enough butter is enough salt for most of my savory applications.
Usually I figure the RDA maximums are too much!
Or if they're minimums, then not enough...
Irrespective of the 1/2 teaspoon (mine) or 1 teaspoon (yours) I worry about all the salt used in so many of the foods we eat, unless I make my own foods from whole natural ingredients where no salt is added. How much of the RDA is contained in foods you don't control the salt in? I don't know...
It's usually easy enough to have a look at the nutrient info and it's shocking how much salt there is. The other culprit is eating out. Just assume there is far too much salt in the food if you are eating out. Salt tastes good and enhances the tongue's ability to taste foods, so most cooks/chefs are reluctant to cut back on salt.
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Greg Who Cooks
Executive Chef
You're probably right. Or in any case that can be corrected by people at the table, depending on whether they have a salty tooth.
joesfolk
Head Chef
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I use only salted butter. Why? Because if I run out of salted butter I would be tempted to use the unsalted and frankly that is like eating lard. I'd rather do without altogether than eat the unsalted.
I use both. Unsalted for baking, salted for table and savory. My salt intake is very low, too low sometimes and has caused me problems.
Luca Lazzari
Sous Chef
In Italy we use only unsalted butter, both for cooking and for dressing. Salted butter, burro salato, is hard to find and is not a traditional fat we use here, while some local producer makes it (and you can obviously find salted butter produced abroad).
tinlizzie
Head Chef
I've recently happened upon a local source for really good European-style rye bread, which makes heavenly toast. So last trip to the grocery I splurged on a half-pound of Plugra, unsalted. When I got home, I divided it into tablespoon-sized servings, which I wrapped in foil and have put in the butter compartment in the fridge. I take out a cube in the morning for spreading on the bread before toasting - a daily little piece of luxury. The Plugra has a sort of tangy flavor that I like a lot, although I think the salted version would be very good, too. Due to blood pressure concerns, my salt intake has been lowered to seldom using a shaker and buying unsalted butter, whatever brand. I generally buy the store-brand unsalted butter for baking.
Usually I figure the RDA maximums are too much!
Or if they're minimums, then not enough...
Irrespective of the 1/2 teaspoon (mine) or 1 teaspoon (yours) I worry about all the salt used in so many of the foods we eat, unless I make my own foods from whole natural ingredients where no salt is added. How much of the RDA is contained in foods you don't control the salt in? I don't know...
Sodium only makes up part of the salt not all of it. Since sodium is less than half of the weight you need to double it (that gets the teaspoon instead of half teaspoon).
HistoricFoodie
Senior Cook
How much of the RDA is contained in foods you don't control the salt in? I don't know...
But it's easy to figure for anything other than restaurant food. Just read the labels.
A few years ago, in one of its meaningless changes, RDA was dropped. They now call it "Daily Value." Every food product, in it's nutritional listing, has a column "%DV." So all you have to do is add them up.
For example, I just grabbed, at random, a jar of peanut butter. The label says there are 130mg of sodium per serving, which is 5%DV. A serving is 2 tablespoons.
So, if you eat four tablespoons of peanut butter you've ingested 10% of the daily value.
If you're really concerned about nutrition, I recommend checking out the USDA's proactive Composition of Foods database. Being married to a diabetic, I practically live over there.
But it's easy to figure for anything other than restaurant food. Just read the labels.
A few years ago, in one of its meaningless changes, RDA was dropped. They now call it "Daily Value." Every food product, in it's nutritional listing, has a column "%DV." So all you have to do is add them up.
For example, I just grabbed, at random, a jar of peanut butter. The label says there are 130mg of sodium per serving, which is 5%DV. A serving is 2 tablespoons.
So, if you eat four tablespoons of peanut butter you've ingested 10% of the daily value.
If you're really concerned about nutrition, I recommend checking out the USDA's proactive Composition of Foods database. Being married to a diabetic, I practically live over there.
HistoricFoodie
Senior Cook
Whoops! Left out the link. It's NDL/FNIC Food Composition Database Home Page
Do you know about their free software? Nutrient Data Products and Services
It's what I used to get the amount of sodium in US salt. For the Canadian stuff, I just read the label.
HistoricFoodie
Senior Cook
Yeah, I knew about that. It's just as easy for me to go on-line, though. And I don't have to remember to update the file, as it's already done for me.
Either way, it's a great improvement over the old printed version, called Agricultural Handbook #8, which was outdated before it was printed. Databases like the composition of foods is where the web really shines.
Either way, it's a great improvement over the old printed version, called Agricultural Handbook #8, which was outdated before it was printed. Databases like the composition of foods is where the web really shines.
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Greg Who Cooks
Executive Chef
That's a good point, but my conversion from weight to volume was incredibly flawed anyway.
I just realized a better way to figure it. The nutrition facts on my table salt container states 1/4 tsp. is the serving size and has 590 mg of sodium. That converts to 2360 mg per teaspoon. That's very near the 2400 recommended maximum, so more or less the recommended maximum table salt intake is about 1 teaspoon.
Still, I'd rather not eat that much if I can avoid it.
Kayelle
Chef Extraordinaire
I use salted butter, unsalted has no taste at all to me.
Several people have talked about freezing butter. I've been using salted butter all my life, and have never frozen it, although I generally don't buy more than a pound or two at a time.I've always refrigerated it but I've never ever had butter "go bad". What are the symptoms of spoiled butter?
Several people have talked about freezing butter. I've been using salted butter all my life, and have never frozen it, although I generally don't buy more than a pound or two at a time.I've always refrigerated it but I've never ever had butter "go bad". What are the symptoms of spoiled butter?
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justplainbill
Executive Chef
A rancid taste. A fresh butter should taste like sweet cream or salted sweet cream.
It also changes colour. It gets a bit darker.
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Greg Who Cooks
Executive Chef
That's mainly what I've noticed. I live alone and it takes me a fair amount of time to go through a pound of butter, particularly since I use margarine too. Years ago I wasn't sure you could freeze butter but I tried it and it worked out fine, so now I remove one cube from a new package and put the rest in the freezer, bring a cube out whenever the current one is almost gone.
I'm pretty sure a family of four who eats a lot of butter could quite easily go through a pound before it can change color or go rancid.
