In the past year, the U.S. baking industry recorded over $25 billion in sales, encompassing baking ingredients and related appliances essential for creating delightful desserts.
Among the most coveted items for baking is custom parchment paper. Yet, its versatility extends beyond the oven.
Dive deeper to uncover your household’s multitude of applications of parchment paper sheets!
Swap Out Mixing Bowls
One of the best ways to use parchment paper sheets is by using them instead of mixing bowls.
Many people recommend mixing dry ingredients on parchment paper to avoid having to do extra dishes. Once you have all of the ingredients measured out on the paper, you can mix it up. After it is fully blended, simply fold up the sheets and pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
The best part about using parchment paper for dry ingredients is that they are typically clean and can be used again!
Bake Beautiful Cookies
Finding a parchment paper replacement can have negative effects on the look and shape of a cookie.
Parchment paper is ideal for baking cookies for many reasons. The coating on the parchment paper ensures that the cookie dough won’t stick or fall apart. It helps keep the integrity of the cookie in shape so that all of them are uniform.
If you are thinking about baking macaroons, a very difficult and delicate cookie, use parchment paper. This will help the cookie properly form and prevent breaking.
Try En Papillote
If you are an experienced cook, you will know that en papillote is the formal way of expressing cooking inside of the paper.
A great way to cook veggies and fish is inside of parchment paper. Not only does this make cleaning up much easier, but it also retains flavor and heat. The next time you ask yourself, “Do I need parchment paper?” think about all of the delicious meals you can make with it.
Although parchment paper is safe in the oven, always monitor it at higher temperatures.
Wrapping Food Items
If you want to save on plastic waste, using parchment paper for wrapping food is recommended.
Parchment paper is a perfect wrap for sandwiches, baked goods, and more. You can use parchment paper as a wrap for a unique design or prevent messes from happening. Try using string or tape to seal the wrap when you are done folding it up.
Many restaurants are using parchment paper to wrap their food and keep it in proper shape. Parchment paper is convenient for this reason and can be placed in the oven when you want to reheat your food.
Prevent Mess
Parchment paper in oven trays can help prevent messes and burns at the bottom of your oven.
Placing parchment paper below a tray while cooking can help catch drips and avoid messes. Many people recommend putting parchment paper below pies and turkeys when cooking. These foods are often messy while cooking.
Letting these drips fall to the bottom of the oven can lead to a time-consuming mess to clean up. Once the drips burn to the bottom, they are difficult to lift and take a lot of scrubbing.
Food Storage
Aside from quickly wrapping foods on the go, you can use them for food storage.
Many people recommend cutting pieces of parchment paper to separate burger meat and cookies that are going in the fridge or freezer. Putting parchment paper in the containers can keep foods from blending and becoming one large piece.
Another reason to use parchment paper for food storage is that it can help keep items from going stale. By wrapping cookies up with this paper, you can ensure the right texture and taste.
Crafting
Crafting can be a lot of fun but cleaning up the messes can turn many people away from projects.
If you are looking for a new purpose for parchment paper, consider using it on your next project or for your kids. Since the parchment paper is heat-resistant, you can set your hot glue gun on top of it to catch the glue and prevent burns.
Parchment paper is also excellent at catching glitter and you can easily slide it back into your containers. Cleaning up after crafts will be as easy as folding up the parchment paper and tossing it in the garbage. Kids can even color over the paper so that crayon doesn’t get on the table!
Kid’s Placemat
Do you have children that are messy eaters?
If you want to save time on cleaning, consider putting sheets of parchment paper below your child’s plate. A parchment paper placemat will catch all of the messes from food and won’t be a pain to clean up. This helps prevent stains and damage to your kitchen surfaces and decorations.
The best part about giving your child parchment paper as a placemat is that they can color on top of it. While prepping their food, give them a few crayons to draw with. This will serve as a great activity while they wait to eat!
Parchment Paper Sheets Can Be Useful
There are many reasons that you should keep parchment paper sheets nearby.
By utilizing this guide, you can understand how to use parchment paper for baking and more. Parchment paper can help avoid messes by allowing easy clean-up. You don’t need to spend extra time cleaning in the kitchen or around the house with this resource.
Not only is parchment paper useful in the kitchen, but it can also be used to serve food on and do crafting projects.
Be sure to check out our blog for more articles on the many uses of parchment paper and how to bake with them!