Parchment Paper vs Wax Paper

For anything that goes in the oven, use parchment paper, not wax paper. Parchment is made to take the heat, up to 425°F for the Reynolds roll. Wax paper has a thin coat of wax that can't, and Reynolds, which makes both, says it "should not be directly exposed to the heat of an oven." The roll I'd keep in the drawer is the Reynolds parchment. Wax paper is still worth having, though, and for some things it works better.

What's the difference between parchment and wax paper?

Both keep food from sticking, but they're made differently. Wax paper is a thin sheet of paper with a coating of wax on it, which is why it feels a little slick and why heat is a problem. Parchment gets its nonstick surface from what the industry calls "parchmentizing," and many rolls add a silicone coating on top (If You Care and Baker's Signature both say so on the box). That's what lets a tray of chocolate chip cookies slide off parchment at 375°F, where wax paper would be melting into the bottom of the dough.

You can tell them apart without the box, by the way. Wax paper is shiny and a bit translucent; parchment is matte, and the unbleached kind is light brown.

The roll I'd keepReynolds Kitchens Stay Flat Parchment PaperOven safe to 425°F, 15 inches wide, and the box keeps it flat instead of curling back into a tube on your sheet pan.

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Can wax paper go in the oven?

Not on its own. Any part of the sheet that the oven's heat can reach is the problem: the wax softens, it can end up on the pan and the food, and the paper itself can smoke. So no wax paper under cookies, a sheet pan of roasted potatoes, salmon or anything else that sits on top of the paper.

There's one exception, and it comes from Reynolds too. Wax paper can line a pan for cakes, bread, muffins or any bake where the batter or dough completely covers the paper. A round of wax paper in the bottom of a cake pan works because the batter keeps it shielded. If you do it, cut the circle to fit the bottom only, with nothing climbing up the sides. I'd still use parchment here. It costs a few cents more per cake and you don't have to think about it.

When wax paper is the better roll

Wax paper is cheaper, about $3 for 75 square feet of Cut-Rite against about $7 for 45 square feet of Reynolds parchment, and anything that never sees the oven is fair game:

• Chocolate and candy. Strawberries dipped in chocolate, pretzels, fudge or peanut butter cups set on wax paper and peel off clean.
• Rolling out dough. Pie crust or sugar cookie dough between two sheets doesn't stick to the rolling pin, and you can lift the whole thing into the fridge.
• The freezer. A square between burger patties or cookie dough balls keeps them from freezing into one block.
• The microwave. Both papers are microwave safe, so a sheet of wax paper over a bowl of leftovers stops the splatters.
• The messy part of baking. Sift flour or decorate cookies over a sheet, then fold it up and pour the extra back in the bag.

Parchment in the air fryer, toaster oven and under the broiler

Parchment has limits too. Reynolds says to keep its roll away from open flames and the oven walls, and not to use it under the broiler or in a toaster oven, where the heating element sits a few inches from the paper. For broiling, use foil.

The air fryer is a different case, because there are liners made for it. the Reynolds air fryer liners are rated to 400°F on the air fry setting and come precut for round and square baskets. Put the food on the liner before the fan starts, so it has something holding it down.

Parchment, wax paper or a silicone mat?

If you bake cookies every week, a silicone mat pays for itself. the Amazon Basics mat comes in a pair, takes heat up to 480°F, and goes in the dishwasher. It has to sit on a sheet pan, though, never straight on the oven rack.

Parchment wins for everything else: lining a pan of brownies so you can lift them out, wrapping fish to steam in the oven, or covering a sheet pan of roasted vegetables so nothing sticks. If you'd rather not cut and flatten a roll every time, Baker's Signature sheets come cut to 12 by 16 inches, the size of a standard half sheet pan.

If you only have room for one roll, get parchment. It covers nearly everything wax paper does, and it can go in the oven. Add a $3 roll of wax paper only if you make a lot of candy or freeze in bulk.

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