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There's a cookie recipe I'm going to make that calls for 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and 1/2 teaspoon salt. We use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter as a substitute for butter, however that contains some Sodium already. So to figure out how much I should reduce the salt by I did the following:

  • ICBINB contains 55mg of Sodium per 2 tsp

  • That means for 3/4 cups = 36 tsp = 2*18 tsp, there is 0.055*18 mg or about 1 gram of Sodium in ICBINB

  • This next step I am not sure about. Using Google, it tells me 1/2 tsp of salt (or 2.5 grams of salt) contains 1000 mg of Sodium. Is this correct?

If the above is correct, that means 3/4 cup of ICBINB contains 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and since the recipe calls for 1/2 tsp salt with 3/4 cup of unsalted butter, does this mean I put no salt in the recipe since ICBIB already contains the necessary salt? Or should I put a tiny pinch of salt anyway just in case?

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    It sounds like you've done this before, but just in case... cookies can be sensitive, and replacing butter with margarine can definitely make them come out a bit differently.
    – Cascabel ♦
    Jul 20, 2016 at 5:50
  • Just a note, this may not be a good substitute, depending on which ICBINB product you are using and the type of recipe you are making.
    – Debbie M.
    Jul 20, 2016 at 5:54
  • We do also have vegetable oil, extra virgin olive oil, and clarified butter in the house. Would any of those be better substitutes or should I stick with margarine?
    – Karnage2015
    Jul 20, 2016 at 7:03
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    Melted (but not clarified) butter would also have a little bit of water in it. I don't know if the substitute would as well or just be whipped fat (and salt and flavorings). The water might be needed for gluten development if you're trying to get a chewy cookie.
    – Joe
    Jul 20, 2016 at 10:06
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    Related question about substituting butter in cookies: cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/52354/… Not sure about the answers but it's worth having a look.
    – Catija
    Jul 20, 2016 at 15:37

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Your math and numbers look about right. I found 1/2 tsp. table salt is 3 grams, so about 1125 mg sodium. I would not add any additional salt in this recipe.

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  • Was that for table salt, or kosher salt? They pack differently, so there's less sodium (as it's less weight) in the same measure of kosher salt vs. table salt.
    – Joe
    Jul 20, 2016 at 10:07
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    @Joe - Table salt. Kosher, pickling and other specialty salts will not have the same weight/volume ratio.
    – Debbie M.
    Jul 20, 2016 at 15:31

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