Larry, I can tell that you don't watch or listen to Martha Stewart! There
are two reasons for using unsalted butter for cooking and baking. First, if
recipes need salt, they give how much to use. Salted butter yields extra
salt (eureka!) but not in a standardized amount. Second, unsalted butter is
and tastes fresher because salt acts as a preservative and as a disguiser
of rancidity and thus has a longer "shelf life". A third reason: It doesn't
contribute to the excess sodium in American diets. I haven't bought salted
butter in at least 30 years.
Ellen