Parchment Paper

Q. I bought parchment paper to use with a recipe that called for lining the pan with it. What other uses are there for the paper? Can waxed paper be substituted?

A. Lining pans with parchment paper is one of the best ways to prevent sticking, especially with delicate cakes or cookies.

A cake pan is often greased or coated with nonstick cooking spray first to help the parchment paper stay in place; some recipes also may direct you to grease and flour the parchment paper once it’s in place. For cookie baking, you don’t need to grease pans when using parchment paper. And you don’t need to remove the cookies one by one from the sheet after they have baked--just slide the parchment paper containing the whole batch onto a cooling rack.

Other uses for parchment paper include making a paper cone for piping frosting and baking en papillote, or in a paper packet. (Place fish or chicken on parchment with herbed butters or seasonings; fold the parchment to seal in the juices and bake.)

Waxed paper can be substituted for parchment paper if absolutely necessary, but the wax will melt at high temperatures, making it less than ideal.