How to replace parchment paper when baking meringues, cookies, sponge cakes?

Parchment for baking in the oven can be replaced with:

Every housewife who loves to pamper her family with real culinary masterpieces knows perfectly well how important it is to have everything you need at hand. This applies primarily to parchment paper. In some cases, it is not at hand, and there is no time to run to the store.

When looking for something to replace parchment with, take a close look at what you have at hand; you can find a worthy alternative among common things.

Many, in the absence of parchment, do not replace it with anything at all. The bottom of the mold or baking sheet can be greased with oil and sprinkled with breadcrumbs, flour, and semolina on top. The proposed solution is not suitable for all baked goods.

Meringues and biscuits will stick to the baking sheet - this, of course, is detrimental to future treats. There are other options for replacing parchment to make your baked goods perfect.

Foil

Many housewives have tried using foil as parchment. Some were pleased with the result, others were completely disappointed. To ensure that nothing sticks to the surface, you need to constantly monitor the baking process.

You can grease the foil with a small amount of oil, but many people don’t like that its smell may remain on the finished product.

It should be noted that when baking this way, you constantly need to change the position of the baking sheet so that everything bakes evenly and does not burn.

Silicone forms

The technology of cooking with silicone appeared in our everyday life relatively recently. Scientists have long noted its unique properties and all its beneficial qualities have not yet been fully studied. As for baking, hospitable housewives began to use this method, which is very popular. Many women have various silicone devices with which they bake.

When baking, products do not need to be generously lubricated with oil, since this material peels off the finished base well. The disadvantage of this method is burning from the inside. The cooking technology is as follows: before filling the dough, the form must be placed on a baking sheet, and when ready, taken out along with it.

The silicone coating holds high temperatures quite well. There are examples of baking in the oven up to three hundred degrees Celsius. Silicone molds are good for baking various confectionery products. The cost of such raw materials today is high and not every woman can afford such pleasure.

How to replace parchment paper for baking. Many people recommend an office one.

Baking bag

As a last resort, you can use a baking bag to bake the prepared confectionery product. Not everyone likes this alternative, because it is important to control the entire process from start to finish. At the same time, no one will guarantee the quality of the resulting baked goods. In some cases, it is better to abandon such a dubious alternative and still go to the store for parchment.

Baking parchment can be replaced with analogues. Most often, they are easy to find in every home. At the same time, it is important to ensure that the substitutes used do not deteriorate the taste of the prepared dish or harm health.

What is its peculiarity

Parchment paper is specifically designed for baking. It does not allow grease and water to pass through and is highly durable. Food baked on parchment does not lose its taste and does not absorb foreign odors. Baked goods do not dry out or burn. For baking, only food parchment is used; it does not contain any impurities dangerous to humans.

Is it possible to replace such a useful household item? The answer is yes! Available means include:

• writing paper,
• tracing paper,
• silicone molds and mats,
• foil,
• baking bags,
• flour packaging.

Specialized baking equipment

There is an option in which you not only don’t have to think about how to replace your usual baking paper, you don’t even have to buy it. To do this you need to purchase one of the following devices:

• Silicone mats. These are very convenient and high-quality devices that can be used repeatedly. If you provide the products with the necessary care, which is simple, there will be no problems with baking meringues, cakes or pies at all.

• Silicone coated paper. An innovative development that is rapidly gaining popularity among professional bakers and ordinary housewives. This paper is produced in rolls or sheets. Each sheet can be used 4 to 8 times. Considering that there are usually a lot of them in packs, the supply will last for a very long time.

In addition, for preparing baked goods (especially if this was not in the plans), you can use the following materials, which any housewife usually has in the kitchen:

• Foil. Although foil is a difficult substitute for traditional baking tools, it can work just fine in an emergency. The main difficulty when using the material is that the product, although slightly, heats up, transferring heat to the product. The workpiece can simply burn if it is not constantly monitored.

• Baking bags. You can line a mold or baking sheet with them in a pinch. In terms of its properties, the product is not at all similar to baking paper, but at least it will prevent the product from burning.

In addition, each of the listed materials has its own characteristics that must be taken into account when preparing dishes in the oven.

Office and writing paper - a compromise option

In extreme cases, if the above-mentioned substitutes for parchment paper are not found, use ordinary office paper, well soaked in oil. In addition to it, you can also use writing paper, although it is less common today than office paper. Printer paper is thicker than writing paper and is less likely to catch fire in the oven.

This solution is suitable for students and office workers; they always have such paper at hand. However, many professionals believe that such a replacement is unsuccessful. The product sticks to such paper and may become deformed, lose its shape, or burn.

For several years now, many housewives have been using paper baking dishes that have appeared on sale. They make finished products more elegant and can replace traditional baking paper.

