Wondering why you should use parchment paper when baking cakes, cookies, and other items? There are several great reasons to use parchment paper, three of which I’m going to share with you in this article, and one of which is about your health.

Shiitake mushrooms roasted on natural parchment paper - easyveganmealprep — Shiitake mushrooms roasted on natural parchment paper.

What is parchment paper?

Parchment paper is a thin paper used for baking and roasting that is sturdy and doesn’t absorb liquid. This paper can be used as a barrier between baking pans and your food. It’s important to have a barrier because of three reasons:

To prevent food from sticking to the baking pan
To prevent aluminium from the baking pan from getting into the food
To make it easy to remove food from the baking pan after baking

Chickpeas baked on natural parchment paper - easyveganmealprep.com — Chickpeas baked on natural parchment paper.

Here’s 3 reasons to use parchment paper when baking

Let’s go more into detail about these three reasons to use parchment paper when baking:

Reason 1: Parchment paper prevents the food from sticking to the pan

Often times a baking recipe calls for greasing the baking sheet before placing the cake batter into a baking dish, for example. This is to ensure the cake does not stick to the pan and can be removed without tearing the cake. You can substitute flour, however then you will have flour residue on your cake. An alternative is parchment paper which creates the barrier to the baking dish and allows you to simply lift the cake out of the pan in one piece.

Sweet potatoes roasted on natural parchment paper - easyveganmealprep.com — Sweet potatoes roasted on natural parchment paper.

Reason 2: Parchment paper prevents aluminium from the baking pan from getting into the food

Scientists are now starting to correlate heavy metals such as aluminium in the brain with diseases such as Alzheimer’s. They are finding that the aluminium found in common household baking pans and cookware is ending up in our food and then possibly our brains. The Physicians Committee for Responsible medicine recommends avoiding uncoated aluminum cookware and suggests using a barrier, such as parchment paper, during baking.

Here’s more information about this topic:

Reason 3: Parchment paper makes it easy to remove food from the baking pan after baking

You can use parchment paper to your advantage because it makes lifting baked goods out of the baking sheet very easy. For example, brownies baked with parchment paper can be easily lifted right out of the pan after baking – no more trying to pry brownies out of the baking pan.

Chocolate bars melted and chilled in natural parchment paper - easyveganmealprep.com — Chocolate bars melted and chilled in natural parchment paper.

Why use natural parchment paper instead of bleached parchment paper?

I generally choose the most natural forms of baking equipment and ingredients whenever possible to avoid being exposed to harmful chemicals which are found in the bleaching process. Learn more about If You Care… brand and why they offer natural parchment paper products.

I often reuse my parchment paper if it is not soiled. When it does become soiled I place it into my compost bin.