I use it anytime I use a cookie sheet. Don't have to grease, less mess, easier, etc. Admittedly, since my husband is a chef, I have pounds and pounds of the stuff, so I'm not terribly worried about wasting it.

If you don't use it, how else can an entire sheet of unbaked cookies slide onto the floor? :)

Except for the sliding problem which is probably unique to me, P.P. seems to just make cleanup a little easier. And if you're reusing a cookie sheet, you don't need to worry about extra-baked bits from the last batch getting in the new one.

It's convenient, and probably a little wasteful, but probably not crucial for anything.

I don't use it.

Saves clean-up, saves time, saves the cookie sheet, can be reused if it doesn't brown too much, saves the baker's energy....how many reasons do you need? Saves mess from greasing with butter or shortening, saves money from not having to buy those expensive non-stick sprays...etc.

Teresa

I started using it a few years ago - before that I baked on a greased cookie sheet. I notice that the cookies bake a bit differently on it than directly on the metal - I assume that is due to different heat transfer characteristics. I like the way the cookies come out on parchment slightly better than baked directly on the metal.

fori - I have the sliding problem, too. My oven sits very low and with the door open in front I always seem to be working at an odd angle when I'm pulling out a sheet of cookies. I have to pay close attention when I bake on a rimless cookie sheet with parchment so I don't tip the pan even slightly, or the whole batch goes sailing.

Parchment also keeps sugarey cooking from burning on the bottom,
I always use it....and I re use it!
Linda C

It keeps the cookies and or biscuits from getting too dark on the bottom, and the all important clean up ease.

I do it because AnnT does it.

I use it for all the above reasons. Wouldn't be without it.
If you buy it bulk at a food service supplier it's not expensive per sheet. I buy 1000 sheets at a time and end up cutting most of them in half to fit on cookie sheets.

Nancy

And if you grab hold of the PP while you are grabbing the edge of the cookie sheet _ WITH A POTHOLDER! - then it won't slide off the sheet.

But cookies that hit the floor and break have no calories, and you can't serve them, so why use PP?

Well, my last incident was raw cookies on the hot oven door...and I know better. Usually if it seems slippery I'll dab a drop of water under the paper.

It does seem to have become more popular lately. Is it because of all the cooking shows?

I also use it for baking all of my cookies, and I used it to put chocolates on to set up. I also use it when making sausage balls or meatballs because it helps so much with clean up. I bought mine in a restarant supply store and cut them in half to fit my half sheet pans.

Melissa

I started using parchment paper for the clean-up, but I really like how the cookies, etc turn out. No more burned bottoms, and things slide off without sticking. I'm thinking maybe I should make my next pie with parchment paper lining the pie plate! I use it for almost all my baking now.

okie redhead,

I also use parchment for meatballs and/or sausage. What a time saver with clean-up!

I buy the precut sheets from KA that fit perfectly on my baking sheets. One tube lasts me five years.

/tricia

Why use parchment paper for cookies? Because I have a lifetime supply (LOL)! I'm another one who got a box from a kitchen supply store and cut the sheets in half and use it for lots of things in the kitchen.

It's no longer considered "safe" to use brown paper bags. They are made with recycled materials and may include ink and metals that are unsafe for human consumption. Bundles of paper bags are also stored where they are often exposed to chemicals, bugs (cockroaches), and rotant infestations. It's also flamable when used in the oven.

-Grainlady

I'm another who is a parchment paper convert.
And it is true that cookies do turn out much nicer...I've accidentally left them in the oven too long and even though the bottoms are browner...I've never burnt them with parchment.
And this holiday season I tried a silpat on one sheet and parchment on another...liked the parchment much better.
I have a couple of sheets that have been used at least 8-10 batches and the only reason I've trashed them is because the bottom has gotten a bit buttery.
I also use it to bake my No Knead Bread, lifting the parchment and dough right into the dutch oven.

Parchment can put an end to those raggity, broken first pieces that come out of a cake pan or a pan of bars.

Just tear off a piece of parchment which measures the no longer than the length of your pan. Place the parchment into your pan with the length fitting exactly, and allow the extra width to lap out of the of the pan at the sides. Crease the paper a bit so it holds shape, then pour in your batter. When they are finished baking, use the pieces at the side that lapped over to lift the parchment like a sling. The bars or cake will lift right out of the pan. (Check to see if you need to use a knife to loosen at the long ends where the paper does not extend up.)

Another benefit to baking loaf cakes and bars in this manner is that it is much easier to cut uniform sized pieces. Also, it makes a loaf cake look presentable as a birthday cake or a company cake. Just put it on a tray with a doily and you are ready to go.

