Delicious bites with cherry, cranberry, almond and chocolate

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Many cooks use parchment paper and wax (also called waxed) paper interchangeably, including every bit a liner for their blistering pans for cakes and cookies. Wax newspaper is cheaper than parchment paper, so why not? The fact is, though, that wax paper is not oven-safe, and so you shouldn't use wax paper for baking cookies or anything else. Wax paper is not an appropriate parchment paper substitute.

Using Wax Paper for Baking Cookies

Many cooks say they've used wax paper on cookie sheets for years and never had a problem. If yous're one of them, consider yourself fortunate that you didn't prepare the kitchen on burn, and switch to parchment paper.

When wax newspaper gets hot, its wax begins to melt. The notion that you lot'd have to be cooking at 450 degrees Fahrenheit or more for information technology to spark a fire is simulated; wax paper tin can and does catch on fire at typical cookie-baking temperatures of 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Why tempt fate? The higher toll of parchment paper is modest compared with the cost of a new oven or an entire kitchen or home.

Understanding Their Different Properties

When comparison parchment newspaper vs. wax paper, annotation there are meaning differences between the 2.

Parchment paper is treated with silicone so it's heat-resistant up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. The paper may dark-brown at high temps, simply it volition provide actress protection for cookies ‒ or anything else ‒ baked on it.

Wax paper has a thin layer of wax on both sides, which makes it nonstick. Information technology's great for rolling out piecrust or cookie dough and many other kitchen tasks, only information technology's non heat-resistant. If it's used for baking in the oven, wax paper tin take hold of fire.

Checking Out True Alternatives

While wax paper is not a good alternative for parchment paper, yous take other choices. Silicone baking mats are 1 good pick. Also chosen baking sheets or liners, they sit atop the cookie sheet merely similar parchment paper and proceed cookies from sticking. Yes, they require an upfront investment that is higher than the cost of wax or parchment paper, but they are reusable once more and again, and with proper care, they should last for years.

Silicone baking mats are fabricated by many different manufacturers, and they are available on Amazon as well as at specialty cookware shops and many other stores, including Walmart and Target. They range in toll from about $ten to $xx for a set of two to four sheets. One-half sizes for half-size cookie pans are often bachelor for under $10. There's no need for cooking spray, oil or butter when baking on silicone mats, and they clean up with soap and water or in the dishwasher.

They come up in a variety of patterns and colors, and some even accept markings for the placement of specific cookie types, similar macaroons. As a bonus, since in that location's goose egg to throw away, you're not adding trash to landfills when you bake with silicone baking mats.

Going Back to Basics

If you don't desire to invest in parchment paper or silicone mats, you can always bake directly on the cookie sheet as bakers take washed for generations. You volition need to grease the cookie sheets for cookies that don't have a lot of oil or butter in them, so they don't stick to the pan. Other cookies, like chocolate chip, for example, have plenty grease to be nonstick on their own. Your recipe will tell you lot whether to grease your cookie sheets or not.

Cleanup isn't as easy every bit removing the parchment paper or baking mat, though. Y'all'll need skillful old lather and water to cutting through the grease that accumulates on the cookie sail, and you may demand to scrape or scrub areas where cookie residue has stuck or built up. Some experts recommend washing your cookie sheets after each batch of cookies to eliminate buildup, merely if you're using insulated sheets with two layers, h2o can get between the layers and affect baking results, so only wipe these with a cloth between batches.

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Writer Bio

Barbara Edible bean-Mellinger is a freelance writer who lives in the Washington, D.C. expanse and writes most food for eHow.com and leafage.tv. She started baking on her own at age nine, creating appetizers at x, and making family meals past 14. Barbara holds a B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh, where she often cooked elaborate meals and desserts for friends.

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