SALTED BUTTER VS UNSALTED BUTTER – Butter is available both with & without salt. The salt is added for extra flavor & to help preserve it so it has a longer shelf life. The problem is that sometimes the salt in butter can be more than a recipe needs. Choosing unsalted butter gives you more control over how much salt your dish contains. If you only have salted butter, the best thing to do is omit approxmately 1/4 tsp salt per 1/2 cup (one stick) of butter used in the recipe.