14 Ways to Use Parchment Paper for Cooking, Baking, Food Storage, and More

Line Cookie Sheets and Cake Pans

The most common way to use parchment paper is to line your bakeware to ensure that everything bakes evenly and that nothing sticks. “The thin nature of the paper lends to whatever you’re cooking to brown well and cook evenly,” says Chris Aquilino, chef and director of culinary at Elior America. And, of course, nobody wants to mangle their cake when removing it from the pan—a lining of parchment paper solves that problem. Not to mention, it makes clean-up a breeze.

Line Sheet Pans When Roasting Vegetables

Don't let desserts have all the fun—line your sheet pans when roasting savory items, too. Not only will it help them brown evenly, but it means roasted-on ingredients will not be glued to your pan, making it much easier to clean. Since parchment paper adds a nonstick component, it also means you can use less oil. Note that your vegetables might not attain the same charred edges as they do when roasted directly on a pan, but the trade-offs may be worth it depending on your priorities.

Line Pie Crusts for Blind Baking

The key to avoiding the dreaded soggy bottom on a pie is to blind-bake the crust. This simple step—which involves pre-baking the dough before any filling is added—is achieved by lining the chilled crust with foil or parchment and weighing it down with pie weights (or uncooked rice or beans). Once the blind bake is done, use the parchment as a funnel to return the weights to their container.

Craft a Quick Pastry Bag

“I’ve used parchment paper in place of a piping bag. It’s easy to shape it into what is called a cornet, which is a triangle of parchment rolled around itself to make a cone,” says Kierin Baldwin, chef-instructor of pastry and baking arts at the Institute of Culinary Education.

Make a Pastry Bag Insert

You can also make a parchment paper cornet and insert it into your regular pastry bag. This is especially helpful if you are using multiple colors of frosting, for example, as you can remove one color and add the next without having to clean your pastry bag or dirty multiple ones. This is also a great way to change piping tips if you don't have a coupler—remove the parchment inset full of frosting, change the tip, put the frosting back in, and repeat as needed.

Roll Out Dough

Rolling out dough for cookies or doughnuts can be a sticky, floury mess. Parchment paper not only makes it tidier but can actually benefit the dough!

“I always do it [roll dough] between two sheets of parchment. You don’t need to add any flour to the surface of the paper, so it makes you less likely to toughen your dough—and it will come off easily once the dough has been chilled,” says Baldwin.

Cook “En Papillote”

Parchment is essential for using the French cooking method, “en papillote,” with fish or vegetables. “Wrap your fish and veggies in parchment paper, pop it in the oven, and you're on your way to a moist, flavorful meal with minimal cleanup,” says Emily Laurae Carter, recipe developer and pastry chef.

Freeze Individual Portions

You can freeze cookie dough, burger patties, or really anything you want in single servings for between layers of parchment. It will prevent sticking and freezer burn. 

Wrap Food To Go

“In a pinch, I’ve also used parchment as wrapping paper or to wrap up a sandwich to go. Just remember that most tape doesn’t stick to parchment, so the wrapping is best fastened with string,” says Baldwin.

Make Sushi Rolls

You don’t need a fancy mat to make sushi rolls as long as you have parchment paper. Simply place the nori on top of the parchment paper, layer on your ingredients (we love using up leftovers for this), and then use the parchment paper to help you roll.

Create a Paper Sling for Easy Lifting

Create a parchment paper sling by laying two strips of parchment paper in a pan before baking brownies, cookie bars, breads, and more. (This is also a revelation when making sticky homemade marshmallows!) Cut two pieces to size and lay them in the pan, crossed, with an overhang on each side.

“This trick is a game-changer for lifting brownies and bars out of their pans in one graceful move. Once cool, lift the edges of the parchment and take out your baked goods with ease,” says Carter.

Employ for Tidy Cake Decorating

While, yes, you can wipe the smudges of frosting off of the cake stand after you have frosted your cake, it can be hard to fully clean off the sugary mess without marring the beautiful bottom edge you just perfected. Here's where parchment paper comes in. Cut parchment into strips or triangles and tuck them just under the edge of the cake—depending on the cake size, six or more will do the trick. When you're done decorating, you can easily pull the parchment pieces out from under the cake, frosting mess and all.

Use as a Funnel

Can’t remember where you put that funnel? It happens. If you need to transfer dry ingredients into a container, roll parchment paper into a cone, and you've got an impromptu funnel.

Make Fun Charcuterie Platters

Instead of using platters or boards for charcuterie, parchment paper makes for a clever serving option. “I love to use large sheets of parchment to set up and serve charcuterie; arrange the components as you would, but identify the items by writing directly on the parchment in a crafty and fun way,” says Aquilino.