parchment paper vs. waxed paper ?

[BJE]

Is there a difference between parchment paper and waxed paper? Can waxed paper be used to line a cookie sheet? I have always used parchment paper instead.

[Louise]

There is a difference. Parchment is effectively teflon coated. Wax paper is wax coated. Use parchment. You will be much happier.

[Nyleve]

Seriously - what does make parchment paper non-stick? I'm sure it isn't teflon. But now I'm wondering how come it works.

[BJE]

Nyleve, that is a very good point. I just looked on my box of parchment paper . It is made by Reynolds aluminum and is made in France. curiously it says not to use it in a toaster oven, under a broiler or in Halogen light ovens. I guess it will catch on fire under high heat conditions.

[serious]

It's important not to have parchment overhang a cookie sheet
by any amount..for that overhang will also catch fire.

[moh]

Is this realy true? I've baked a few things recently with some overhang, and I haven't yet had a fire... but I'm wiling to be convinced.

[LulusMom]

Yikes, I never knew that and have let it overhang. But I'll be careful in the future not to do so.

[BJE]

I just checked on wikipedia and it says that cooking parchment paper is impregnated with a silicone and the need to grease a cookie sheet is eliminated.

[xilinxchic]

I believe parchment is the only one intended for oven temperatures...

[Katie Nell]

DO NOT line a cookie sheet with waxed paper- it will smoke you out something terrible! Waxed paper is only good for using outside of the oven or in the oven with something that covers it completely, i.e. a cake. I only use parchment now, just because it's more versatile, in my opinion.

[rcallner]

You'll be happier, to be explicit, 'cause the wax on the wp would melt and the whole thing could burn and you'd have a food tragedy on your hands. Parchment doesn't have the coating, is oven-proof, and a blessing for baking things without having them stick.

[BJE]

Thanks everyone for all the warnings. I figured there must be a difference between the two. I only wondered because of the reference to using either on a cookie sheet for baking biscotti on this web site. http://www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/...
I'm glad I bought a box of parchment paper to do my 2nd batch of biscotti.

[Katie Nell]

Believe me, I only know that by experiencing the smoke myself! :-)

[MikeG]

You can use waxed paper when it's completely covered (like lining cake pans), but it will at least smoke if exposed bare to 350F-ish or higher oven temps for very long. If baking something at lower heat, you might well be OK.

[SChalfant]

Get a Silpat and call it a day! Easiest way to go and you can use it for everything.

[kittyfood]

The problem with Silpat is that it doesn't give the cookies anything to grip, so they will spread out more than they would if you used parchment paper.

[Amuse Bouches]

Great for cookie sheets, but you can't cut it to fit cake pans.

[Shayna Madel]

I saw on another thread that there is something round that works like a silpat.

[SanseiDesigns]

Ditto on SChalfant comment. Silicon mats are the best for baking. Resuable, easy to clean and will last a very long time if cared for properly (e.g. don't cut on them). They come in a variety of sizes - for the home chef, the 1/8 and 1/4 sheet pan sizes are the best.

[serious]

Silpat is handy but for cookies, one gets a crisper result with
parchment. Throwing out is nicer than washing. One piece of
parchment can be reused for several batches.

[prunefeet]

Haven't tried silpat, but I think parchment is pretty miraculous!

[Katie Nell]

I prefer parchment; a silpat is just one more thing to wash!

[gourmanda]

ah, but parchment is one more thing in the landfill!

[Katie Nell]

I feel I more than make up for it in my reuse of the parchment over and over and in recycling and reusing everything else under the sun.

[chez cherie]

has anyone figured out how to get that greasy feel off the silpats? it seems to build up over time--the ones i bought in france 5 years ago are pretty slick. soap and water doesn't seem to get it...i know they are clean, but i hesitate to use them due to the feel. (i'm mainly a parchment fan!)

[serious]

running the silpat through the dishwasher will reduce the greasy
feel somewhat.

[Kelli2006]

Chez Cherie, Some of the greasy feel of a silpat is the silicone coating that gives it its non-stick properties. I wash them in hot water and dish soap , but never use a 3M scrubbie on it , as it will scratch the surface unnecessarily.

Silpats are very nice, but I think all kitchens should have both parchment and wax paper.

[JockY]

That's pretty much what I do with my silpat and I agree that every kitchen should have both.

[Shayna Madel]

I agree to having both. I prefer the parchment, in part due to sometimes feeling like all of the butter residue from cookies gets off the silpat. Also, it gets sorta pricey to be lining 3-4-5 cookie sheets with silpats if doing a marathon baking session.

[cjaysbiz]

Try baking soda and water form into a paste for cleaning grease. This trick also works great for cleaning Pampered Chef Stoneware and stainless steal applianes. Rub the paste on with your fingers let set for a few minutes and rinse off. For stainless after the rinse you will need to wipe one more time with a dry clean cloth. You will get the best looking stainless with this trick.

[cjaysbiz]

Try this link it gives very specific information about both.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontr...

