5 Reasons Why You Need These Parchment Paper Sheets in Your Kitchen

I’m a simple home baker.  I don’t need every clever kitchen gadget to make a batch of cookies. Honestly, I’ve reached for a butterknife over an offset spatula to frost cakes more times than I can count. 

Baking isn’t all about gear but, there is one kitchen splurge that I keep stocked in my pantry, without fail: the parchment paper sheet. I was first introduced to large pre-cut parchment paper sheets working in bakeries.  They’re lightly coated in silicon and measured to fit a half-sized sheet pan.  When it comes to large scale food production these are a huge time saver. At home – they’re an easy insurance policy. A low cost, long-lasting casual game changer.  No matter how many biscuits you have coming out of the oven, here’s why you should buy yourself a pack of parchment paper sheets most immediately.   

1. Parchment paper sheets make every pan nonstick and easy release.  So no more ??? about whether the peanut butter fluff cookies will stick to the pan or the banana bread will turn out of the pan without a hitch.  Parchment paper coats every pan in disposable silicone and makes loaves and bars super easy to lift from the pan instead of inverting.  
2. Sheets are pre-measured to be a half-sheet pan size, making them easy to cut in half for quarter sheet pan bakes.  Most importantly, they’re served up flat instead of rolled.  I don’t know about you but wrestling a rolled piece of parchment paper is a battle I despise when I’m baking.  Not to mention the quiet agitation when I don’t get a clean tear of paper off the parchment paper roll.  
3. Two magic words: less dishes.  I can Dirty Every Dish with the best of ‘em and I’m eternally thankful for a sheet pan I only have to wipe clean with a dishcloth.  
4. While parchment paper sheets are billed as disposable, I treat them as though they’re reusable.  Baking cookies? Those sheets can be used at least 5 times (at least they can in my kitchen).  They’re so reusable, I generally keep old sheets, gently wiped clean, nestled inside my sheet pans so they’re ready to go when I am.  
5. I might use parchment paper like craft paper. It’s super versatile. I reach for a sheet to cover the counter if I’m decorating cookies. It can be used, wrapped in a bundle, to steam fish. I use two sheets to roll out a crumbly dough like gluten-free pie crust.  Do I have a round of brie wrapped in parchment paper in the cheese drawer right now? Yes, absolutely.  

There’s a lot of reasons to love it the humble (though somehow bougie) pre-cut parchment paper. Welcome this little kitchen hack into your life.  

Should I make you an extensive list of my favorite kitchen splurges that are actually worth the money and kitchen drawer space?  Lemme know in the comments below.