No additional funds

Cookies made from not too capricious dough can be placed directly on a baking sheet without the use of special tools. Just grease it with butter or margarine.

Advice! Do not use this technique for products such as meringues or macarons; without paper they will definitely burn. But the method is convenient and economical for baking pies, casseroles, and biscuits.

You can reduce the risk of the confectionery product burning if you have semolina on hand. Just sprinkle it on an oiled baking sheet. Instead of cereal, breadcrumbs are suitable. As a last resort, take wheat flour. If you have dry bread or large crackers, you can grind them using a blender. You can bake it in a non-stick frying pan. It does not require special coatings; just grease the bottom and sides with butter.

Chocolate cupcake in the microwave, with photo

Do you think it’s possible to bake a delicious cupcake in five minutes? And how! This is very easy to do in the microwave. To prepare, you will need a regular mug and the following products:

• Flour - three tablespoons.
• Instant dry coffee - one tablespoon.
• Cocoa powder - two tablespoons.
• Sugar - three to four tablespoons. (Vary depending on your own taste preferences).
• Half a teaspoon of baking powder (can be replaced with soda slaked with lemon juice).
• Milk - three tablespoons.
• Half a teaspoon of vanilla sugar.
• One egg.
• Vegetable oil - one tablespoon.

Preparation steps:

1. Mix all the dry elements in a dish: flour, vanilla sugar, cocoa, coffee, baking powder and sugar.
2. Then add milk, egg, butter one by one and stir until smooth.
3. First grease the mug with butter and pour the resulting mixture.
4. Microwave on high for one minute.
5. Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Raw materials that should not be used in cooking

There is a list of materials similar to those already listed. Some of them are so similar to acceptable raw materials that housewives are trying to replace baking paper with them. This usually doesn't lead to anything good:

• Newspapers. Not only does this material burn well, it is also impregnated with ink consisting of toxic components. If the first point can be dealt with by oiling the sheet, then nothing can be done about the second.
• Polyethylene. It's not at all like oven bags. Most of these raw materials simply melt under high temperatures. Its use can not only ruin the dish, but also lead to an accident.
• Plain paper. It cannot be used dry, only oiled!
• Vegetable oil. They are not recommended to grease baking sheets or molds. A product, even the highest quality, will not protect the product from burning, but it is quite capable of ruining its taste and aroma due to soot.

It turns out that if you wish, you can find a way out of even such a situation. But you shouldn’t get hung up on the means at hand (unless they are specialized); it’s better to prepare baked goods using parchment paper.

We use tracing paper

Tracing paper, used for drawings and patterns in sewing, is somewhat similar in quality to baking parchment, but it is thinner. It is quite suitable as a replacement. This is convenient for those housewives who love not only cooking, but also sewing. Before use, both the baking sheet and the tracing paper are usually well greased with oil. The disadvantages of tracing paper are:

• sticks to the bottom of the product;
• becomes brittle, crumbles, and can char at high temperatures in the oven.

However, tracing paper is suitable for baking shortbread cookies, cheesecake, and products with a high oil content in the dough.

Improvised means as a way to solve a problem

High-quality baking paper can easily be replaced by the most unexpected things that are always at hand. You just need to take into account the fact that they will be used in the oven, so you will have to work a little at the preparatory stage.

• To bake a biscuit or something simpler, you can take the most ordinary writing paper. The only thing is that it needs to be thoroughly soaked in fat until transparent. For this purpose, it is best to use margarine or butter. The impregnation process will go faster if the oil is first ground to a creamy state. Just don’t try to soak the sheet with the pre-melted product, it will simply fall apart. The paper can be quite thick, which is even more reliable.

• You can bake something simple and not demanding on the surface if you simply grease a baking sheet or mold with butter (margarine). Of course, this cannot replace a parchment base; things like meringues or macarons will definitely burn. But for a variety of pies, cakes or casseroles, this option will come in handy. The quality of the product will noticeably increase if the treated surface is also sprinkled with semolina (preferably from durum wheat), breadcrumbs or, in extreme cases, flour.
• Not many people know that most bags in which flour is sold are made of ordinary baking parchment. Therefore, many housewives use the used bag (you can simply pour flour) as a substrate when baking their culinary masterpieces in the oven. If the first time is a little scary, additional processing of the accessory with a small amount of butter is allowed.

Tip: Before adapting the means at hand to implement your cooking plans, it is worth checking how they will react to being in the oven. To do this, you can send the raw materials, intended to replace the baking material, into a preheated oven for a few minutes. If it doesn’t light up, smoke or curl, feel free to start cooking.

• Sewing tracing paper is similar to parchment paper not only in appearance, it also has most of its physical properties. The only difference is that no one oiled the tracing paper, so you will have to do it yourself.

Of course, before using any of the above, you need to make sure the material is clean. If there are foreign odors, stains or damage, it is better to replace the raw materials.