17 Creative Ways to Use Parchment Paper

On those days when you’re fired up to grill burgers, steaks, and chicken during the same cooking session, avoid cross-contamination and needless washing by following this tip from Shereen Pavlides, chef and creator of @CookingwithShereen: Line your plate, platter, or sheet pan with parchment paper before adding raw meats. “Remove and discard the parchment before returning the grilled and cooked meats, preventing cross-contamination and the need to run back inside to wash it or another pan,” Pavlides says. 

CR’s director of food safety research & testing, Jim Rogers, could not find peer-reviewed papers or studies published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Food and Drug Administration that indicated bacteria can pass through the paper onto the pan, but meats can weep and even microscopic droplets can contain enough bacteria to contaminate cooked food and make people sick. As a precaution, he says using two separate pans when grilling can be your safest option.

Slip a sheet of parchment paper between your clothing item and a hot iron to avoid those dreaded water stains and burn marks you can sometimes get while ironing. “The smooth surface ensures even heat distribution, giving you wrinkle-free garments in no time,” says Nicole Jaques, a lifestyle influencer, home economist, wife, and mother. “Plus, if there’s any residue on your iron, the parchment paper will catch it, preventing any transfers to your clothes.”

I tried out this hack at home using three different fabrics: silk, linen, and rayon. For silk and linen, I set my iron to the highest temperature and filled the iron with water to create steam. I placed a large piece of parchment paper over my fabrics and proceeded to iron as I normally would. The iron glided smoothly over parchment for all three fabrics and wrinkles were effortlessly removed from the silk and rayon fabrics, with no water stains or iron marks left behind. The linen fabric required a few more passes (but doesn’t it always?) and eventually emerged wrinkle-free. I was able to re-use the sheet of parchment for all three fabrics, and it was still in perfect condition after my ironing test.

You have the Maillard reaction to thank for the deliciousness of smash burgers—this is a chemical reaction in which reducing sugars combine with amino acid when you press ground beef down flat on a grill using a spatula or cast-iron pan to produce a unique sear and taste. You can also thank parchment paper for making smash burgers so much less messy to cook. Instead of placing a spatula or pan directly on top of meat to smash, Pavlides suggests cutting parchment paper into squares, placing the paper atop each ball of meat, and then using a spatula or pan to smash meat balls into thin burgers on the hot griddle. Providing this parchment paper barrier allows you to then remove your cast-iron pan or spatula without it sticking to the meat. Keep in mind that any paper that touches raw meat should be considered contaminated and handled properly, Rogers says.

Preparing chicken stock at home is a fairly straightforward cooking task, but things can get tricky if you don’t have the right tools to remove that greasy film of coagulated protein that will automatically rise to the top of your stock. Jennifer Ophir, a food stylist and culinary producer, has a trick for that: She uses parchment paper to remove chicken stock foam and film. Be sure your flame is turned off first and then drag a piece of parchment paper across the top of the stock. “It will grab the grease,” Ophir says. Discard used parchment and repeat this process until all of the grease is out of sight.

Cleaning your kitchen takes time and good cocoa powder isn’t cheap, which is why Ophir says laying parchment paper on your kitchen counter when decanting and measuring flour, sugar, or any other loose ingredient is a wise way to keep counters clean and save money. When you’ve finished measuring ingredients, lift up the parchment, bend it in half, and funnel it back into its canister. “Your counter stays clean, and the ingredients that fell are reusable and don’t get wasted,” Ophir says. 

Because of possible flour contamination with pathogens, any paper used for raw flour, raw cake mixes, etc., has to be considered contaminated and should be used only once to prevent cross-contamination, according to Rogers.

Lining kitchen or office drawers and shelves with parchment paper is a simple way to keep your drawers and shelves clean. “It’s easy to cut, fit, and when it gets dirty, you can easily replace it,” Jaques says. “Additionally, the nonstick nature of parchment paper ensures that items like kitchen utensils or art supplies won’t stick or stain the liners.”

Make dinner guests feel loved (or practice self-love) with a fish en papillote recipe wrapped in heart-shaped parchment paper. Chef and author Joanne Mosconi at The Chef’s Daughter starts by cutting sheets of parchment paper into hearts and laying them flat on a table. Preheat the oven to 400° F and sauté grape tomatoes, garlic, and white mushrooms with olive oil in a pan. Season veggies with salt and pepper, transfer them to the center of your heart-shaped parchment paper, and add a piece of white fish on top. Drizzle olive oil and white wine onto your fish, add a few sprigs of thyme and more salt and pepper, and then brush egg wash along the sides of the parchment paper before sealing the paper together. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes and serve fish inside of its “heart” shell. “Fish en Papillote is one of my go-to recipes because it’s not only easy to make but also provides a wide range of health benefits,” Mosconi says. “Its delicate flavors and beautiful presentation are sure to impress your guests.”

