Unsalted butter?

[etwahl]

i had a heck of a time finding appropriate butter for dd the other day. everyone said babies need fat, so i decided i should start adding butter to her things - waffle, toast, veggies.

but the only unsalted butter i could find was land o lakes unsalted sweet cream butter. and it does have a lot of saturated fat (though no trans fats). plus it's HARD. they don't have the spreadable butter in that.

can anyone recommend a butter that would be better?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[HoneymoonBaby]

Unsalted butter is really nasty tasting -- I'd stay away from it if I were you, unless there's a medical reason you need to restrict sodium. And "spreadable butter" isn't really butter -- it's like thickened, flavored vegetable oil. Yuck. I don't think there's anything wrong with giving a child regular salted butter (I ate it all the time growing up). If you keep it in a butter dish outside the refrigerator, it softens up enough to be quite spreadable. It's perfectly safe.

[egoldber]

I buy unsalted butter since thats what all recipes call for and I mainly use it for cooking. Honestly, though, I have never actually tasted salted butter, so I don't know what the difference is. I would look at the sodium level on the package and if you're comfortable, not worry about it. But I have never had a problem finding unsakted butter. They may have just been low for some reason.

I would definitely not use spreadable butter. The saturated fat (and thats all butter is, really, is saturated fat) is what makes it hard. The trans fats are what gives foods like margarine their soft, spreadable quality.

I would cut off a tablespoon or two and just leave it on the counter. To speed things up, you can microwave it for just a few seconds (maybe 5-15 seconds depending on your microwave) and that should do the trick.

HTH,

[cinrein]

Tammy, were you looking at the sticks of butter or something in a tub? I always buy the sticks and have never had a problem finding unsalted butter. That is all I buy too--for baking! I wait until it's on sale and stock up--you can freeze it. I never tasted it by itself, so I can't comment on whether it's nasty. Now that I think of it, I can't say that I've ever tasted just plain butter in either the salted or unsalted variety.

Cindy and Anna 2/11/03

[COElizabeth]

Actually, Land O' Lakes does make a spreadable butter that does not have trans fats. It's just pure butter mixed with some type of unhydrogenated oil - canola, I believe. It does have salt, though.

All real butter is going to have a lot of saturated fat because that's what butter is, but the mixture of butter and canola oil will have a lower percentage of saturated fats and a higher one of unsaturated. You could also make your own mixture with unsalted butter and canola oil. (I have never done it but have seen it recommended).

Having said that, I don't worry about DS' intake of saturated fat right now. Actually, I am trying to increase it since he is nursing less but not drinking any cow's milk. So I have no problem giving him real butter or ice cream for now. When he is a year or two older and the time comes to make his fat intake more like an adult's should be, I would probably frown on him eating pieces of butter at a restaurant, but for now, I think, "Good, maybe he will sleep better!" :)

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02

[amp]

Ditto what Elizabeth said! Land O Lakes has that spreadable butter in both a stick and a tub, so you can pick what you prefer. And it's real butter!

[etwahl]

okay that helps. so i shouldn't worry about the saturated fats in this butter? as long as it doesn't have trans fat? beth, do you have any favorite brands?

before dd, i used i can't believe it's not butter light spread or spray...but i rarely used butter on anything, hence i know nothing about the stuff :)

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[peanut4us]

tammy--we always buy unsalted butter. We have found the cheapest way to buy it is at Costco and to buy their inhouse brand, Kirkland. To make it "spreadable" why don't you buy a butter dish and just leave it out? Then it's nice and soft all the time.

[egoldber]

LOL! I buy whatever is cheapest, usually the store brand! :)

[MartiesMom2B]

Tammy:

Leave the butter out so it'll be soft. If you have a kitchen aid mixer than take semi softened butter and whip it up and you'll have whipped butter that'll be easier to spread.

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[etwahl]

i didn't know it was safe to leave butter out. i thought it had to be refrigerated. am i wrong? is it okay to just leave in the cabinet instead of the fridge?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[MartiesMom2B]

Well before you stick your butter in the cabinet let me check. But you can probably take a small amount of butter out and leave it out during the day. Whipped butter is spreadable. I saw a whole episode about butter on Good Eats, and I'm trying to remember what was said.

Tammy: I just found a website all about butter. This should answer all your questions: http://www.butterisbest.com/faq/index.html

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[Jenmv]

My parents always left butter out and I'm not aware of ever getting sick from it, but it will go rancid more quickly so I wouldn't leave very much out at one time, depending on your usage. If your'e not worried about salt the Land'O'Lakes spreadable butter with Canola oil is a great product. It has no trans fat and softens up very quickly after being removed from the fridge.

[missym]

We use a butter bell to keep our butter fresh at room temperature. Water in the bottom of the "cup" forms a seal which doesn't allow mold to grow. If we're good about changing the water every few of days, it lasts a couple of weeks.

http://tinyurl.com/3dre9

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

[mharling]

Tammy -
I use unsalted butter in the tub (usually store brand). I always set it out of the refrigerator before I do anything else to get ds's meal ready. By the time the pancakes are made or the bread is toasted, it's usually soft enough to spread.

Mary
Lane 4/6/03

[sugarsnappea]

I only use unsalted butter and I use it for everything. It tastes delicious and does not have the added sodium. My family has always kept butter out in a butter dish at room temperature. I never had a problem with it going rancid but I may use it more often than some. We usually go through 1/4 # (1 stick) every week and a half. :)

[JElaineB]

I just use regular salted butter and leave it on the counter because we go through it rather quickly. But for those who want to keep it spreadable but fresher for longer periods of time, you can buy a "butter boat" which allows you to keep the butter at room temp much longer (I have heard up to 30 days). Here is one from the King Arthur Flour Catalog:

[link:ww2.kingarthurflour.com/cgibin/htmlos.cgi/4747.3.611602813310694187|Butter Boat at King Arthur Flour]

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[papal]

Tammy,
Another alternative might be Ghee. It is nothing but clarified unsalted butter. It is what we use in Indian cooking.. it can be left out, without fear of it going rancid, for many weeks. In the fridge it will probably last a very very long time.

It does take a little more work though but it is always spreadable and much tastier than unsalted butter imo.

Basically you take unsalted butter and simmer it on a low heat for 20-30 mins. Skim of the foam and pour the clear liquid (clarified butter) into a container. I would use a sieve just incase some solids try to get it.
There will be solids left at the bottom. As a cook's treat you can eat those with some rice and salt.... mmmm... delish.

[Dcclerk]

If you have a Trader Joe's around, they have Ghee already made for you. I'm pretty sure that it is in one of the regular aisles, not the refrigerated cases. I love it!

[papal]

Kerry.. i will be honest... i only make the Ghee so i can gorge on the solid stuff that remains at the bottom of the pot when you make it... yummmmm. :)