Kitchen

[kittymomNC]

Found this on a website - I learned something today too - I never knew the difference!

The main difference between waxed paper and parchment paper is their respective coatings. Parchment paper is coated with silicone to give it a nonstick, heat-resistant surface, whereas waxed paper is coated with a wax such as soybean or paraffin.

Waxed paper is not meant for use in the oven—the wax coating on it will melt if the paper is exposed to direct heat—so use it for wrapping up sandwiches or food for cold storage. Parchment paper is the best choice for cooking, as most brands can withstand temperatures up to about 420 degrees Fahrenheit (double-check your package to be safe). Parchment paper is good for lining cookie sheets to eliminate the need to grease them, and is also used to cook “en papillote,” a technique of wrapping food in a packet and baking it (like in our recipe for Roasted Fish with Thai Pesto).

The other way the papers differ is in how they’re processed before being coated. Pat Schweitzer, a spokesperson for Reynolds Consumer Products, says that the company’s parchment paper is pressed into a sheet, then dipped into an acid bath, washed, and “passed over a series of hot rotating drums that realign the fibers and give the paper its strength,” before the silicone coating is applied. Reynolds’ waxed paper, on the other hand, undergoes a process called supercalendering, which compresses the paper to give it its transparency, before it is coated in wax.

[lovesrecess]

I use it for a lot of things; I have a roll that I bought at Costco a couple of years ago during a marathon cookie baking... there is so much on the roll I may never use it all

[Silkeej]

Love parchment paper use if for all my oven cooking like cookies, onion rings, fries, and fish. Don't have to use any added oils. Normally buy Reynolds.

[TaylorBrown]

I purchased the French Butter Croissants and the instructions said to cook on parchment paper. I had never used it before so I bought a roll from Dollar Tree. It has worked just fine. There is no right or wrong side of the paper.

[Kay SD]

Try the little squares of parchment in the George Foreman when you are grilling meat (both sides). No mess, and the meat still browns with grill marks.

[auntiEM_1]

I make sure I always have King Arthur Flour parchment paper. I tried the roll but find the sheets much more convenient. Besides all of the obvious uses, I never bake chicken wings without parchment paper in the pan. Cleanup is so much easier!

When I send baked goodies to my grandson, I cut pieces of parchment to fit the containers so I can layer more goodies into one container.

[chickenbutt]

Love da parchment paper!

I always have a roll of Reynolds brand on hand. I also have some rectangular sheets from King Arthur that are very nice. For pre-cut rounds, I just use ones that I got at Amazon and they are perfectly fine for the uses I have for rounds.

It's all good. Some is a little nicer than others, but it will all do the job from my experience.

[Liz123]

What a great source of info! Thanks!

[AnneMary]

It really is an incredible product, and I, too, love it! I wish this had been around when my kids were young and I baked my heart out every week! I started using it a few years ago after reading about it here on RS, and I wondered if you could use the sheets over again. I was baking lots of cookies and had only 3 large baking sheets, and I was running out of the paper by changing it with every new pan. I used it over again........each pan about maybe at least 5-6 times. I was really surprised because the cookies kept turning out absolutely perfect every time. That really sold me. Now I wouldn't be without the wonderful stuff.

[soonersis]

I use it all of the time and buy the brand If You Care (usually from Vitacost or Whole Foods). It is unbleached and silicon treated rather than what many brands which are treated with which is quilon, a chemical containing chrome.