One is covered in heat-resistant silicone, the other is covered in flammable wax.
Silicone isn’t what makes parchment paper heat-resistant (and isn’t even used on most standard parchment papers). Cellulose pulp is treated with sulfuric acid to cross-link the cellulose molecules, making them more chemically and thermally resistant, and the result is parchment paper.
I would prefer you to be correct, because I am reading other comments that say some parchment paper is teflon coated. PFA pollution arising from PTFE production for pots and pans is bad enough, but to use Teflon on a consumable item should be an obvious “ban the fuck out of it already” action item. I mean, all PTFE production should be banned based on what we’re learning about PFAs, but for fucks sake, disposable items? EDIT: google says the vast majority of parchement paper is silicone coated, not teflon coated like one German asserts in another comment in here.
Teflon is not silicone.
Yes. I know. I am rereading my comment trying to figure out how you and your upvoters think I have the two confused, and I am coming up empty.
Because the only comment that mentioned Teflon wasn’t a part of this comment chain, so your response feels like a total non-sequitur in the context of this particular comment chain. I assume you were responding not just to the original comment in this chain, but also to the other unrelated comment about German baking paper being Teflon-coated (which was incorrect), but without anything directly connecting the two comments it just seems like you went off of an unrelated tangent.
Well, it just so happens that I’m Darth Total Non-Sequitur Bueller, so point taken.
I love a self-aware king. Cheers and good vibes to ya ✌️
Neat
WTF. I never knew this. All this time I thought I was being responsible using parchment paper. I did not know it was silicone coated damnit. Need to look for other options now.
It’s really grocery stores fault. They sell them right next to each other and often have like 8 different brand choices of one but only 1 or 2 of the other which is nestled somewhere inbetween the others.
It’s an American language fault. Parchment paper is called baking paper elsewhere. You can’t make a mistake when choosing between baking paper and non baking paper.
Parchment is something you write on, as far as I’m concerned.
I was reading this and thinking how come you even have two papers to choose from. Baking paper goes in the oven and parchment… isn’t that like an animal skin you write on? I don’t think I’ve ever used wax paper for anything, so I can’t imagine what that’s for.
Wax paper is non-stick so has a lot of different uses as long as you aren’t heating it up. For example you could put some down while you roll out cookie dough if you don’t want to clean flour off your countertop. Can use it to make decorations for your baked goods like chocolate strings or something similar. Drizzle the melted chocolate on the wax paper and once it cools and hardens it will come right off.
I think I may have heard of that stuff. Something like 70 years ago people used to buy food items in bulk, so you needed to package your block of butter somehow. Wax paper was used back in those days. Since food manufacturers started packaging the products, the demand for wax paper dropped to near zero, so that’s why you don’t really encounter it much any more.
I’m sure some stores still sell it, but baking paper is so easily available that people just use that instead. Nowadays people would just use baking paper for the examples you just gave.
Edit: just went to the local supermarket and I found 15 stacks of normal baking paper on the shelf (at least 8 different brands) and one stack of wax paper. Apparently it hasn’t disappeared completely. Someone must be still using it for something.
I’m just glad I live in an area that calls carbonated beverages “pop”. I can only imagine the mix-ups that could’ve occurred when trying to use baking soda otherwise.
And I have yet to see a single one with a giant badge that says “not for oven use!” Moreover, wax paper is always marketed as “microwave safe.” I know a microwave is not an oven, but it’s not ludicrous to equate the two.
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Yes. But only if you like having a greasy surface after that from the wax melting off the paper if the temperatures get too hot. I’d stick with baking paper.
Also each of them resists different type of foods better. Wax paper will hold up to wet food, and parchment paper holds up better to oily food.
This is not anything I can prove just personal experience so take it with a grain of salt
And let’s not forget about butcher’s paper. Also totally different application but still no oven.
You can use it for lower temperatures. (< 300°F). You can realistically go up to 400°s but I think it starts to do odd things when above 300°F (it’s been awhile since Ive used it so take that with a grain of salt).
It’s used in a lot of smoking/roasting applications to keep the moisture in. Just don’t let it touch the element and you should be fine.
It’s used in a lot of smoking/roasting applications to keep the moisture in. Just don’t let it touch the element and you should be fine.
What is this, “el-em-ent?” I don’t understand. Are you talking about the hot coals?
(On a related note, Hank Hill was wrong.)
Lol, yeah, essentially coals. An element (or coil) is what’s used to heat a standard convection oven or toaster.
To add, this is for electric heat. Not gas.
Ty! I didn’t know it was safe for a smoker.
No problem. Yeah, if your doing something like brisket, you can smoke it for the first half to get a good bark on it. And then wrap it in butcher paper to trap the moisture in for the second half. It’s to help prevent stalling.
It’s also known as the Texas Crutch.
Which one holds up better to a grain of salt? Should I use aluminum foil for that?
No, calcium chloride actually corrodes aluminum.
I recently got “food wrapping paper” for bundling up sandwiches, it is still coated but has just enough stickiness left for tape to hold it shut.
Previously I was using parchment paper and if you wanted to hold it shut you needed to use a rubber band or run the tape all the way around to stick back to itself.
Image Transcription:
Tumblr post by user turing-tested: guess who just found out the difference between wax paper and parchment paper the hard way Reply by user vraska-theunseen: wait what’s the difference? Reply by user turing-tested: one you can use in the oven safely and the other you can also use in the oven if the thing you are trying to make happens to be fire
[I am a human, if I’ve made a mistake please let me know. Please provide alt-text for ease of use. Thank you. 💜]
Good human!
Thank you!
Yeah, wax paper is basically an unrolled candle.
