Tip Friday Lining A Pan

Lining a pan

What paper product should I use to line baking pans? Have you ever wondered what medium to line your pans with? And when one is better than another? You will find the definition of some of my favorites and when they should be used.

Wax Paper

Wax paper has been impregnated with food-grade paraffin to make it stronger and more moisture-resistant than untreated paper. It can be used in the oven as long as it never is exposed directly to heat, so it is ideal for lining the bottoms of cake pans.

You can sift dry ingredients onto wax paper, then roll it into a cone to transfer them to the bowl. When I pack cookies in tins, I separate the layers with wax paper. If I’m dipping fruits in melted chocolate, I let them cool on wax paper. I also use it to wrap cheese and sandwiches.

All of these tasks can be performed with parchment paper, but parchment can cost more than twice as much.

To line a pan with wax paper tear off a piece a couple of inches larger than your cake pan. Put your cake pan on the wax paper and with your scissors or a knife “draw” a line around the base of your cake pan.

Next, cut your wax paper just slightly inside the line just drawn. This will make the wax paper liner slightly smaller than the base of your cake pan.

Place the wax paper in the bottom of your cake pan and pour the batter in as usual. After your cake is done baking cool as directed then slide a knife around the edge of the cake. Then turn it over and the cake will just pop out. Grasp the edge of the wax paper and gently peel it off.

Parchment Paper

Parchment paper is impregnated with silicone. Unlike wax paper, it can be exposed directly to heat up to about 425 degrees. It is excellent for lining baking sheets. Baked cookies will slip right off. If you’re baking a pizza or flat bread directly onto a baking stone, place a piece of parchment on the paddle then place the dough on top of that and slide the paper and dough right onto the stone.

Cut a length of parchment paper long enough to line the bottom of the pan with extra hanging over the sides. If your parchment is longer than your pan, fold the extra under.

Press a crease in the parchment at the edges, so it fits snugly into the bottom.

Spray non-stick cooking spray directly onto the bottom and sides of the pan and set the parchment on top. This will help the parchment stick to the pan, keep it from moving as you pour in the batter, and prevent batter from oozing between the parchment and the pan.

Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Do you need to grease parchment paper? Parchment paper is basically non-stick baking paper. Usually there’s no need to use grease on parchment paper. You can use parchment paper without any grease, spray or oil the pan. But sometimes it depends on what you are cooking.

But there are drawbacks or at least some things to bear in mind.

To make the paper’s surface further smooth, you can grease or you can use it as usual without any grease. Parchment paper has coated with silicone, which makes it’s surface slippery(non-sticky). Without any grease your cookies can easily come out from the paper, they don’t stick to it.

If you grease parchment paper it can be beneficial for some tasks. You can grease the pan or plate before laying down the parchment paper. It will prevent your parchment paper from curling or moving around in pan or plate while you pour in dough or mixture.

But it can be disturbing in this way. If you bake with grease, it will be more difficult for you to clean the pan. It will take your’s more time and energy.

Aluminum Foil

Aluminum foil’s great advantage is that it conforms itself to whatever you wrap it around. Lining a roasting pan with it will ensure that all the ensuing mess will wind up on the foil, not on the pan. Because it’s sturdy (and heavy-duty foil is even sturdier), it’s great for wrapping cooked food for refrigeration. You can also place a foil-wrapped package directly into a hot oven.

Foil’s great drawback is that foods can stick to it when they cook. For example, you will have a tough time prying roast vegetables off foil.

Have you ever tried to line a baking pan with foil only to have the foil tear as you try to press it into the pan’s corners?

Using the pan as a guide, tear off a long sheet of heavy-duty foil and lay it flat on the counter. Center the baking pan on the foil. Press the foil up against the outside of the pan and fold the corners neatly.

Lift the pan from the foil and set on the counter. Carefully press the foil liner into the baking pan.

Here are a few more techniques to help when you bake. Tip Friday Boiling Water, Tip Friday Greasing a Pan, Tip Friday Melting Chocolate.

Most images in my Tip Friday Series use free stock photos. This article is part of the Tips That Help in the Kitchen Series, Tip Friday.