[nancyhudson]

I didn't have parchment and used waxed to line a pan before pouring in caramel. The caramel melted the wax and stuck to the paper. I had to slice off everything that was touching the paper. Thinking the parchment probably would have just peeled off.

[karykat]

The last box of parchment I bought (Wilton brand) specifically says it is "silicone treated for better release." I hadn't noticed that before on the other brands I've used.

I wonder if the quilon and silicone are safe. I use a fair amount of parchment. Not only for baking cookies and cakes but for heating pizza slices or tortilla sandwiches on a cast iron pizza pan. That system works great, because things cook fast and are crispy, and nothing sticks. But I wonder about the safety of those materials.

Does anyone know anything about that?

[Caitlin McGrath]

Silicone withstands high heat without melting or transferring to food, hence all the silicone bakeware, oven mitts, etc.

[ChiliDude]

I've been using aluminum foil that 'releases' my baked bread without a problem. And it can be used more than once. I used parchment paper according to a recipe in Cook's Illustrated Jan/Feb 2008 just once. It was not reuseable, but the aluminum foil is.

[coconuttygirl]

wax paper is horrible for actual baking in the oven in terms of sticky cookies and such.. i had a major disaster when none of my macaroons would come off the wax paper.. sad thing is they came off of my non-greased baking pan more successfully than it did off the wax paper! and it ended up killing the entire 2 batches.. so use parchment paper and don't get the two confused. also wax paper burns like crazy if you broil in the oven.. watch out for smoke / fires!

[chez cherie]

parchment will also burn in the broiler.

[jmckee]

I'd be lost without parchment paper. When I bake cookies, I "stage" the next batch on parchment while a batch is baking, then slide the finished cookies, parchment and all, onto the cooling rack and slide the new batch onto the sheet.

Being absorbent, parchment also gives a crisper cookie than silpat. Plus, I don't need another "single use" kitchen implement to store.

[chowser]

I use silpat because it is more environmental but for the reasons you state, I like parchment better. I like the crisper base w/ parchment and the "staging" is so helpful. Silpat is sticks and you can't slide a silpat mat easily onto a cookie sheet.

[jmckee]

My thought is this: Parchment paper will biodegrade. And I try not to get every gadget on the planet. Acquisitiveness can be a sickness for me :-)

[chowser]

Good point--and now that I can compost, I could compost it. Since I already have the Silpats, I feel like I should use them instead. I use them often enough outside of baking cookies, anyway.

Oops, I meant to say above that "Silpat sticks" now "Silpat is sticks." That's what I get for editing and not rereading.

[Ruth Lafler]

I just want to know if everyone else is as dumb as I am: I've been using parchment paper for years, and I just realized last year that one side is slicker than the other. Is this maybe a relatively new development with the addition of silicone coating (I don't use it very often so my previous roll of parchment was really old), or have I just failed to notice for 30 years?

[MMRuth]

I've not noticed that - though I'm usually buttering one side, so it probably doesn't make a big difference.

[im_nomad]

i dunno, but i typically put it "curly side" down in my cake pans...so that it does roll up before i get to put anything on it.....perhaps this inadvertantly makes me choose one side over the other !!

[greygarious]

I got sick of fighting with curling parchment, even though I hold it in place on the pan with metal binder clips from the office supply store (they are oven-proof to at least 375) so I got a big box of sheets at a paper/baking supply shop several years ago. They are 17x23, 1000 sheets, cost about $35. I've given some of it to friends since I'd have to live to be 150 to use it all, but it's still a more economical way to go than the rolls. Occasionally I've used it in the toaster oven - it scorches but hasn't burned - yet. As far as I can tell, the surfaces on both sides are identical. I rather doubt there's a difference - it would be easier to keep track with a roll if that is the case, and virtually impossible with sheets.

Is there any use for wax paper for which parchment can't be substituted? I haven't used the former in ages.

[danhole]

I use waxed paper for reheating things in the microwave. It's cheaper than plastic and seems safer, and works very well. It is especially good for reheating sandwiches or anything with bread.

[im_nomad]

I learned my lesson with wax paper when i ruined an entire batch of peanut brittle by pouring it out on buttered wax paper, and not one bit of it would come off. I think i've used wax paper to pour out chocolate barks, as temp is lower.

Usually i bake with parchment, it goes on the bottom of every one of my cheesecakes, and makes it super easy to get it off the springform bottom, and onto the silvery cake disks. Great for lining not so young cookie pans too.

I remember when we used to use wax paper for wrapping sandwiches....back in the day.

[TIRGL]

I buy a "Quilon" coated paper from Smart and Final. I used to use Silpats but they were getting greasy. Yes I cleaned them but I think they break down with many uses. Now I use this paper for fine baking. Releasing isn't a problem and it doesn't burn or smoke. And its also cheap. I get about 50 large sheets for $2.99

[geminigirl]

I use parchment for all cookies, etc...but I do still use wax paper when baking quick breads, just something my mother did, so I still do it by habit more than anything...there is a faint odor from the piece that hangs over the edge of the pan, but no burning issues, etc...