How to Find Parchment Paper Alternatives for Cooking
Parchment paper is popular for its non-stick nature and ability to handle being baked, making it an essential tool during cooking. But what do you do when the single ingredient that's required to make this essential kitchen item runs out? Have no fear, as there are plenty of awesome alternatives that not only cook great but help bring some variety to your and sustainable limits in the kitchen.
In this list, we have compiled the main alternatives to parchment paper that can take your cooking experience up a notch:
Silicone Baking Mats:
Silicone Baking Mat- The best reusable, eco friendly option Instead they provide a non-stick platform that is perfect for baking, popping your cookies off with ease and caramelizing your roasted vegetables perfectly. The coverups are oven safe, cleanable and help to reduce kitchen waste.
Wax Paper:
Although it is not heat-resistant and should never be used as a substitute for parchment paper in the oven, you can use wax paper to line sheet pans or even wrap foods such as sandwiches. Perfect for wrapping food, covering messy counter tops when cooking or rolling out dough. However, you keep the silicone ice cube trays out of your oven - that way they do not melt their wax!
Steam cooking replacement Innovations:
Banana Leaves:
Banana leaves also work nicely with steam cooking, because it adds a hint of tropical flavor and some added moisture from the banana leaf itself. The leaves, used in both Southeast Asian and LatinAmerican cuisines, give the food they encase an aromatic background note while keeping it moist. In addition, they are biodegradable so jive perfectly with a green cuisine practice.
Ceramic Steamer Baskets:
While again, not a parchment paper fix... ceramic steamer baskets require no lining whatsoever. Their glazed surface make them non-stick and ideal for making something as simple a perfect tray of steamed fish or veggies, but also suet-meals like dumplings. These baskets are unbreakable, reusable and enhance the presentation of your culinary creations.
Steam-Paper-Free Kitchen Sustainable Alternatives
Reusable Silicone Sheets:
They are much more flexible than silicone baking mats so you can cut them out and use as needed (think steaming) or just wrap over instruments such in place of parchment paper. They are heat-resistent, dishwasher safe and help decrease your wastage of single-use products in the kitchen. They are adjustable, so you can easily mold them around just about any type of cookware.
Cloth Steaming Liners:
Cotton or linen towel liners, well soaked and wrung out will work as an eco-friendly alternative for steaming. Steam is allowed to circulate, and food cannot stick to the steaming container. Best fabric Roll cloth is of food-safe and cleanable for repeated use to make sure a waste-free cooking environment
Best Parchment Paper Substitutes as Recommended By Experts
Cooking Sprays:
This means if you have those parchment paper alternatives in your house, you may not need to buy them from the market next time as well (simply save some bucks)Lightly coat a non-sticky pan spray on the cooking surface for quick fix#7Processed food packing_ENCLOSURE products can also be reused/ANCLOSURErogate of parchmet><^> It assists to avoid sticking of food in pans during baking or roasting. Choose the best oil: Use oils with a high smoke point and little other ingredients.
Natural Oils and Fats:
This is a method that has been used long before parchment paper ever existed, and it simply involves coating your pans or bakeware in oil/melted butter to prevent whatever you are baking from sticking. Not only does this help to add flavor to your dishes, it also helps everything cook even and release super easily once you are ready. Popular choices are those as olive oil, coconut oil or the clarified butter -ghee- since these have high heat tolerance and they bring health benefits.
To make the most of this surprises flavours, it is necessary to know when a particular ingredient uses and appropriate results. Be extra careful about the heat resistance of plastic in particular when used inside an oven. In contrast, wax paper is great for lining surfaces while you cook so that the food wont stick to them however it has a low melting point which means its ineffective at high temperatures.
Make sure your materials are not going to mess up the taste of what you're cooking as well, and that they cook evenly. Not only do reusable versions create less waste, but they can be more budget friendly in the long run. Always keep in mind, using different substitutions will change the flavour and texture of your dish giving you a chance to develop further culinary skills.
Parchment paper may seem irreplaceable, but these innovative sustainable alternatives prove that there are plenty of ways to deliver perfect cooking every time sans parchment. Besides learning to make do with these replacements2, you'll be participating in a more eco-friendlier and efficient kitchen.