I allow a cake to cool for at least 10 minutes before lifting. Bars are all so different that you will have to judge for yourself when to lift them out. I find that bars that become crisp can be lifted out almost immediately. Softer, cakier bars need to cool for a tad.

Since stumbling on to this, I have been using using nothing but loaf cakes for birthdays.

I tried the parchment paper for my cookie press Spritz cookies, which is really the only cookie I make that sometimes crumbles in getting off the sheet. Unfortunately it didnÂt work for these: it didnÂt have enough "tack" to hold onto the cookies. When I picked up the press, the paper was lifted off too. I tried a bit of wet dough underneath, but it was not enough to hold it down. But I will keep it in mind for other uses like bar cookies.

Linnea, awhile back someone suggested putting a bit of crisco or corn syrup under the paper to make sure it sticks to the pan. It sort of defeats the clean-up advantage, but it might work in your case.
Thanks to the recommendations of bakers here on the CF, I use it all of the time now too! Too bad I have 3 Silpats!

It was funny..sort of. Most of my cookies have butter in them (apart from meringues) so donÂt stick anyway, and I donÂt care about washing the cookie sheets. (You have to wash the bowls and beaters and everything, so whatÂs a few sheets?) So the only reason I thought I could use the parchment was to be able to slide the delicate spritz off the sheets and onto my flat countertop to cool. Once they are cool they are easy enough to pick up without crumbling. I sprinkled the sheets with water and put the parchment over that, and thought that would give it enough tack. I realized when I pressed the first cookie that it was not going to work. Normally the dough sticks to the metal sheet, you pull up the press and the cookie is on the sheet. But with the parchment, instead when I pulled up the press the parchment just came up. I put a weight on the end and then it just slid around for the second cookie. I thought of taping the sheet down and then removing the tape before putting it in the oven. But with the clock ticking away on the 23rd and many batches to go, I just abandoned the idea and did it the old way. If the parchment were glued down I assume I could not slide the sheet off to cool the cookies on the countertop.

But I think the slickness of the parchment, even if it is glued down with something, will not work for cookie press recipes, or any cookie that needs adhesion to the cookie sheet to get it to work. I mention this in case someone in the future is thinking about using parchment for this purpose.

I'm a parchment paper convert, too, but not entirely for the clean up, although that is sort of a factor. I wash and re-use my parchment paper several times, so it doesn't save on clean up, but the parchment paper comes clean easier than my cookie sheets.

The best use of parchment I've made is when I make granola. I have a narrow container I put granola into after I bake it. The parchment serves not only as a good surface to bake the granola on, it rolls up into a funnel type shape and I can easily pour the granola into the container. Before I learned about parchment from this forum, I tediously spooned the granola into the container.

Sally

So where is everyone getting all this cheap parchment?

I have only used the Reynolds grocery store brand. On the plus side, it perfectly fits the width of my favorite cookie sheet, is reversible and works great. I do reuse it over and over until it turns brown. But I still use a lot of it.

We get it from a restaurant supply store. It comes in a box of sheets for full size sheet pans (18 by 26) so we cut it in half for our half sheet pans.

I haven't actually made the plunge for the big box from the restaurant supply store, because I don't have the space to store that big of a box. So, I'm still using the Reynolds brand, but as I said, I re-use and re-use and re-use till it's falling apart. I have to say, though, that the Reynolds stuff is not a size that fits anything I have. I have to fold it, or cut it to make it fit my half sheet pans.

Sally

I buy it from KA already cut to fit my cookie sheets. It comes 100 sheets in a tube. You just pull out one sheet at a time from the tube....no cutting required. Works great. Costs a bit more but 100 sheets lasts me 5 years so I don't worry about a couple bucks extra over that long a period of time. I love the convenience of not having to cut to fit.

/tricia

I used it for a couple years, then ran out and kinda forgot about it, I guess. This year I posted a question requesting a recipe for cookies to decorate with my little granddaughter, and when Marigene responded with a recipe, she also suggested rolling the dough between sheets of PP.

WOW!! Did that ever work great!! NO extra flour needed at all, and it rolled out like a breeze. So I baked all the cookies -- those and Snickerdoodles -- on PP and remembered why I liked it!

Incidentally, the sugar cookies were very nice and Chloe LOVED cutting and decorating them. Judging by the few crumbs left on the plate, I'm assuming Santa liked the ones she left for him!!

Thanks, Marigene!

Arlene