QUESTION: I am curious to know the difference between unsalted and salted butter, and if using one or the other makes a difference in a recipe. I am looking for a good baked pear recipe, and would like to know what sort of butter to use. I enjoy reading your column each week — it always gives me a good chuckle.ANSWER:Isn't it a wonderful thing that butter isn't a dirty word anymore? All those years we spent giving up the good flavor of butter for substitutes, and now the substitutes are often considered "less healthy." Moderation is the key. Of course, Henry Kissinger once said that "Moderation is a virtue only in those who are thought to have an alternative." Well here, the alternatives are salted or unsalted.As far as we know, butter dates back to 2500 B.C. in Mesopotamia, where an ancient tablet has been found describing a method of making butter. Archeologists have even found a butter churn that had been packed with butter and buried inside a 2,000-year-old Egyptian grave. I assume it was salted butter because salt, when used in butter, is mainly used as a preservative. If it was salted butter, it must have been the Bill Gates of Egypt having that butter churned because salt at that time was a very precious commodity. That may explain why he wanted to be buried with his butter. Who says you can't take it with you?In ancient times, butter was used less as a food and more often as a medical ointment, cosmetic, or illuminating oil. Today, in most areas, cow's milk is used as the basis for butter, but in some places, the milk from goats, sheep, and even mares is used. In fact, there are parts of Mongolia where people still drink fermented mare's milk, which I am going to have to assume is an acquired taste.The farm method of making butter consisted of cooling fresh milk in pans, letting the cream rise to the top, and skimming off the cream. Then the farmers let the cream ripen through natural fermentation until it was ready to be churned. Before the butter churn was invented, all sorts of churning methods were used, including putting the fermented cream in an animal skin, hanging it, and rocking it back and forth until the butter was churned. Sometimes they had horses carry the animal skins and trot until the cream was the right consistency. Later, savvy inventors like Thomas Edmondson invented very practical churns. The one invented by Edmondson helped the busy homemaker of yesteryear by inventing a cradle that when rocked, also churned your butter.Although butter was exclusively farm-made up until about 1850, it has increasingly become factory-produced. The commercial "salted" butter we consume in the United States today is usually made up of anywhere from 80 to 85 percent milk fat, 12 to 16 percent water, and about 2 percent salt. "Sweet" or "Unsalted" butter is commonly used in Europe, and legally European butter must contain at least 82 percent milk fat, which makes for a very rich butter. France, Germany, and the Netherlands make the European Union the world's leading producer of butter.I've often thought of salted butter as having less quality than unsalted butter. Also, chefs often prefer to use unsalted butter, as it helps give you better control over the saltiness of your food.Clarified butter, which is unsalted butter with the milk solids removed, is often used in cooking because of its ability to withstand a higher temperature of heat before burning. To make clarified butter, you melt the unsalted butter in a saucepan over low heat, skim off the froth, and keep the clear liquid.I hope this gives you some clarity as to whether to use salted or unsalted butter. In my opinion, if butter is a chief ingredient in your recipe, i.e. butter cookies, unsalted butter is the way to go. For a savory dish, it isn't as crucial to have unsalted butter, as you would salt to taste later anyway. Since salt was originally used as a preservative in butter, the invention of the freezer made buying your butter salted unnecessary. And isn't great that the hand that rocks the cradle is no longer the hand that has to churn the butter as well?

¼ cup finely chopped dried cranberries¼ cup finely chopped walnuts¼ teaspoon salt¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter; softened, divided2 large (about 8 ounces each) firm ripe pears¼ cup pure maple syrupVanilla ice creamCombine cranberries and walnuts and salt in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon butter; use a fork to combine. Set aside.Cut pears in half lengthwise. Using a melon baller or small spoon, remove core from each pear half, leaving a 1½-inch diameter hole. Cut a thin slice from bottom of each to make a steady base. Place pears with narrow ends toward center in a round baking dish. Fill each pear with cranberry mixture; set aside.Place maple syrup and remaining 3 tablespoons butter in 2-cup microwave-safe glass measuring cup. Microwave on high 1 minute or until butter is melted. Stir to combine. Pour over pears. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes until pears are tender, basting pears with sauce halfway through cooking time. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.Makes four servings