Which one is which?!?
parchment = oven safe
wax = oven fire
oven unsafe
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I am far, far from skilled in the kitchen, but this is 100% user error. Even I know enough not to put anything in the oven unless I’m completely certain it’s heat-resistant…
You understand that the reason we make candles out of wax is because it’s a solid fuel, right? The same reason candles work is the reason wax paper isn’t oven safe.
A lot of people think that the wick itself is the fuel. I only recently realized that it’s “wicking” up melted wax, and the wax itself is the fuel.
Somebody on Reddit once called me a backward Amish for knowing how a candle works.
It breaks my heart that examining and understanding the world around you is the kind of thing people disparage
Yeah, I recently learned that most people are totally misunderstanding candles when Hank Green had to do a whole series on “where does the wax go?” on tiktok. Blew my mind that it wasn’t obvious to everyone.
If someone had asked me “what percentage of people know how candles work?” I would probably have answered something like “95% of those over the age of 5”. This is very disconcerting. Not that candles are terribly important, but just the lack of reasoning.
Is it really that weird to not fully understand how candles work? They’re rarely used nowadays if you have electricity, and it’s not exactly the most intuitive - I mean wax melts, and reveals more wick, and the wick is the thing you set fire to, so I don’t think it’s that weird to think the wick is burning.
I would assume people goong “ok, so the wick burns but what is the purpose of the wax? Oh it’s the fuel duh”
I play with candle wax since I am four years old and it’s always shocking to me how little many people understand about the world around them!
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Reusable baking sheet liners are pretty cool.
PITA to wash
They are a bit. Kinda wish they were a tiny bit more rigid. That said, you can have my silpats when you pry them from my cold, dead hands.
I usually push the sheet liner against the vertical side of the sink where it is flat to wash. Wash one section at a time, both sides. Takes about 30 seconds.
Though, this may be the technique you are using, and it may be a pita.
The el cheapo Amazon knockoff ones are pretty good now. The gold standard are Silpat.
Hell silpats are pretty cheap.
Silpats are all I use.
The generic ones always turn dark and gross. But they’re fine if you don’t bake often.
Yeah but forever chemicals
Wealthy people fly their private jets to get cigarettes, I’m not losing sleep over my baking sheet liners I’ll probably have for the rest of my life.
In Germany we just take regular “Backpapier” (literally “baking paper”) and put it in the oven.
It’s basically just Polytetrafluroethylene, better known as PTFE or Teflon™You’re telling me that one of the reasons that water is globally polluted with PFAs is because Germans love David Hasselho… I mean, because German parchment paper is coated in Teflon? EDIT: google says that the vast majority of parchment paper is silicone coated, not teflon. I was starting to get a justice arrhythmia, I can calm down a bit now.
I’m sorry. I don’t mean PTFE, but PFOA, but apparently it’s forbidden since 2021. I’m sorry for spreading outdated information
You’re not supposed to flush your parchment paper.
Jokes aside, apparently it’s not teflon on parchment paper. Even if it was, it’s not the teflon itself, it’s the manufacturing of it that is problematic in terms of PFAs. Apparently also high heat is sufficient to cause Teflon to degrade and PFAs to be released. It’s crazy that it is still being used in cookware at all. I switched over to cast iron and Asian-grocery store brand stainless cookware, though my new air fryer has teflon and I’m suffering from sunk-cost fallacy in relation to it.
Just get a cast iron air fryer.
OK now THAT made me laugh out loud. Thanks, I needed that.
You Germans and your fancy ovens.
Wow. What a terrible shoehorn.
Come to the UK. We have foil.
I don’t think wax paper goes in the oven either
As someone who doesn’t cook, now I’m not clear on which you don’t put in the oven, and what kind of paper you are supposed to use.
Parchment can go in the oven. Wax paper will catch on fire if you try.
I learned it the hard way.
Why are people putting paper in the oven?
Prevents the thing you’re cooking from basically getting fused to the metal pan.
Well they make non stick baking sheets, but I’ll use spray anyways
Non stick baking sheets are basically just pre cut parchment paper.
He’s talking about silpats.
Stinkywink is probably talking about the metal sheet (baking tray in AE?) being nonstick.
Minus the paper part lol
Works better than non-stick, and keeps the pan clean enough for immediate reuse, which is really nice e.g. if you’re baking multiple batches of cookies for a holiday event
Ran put of plastic
That’s what disposable baking sheets are, though
Nah. Parchment paper goes into the oven, that’s another name for baking sheets. Waxed paper is used to wrap your sandwich. If you put waxed paper in the oven – well, see picture above.
FYI, some baking paper contains PFAS, the group of chemicals that also PTFE (aka Teflon) belongs to, which is… not good.
Ah, you learn something new everyday!
Been while since I bought waxed paper, is it cheaper than parchment paper? I’m assuming it must be or why wouldn’t you just use parchment paper instead?
Parchment is better for heat, wax paper is better with sticky stuff. My mom uses it to roll cookie dough into cylinders. Then she can refrigerate them and unroll it cleanly to cut into discs so she doesn’t have to form dough balls by hand. If you need a permanently-non-stick, moldable surface, wax paper is pretty good.
Oh cool. That’s a great example of a usecase. Thanks
Don’t know, don’t use baking paper at all
Wax and parchment paper have VERY similar branding in the US, to the point where it’s easy to confuse the two
Wax paper can start on fire if you put it in the oven, parchment paper does not. Hence, the OP.
I’ve seen those under pizzas, but those look to be a thicker, cardboard type material. I just googled “can you put wax paper in the oven”. My 2 sec google says no. I’ve never had a reason to, but I’m not a professional cook.
Oh you’ll find out soon enough vraska-theunseen
