There’s always a certain amount of chaos in my kitchen.
The oven is screamin’ hot. There are egg yolks in the egg whites. Flour : Everywhere. I have an 8-inch round pan, a 9×13-inch pan, a burnt saute pan from Ikea, and a wooden spoon….and now I need a special spring-form pan just for a cheesecake!? Yea…
Also… there’s flour everywhere. A cat, too. The cat, however, is medium normal.
There is something that can ease my chaos. Ok… there are a lot of things that can ease the chaos: a dishwasher and a kitchen assistant, for starters. But I’m thinking of something that costs far far less… parchment paper!
Let me tell you… a roll of parchment paper is a lifesaver in the kitchen!
It’s worthy of roasting garlic. It’s everything when it comes to baking cookies and roasting vegetables. It’s a nonstick wonder, and makes clean-up a breeze. Parchment paper is also, often, reusable. If I make cookies, I simply remove the cooled parchment, fold it up, and save it for the next round of baking.
Other incredible parchment paper uses: for sifting flour onto, for gift wrapping, and food styling.
Parchment paper isn’t just for Martha Stewart-like home bakers, or pastry professionals. Parchment paper was designed for people like us… people who don’t want to dirty a spatula just to get fresh cookies off a baking pan.
A warning: parchment paper does not belong anywhere near a broiler. That’s how one sets their house ablaze.
Please consider this a useful tip, a high-five, and a loving shove into the kitchen… get cooking!
xo joy
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes
Parchment paper and silpat mats are life savers :)
Sondra
I consider parchment a necessity in the kitchen.
Kendra
I recently discovered the joys of parchment and now I’m hooked! I love the idea of using it for roasted garlic. I’ve been using foil, but it’s much more costly than parchment. After this post, I’ll be testing out the parchment on a lot more of my cooking projects! I believe a Costco trip is in order so I can stock up!
Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy
great post! parchment is a LIFESAVER! however, i did learn the hard way about the broiler…..nothing horrible, just a flaming tray haha
Dawnie
I’ve just discovered the round parchment cake holders for doing round cakes. Saved my life! x
Amielle
I’m adding this to the grocery list ASAP. Anything that makes life easier and can be reused is wonderful in my books!
Melissa
I use it to line the compost bin so yucky stuff doesn’t stick to the bottom. Oh, and for cookies.
nancy k.
I think parchment is one of my favorite tools in the kitchen. I love the brown version…seems lighter but actually sronger. I purchase it by the role …very inexpensively… at a place in my area called The Christmas Tree Shop( odd name as it really has mostly stuff not related to Christmas).
I reuse it repeatedly on my cookie sheets with no problem. I have never been a fan of waxed paper…except to use when I am doing something messy and want to keep things contained on a surface and easy to clean-up.
Kathleen @ Simplified Paleo
Know what else is fun? Not knowing the difference between wax paper and parchment paper and setting your oven ablaze.
kendra
I’ve totally done this! woopsies!! But now we know. :-)
!
Joey Diana
And…it is compostable!
nadia
dear joy…reading your blog is something i happily look forward to. it really acts as a stress reliever….thank you & keep it up :) btw, LOVE parchment especially for rolling out cookie dough so it doesn’t stick too much to the rolling pin :)
Sarah
How can anyone NOT be crazy about parchment paper? I like to put a piece over the bottom of a spring form before clipping the whole papered affair into the ring. That way, the “walls” are the only thing that needs to be cleaned afterwards, and I can move the cake around (to a cake platter, the fridge, whereever) easily, thanks to the sturdy paper it rests on. If it needs to look good, I cut off the paper close to the cake and just leave the rest underneath.
anna
love this! didn’t know that it’s resuable!
Mary's Pastry Lab
parchment paper is something that we don’t have on this side of the world. strange, i know. have been using silpat ;) it has everything except the part for gift wrapping :|