Parchment Paper

I’ve recently become enamoured with parchment paper. Before, I thought parchment paper and wax paper were the same. Growing up we hardly used wax paper and I had never even seen parchment paper so somehow I got the idea that they were just different names for the same thing. While attempting to follow a recipe that asked for parchment paper, I did some uh… research that demonstrated this not to be the case.
Wax paper and parchment paper are both used because of their nonstick surface. I had just used wax paper to make something in the microwave (which is totally okay and often better than saran wrap) and I think I even said to my husband as I put the wax paper in the oven, “There shouldn’t be a problem with this, if it’s okay in the microwave it should be okay in the oven right?” Now why this seemed reasonable, I’m not sure. There are many plastic dishes that do just fine in the microwave but wouldn’t last very long in the oven, but that’s what I was thinking at the time.
So here’s the thing, wax paper is coated in – wait for it – wax, which smokes if it is exposed in the oven. You can use it in baking, for instance to line a cake pan as long as it is completely covered by the food. Otherwise, smoke, smoke, smoke.
If you’re looking for something to line a baking tray, parchment paper is your best bet. I’ve used for the three dishes you can see on this page, just in the last week. It’s perfect for anything that you want to bake or roast on a nonstick pan that may otherwise gunk up and stick to it (even though it’s supposed to be a nonstick pan). It has really improved my roasted butternut squash since I started using it. Anyway, if you haven’t before, give it a try!