Baking Spotlight

​The Case For Using Salted Butter In Your Baked Goods​

Is it okay to use salted butter in baking? To answer this age-old question once and for all, the Tasting Table reached out to two cookbook authors, Molly Baz and Randy Feltis, for a bit of expert advice.

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The Egg Replacer That Changed Everything
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We used to think egg-free baking meant choosing between dry cookies or dense cakes. Then aquafaba came along, and suddenly, vegan meringues became possible. This viscous liquid from canned chickpeas does something remarkable: it whips into stable peaks just like egg whites. When this discovery came to light, it transformed what home bakers thought was achievable without eggs. The science is surprisingly simple. Chickpea proteins and natural soap-like compounds called saponins unfold when whipped, wrapping around air bubbles to create foam. Use three tablespoons of the liquid to replace one egg, or whip two tablespoons with an eighth teaspoon of cream of tartar for ten to fifteen minutes to get stiff peaks for meringues.

But here's what the discovery really taught us: matching the replacer to what eggs actually do in each recipe matters far more than following generic substitution charts. Eggs bind ingredients together through protein coagulation, create lift through foam and steam, and add moisture while helping fats and liquids mix smoothly. No single substitute handles all three jobs equally well. That's why aquafaba works beautifully in cakes where you need lift and structure.

The pattern becomes clear when you look at systematic testing results. Good Housekeeping's brownie tests crowned Greek yogurt the winner for its fudgy texture and rich chocolate flavor. America's Test Kitchen found that Judee's commercial egg replacer produced sugar cookies with a satisfying chew that tasted like perfect buttery cookies. The Kitchn discovered carbonated water made muffins almost indistinguishable from the egg-based version. Each replacer has its strength. Flax eggs create the gel-like binding that holds cookies together. Applesauce adds moisture that keeps quick breads tender. Vinegar mixed with baking soda generates the carbon dioxide bubbles that help cakes rise.

Understanding these functions helps you make better choices in your own kitchen. When you're baking cookies that need to hold their shape, reach for ground flaxseed mixed with water or a commercial egg replacer designed for binding. For light, fluffy cakes, try aquafaba or that can of seltzer water in your fridge. Making brownies? Greek yogurt will give you those crackly tops and fudgy centers. The key is thinking about what role the egg plays in that specific recipe rather than treating all eggs the same way.

There are limits to what we can do without eggs. Recipes calling for three or more eggs per batch rarely work well with substitutes because the structure just isn't there. Angel food cakes, soufflés, and traditional custards depend so completely on egg proteins that they're nearly impossible to replicate. Flourless desserts need eggs to provide all the structure since there's no gluten network to help. And if you're working with both gluten-free flour and egg replacers, you've removed both major structure builders at once, which explains why those double conversions often fail. In these cases, we're better off finding recipes that were developed from the start without eggs rather than trying to convert traditional versions.

The good news is that for most everyday baking, strategic substitution works remarkably well. Start with four staples: aquafaba for versatility, one commercial blend for reliability, applesauce for moisture, and ground flaxseed for binding. These cover nearly every situation you'll encounter. Add half a teaspoon of baking powder when using replacers that only bind, measure your flour by weight instead of volume to avoid packing in too much, and get your oven temperature right with a thermometer. We've learned that eggs aren't irreplaceable in baking. They're just multifunctional, and once you understand those functions, you can build the skills to work around them.

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See You in the Next One!

Have a substitution you want us to cover? Have you seen any amazing recipes that use substitutions recently? Send them all our way, and we might include them in an upcoming newsletter!
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