How many times have you iced a cake only to make a mess and have to transfer it to a clean platter or plate? Eliminate unnecessary steps by cutting out pieces of parchment paper to secure under the perimeter of the cake, Pavlides says. “After icing, pull and remove the parchment paper, leaving a clean plate for a pretty presentation—because you’re fancy (wink).”

If you have a cake or cupcakes in need of icing and no pastry bag in sight, simply grab a piece of parchment paper and transform it into a chocolate (or vanilla or dulce de leche) pen. “Roll it into a tight cone with no opening, fill it with cooled melted chocolate or another flavor, twist the top, snip off a tiny bit of the bottom, and write with your instant pastry bag,” Ophir says.

Prepping those areas around where you plan on painting is key to saving time and producing flawless results. If you’re tired of getting paint splatters on your door frames or baseboards, taping parchment paper to the areas you need to protect is your solution. Its flexibility allows for easy molding to various surfaces, and its smooth texture prevents drips from soaking through, Jaques says.

If you consider yourself an advanced baker, take your skills to another level by combining crafts and creative cooking with a few sheets of parchment paper and pretty embossing folders. Baker and cookie decorator Jenny Sandman at Kiburz Cookies starts by 3D printing embosser STL files in pretty or seasonal patterns and then placing a small sheet of parchment paper in between two embossing folders, ensuring the paper is lined up with the plates. Press down hard on the folders and wriggle them together to create a clear imprint on your paper. Flood your cookie with icing and press the embossed parchment paper down slowly on the cookie to prevent air bubbles from forming. Finally, be patient, Sandman says—wait for the cookie icing to dry before peeling off parchment paper to view your beautiful and unique cookie design.   

One safety consideration: Only use parchment paper that is considered food-safe, because there could be chemicals in decorative paper that could be harmful for consumption.

In a pinch, both Pavlides and Ophir roll parchment paper into a cone, create a narrow opening on one end, and use it as a cheap, simple funnel for both dry and wet ingredients. Pavildes says she especially loves this hack for slowing funneling flour into a stand mixer because it lets you incorporate flour into the batter without over-mixing and prevents it from wafting all over the kitchen. Remember: Once the paper touches raw food (especially anything containing eggs or flour), it is considered contaminated and should be used only once and discarded, Rogers says.

Reaping the delicious benefits of bacon often comes with a con: cleaning up greasy bacon and oil splatters from frying them in a pan. Instead, cook mess-free bacon in the oven by positioning bacon strips on parchment paper on a sheet pan. Bake it for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the level of crispiness you prefer. “Somehow it magically keeps the sheet pan spotless as long as I throw it away before the grease has a chance to cool off,” Ophir says.

Rolling out a pie crust on parchment paper prevents it from sticking to counters and keeps you from over-using flour (which creates cracking), according to Pavlides. “Slide rolled out, parchment-lined pie crust onto a pizza pan,” Pavlides says. “Place an upside-down pie plate on top of the crust and flip it.” Peel away the parchment paper and you’re left with a pie crust that’s ready to fill. Use your parchment paper once and then discard it to avoid issues with contamination.

Traveling or storing multiple necklaces and bracelets can lead to frustrating tangles, but you shouldn’t have to leave your favorite sparkly pieces at home. “Lay your jewelry piece on a sheet of parchment paper and fold the paper around it,” Jaques says. “Store these wrapped pieces in a jewelry box or travel bag, and you’ll find your accessories remain tangle-free and ready to wear.”

A baker friend once taught me that there is no substitute for using a kitchen scale when it comes to accuracy in baking. But measuring flour, sugar, and butter in the same session means having to clean the scale between ingredients. Instead, line the scale with parchment paper and change it with each new ingredient to keep it clean and save time. This tip is safe, as long as there is no cross-contamination with ingredients, Rogers says.

Raising a budding artist is a pleasure, but their masterpieces aren’t always kind to your nice tables and furniture. One way I protect my kitchen table is by taping sheets of parchment paper to the surface before my younger child paints, molds clay, or breaks out the slime kit. When he’s finished, I remove the paper and any art medium he has used can be easily discarded. 

Up until now you’ve probably considered parchment paper to be a minor supportive character in your kitchen. But its multitasking powers prove it’s got major main character energy. Pick up a few rolls and get creative with your baking, cooking, crafting, and everyday household chores.