Parchment paper comes in thin sheets that have been treated to give them non-stick properties. They’re a popular choice when baking but are oftentimes used for a lot of other things too.
In our home, they’re used frequently when making cookies, homemade pizzas, bread, homemade french fries, and much more. Their ability to handle medium-high levels of heat in combination with the non-stick properties makes parchment paper an attractive choice.
But everyone doesn’t have parchment paper at home, which quite rapidly raises questions regarding a functioning substitute capable of providing the same kind of qualities without compromising the food.
While doing research (asking my family, our neighbors, and my best friend’s family), I gathered that the second most commonly owned item of the same category is aluminum foil.
Aluminum foil can be a substitute for parchment paper but some adjustments may be needed to get the best results (such as greasing the foil), as aluminum foil doesn’t have the same non-stick properties that parchment paper has, and it’s also a much better conductor of heat. This means that anything that’s heated on aluminum foil will brown faster than it would on parchment paper.
So, aluminum can certainly be used instead of parchment paper but remember to adjust accordingly. There are a few things that both parchment paper and aluminum foil do very well.
- Both foil and parchment paper can be used when steaming things like vegetables, chicken, and fish in the oven.
- Both foil and parchment paper can be used to wrap meals so they maintain heat.
- Both foil and parchment paper can be used to wrap food for either practical reasons or prior to freezing them.
- Both foil and parchment can be used to line dishes and pans to minimize cleanup.
Let’s take a look at what you can do with aluminum foil to make it act as parchment paper does, making it a better substitute.
Can Aluminum Foil Replace Parchment Paper? How?
Let’s say you were to place a batch of cookies on both parchment paper and aluminum foil, how would they differ from one another?
Cooking on metal, such as aluminum foil, will provide a quicker and better distribution of heat as some metals are very good conductors of heat. The same is not true for parchment paper, as it’s considered to be more of an insulator than a conductor.
This can be both good and bad depending on your intentions and the results you’re after.
Alright. That sounds great, but what does it really mean? The bottom of the cookies placed on the aluminum foil will, most likely, heat up faster, brown more, and become crispier than their parchment-paper equivalents.
Those cooked on parchment paper, on the other hand, would be heated at a slower rate by the heated air circulating the oven, making them a little crispy on the outside and softer on the inside.
Of course, both are going to be cooked by the heat from the oven, but one surface will conduct more heat than the other. I may be wrong when I say this but you shouldn’t expect to create an exact replica of parchment paper cookies using aluminum foil.
However, there are adjustments that can be made to make them more like one another.
You May Have To Adjust Temperature
You may have to adjust the temperature when using aluminum foil because of its heat-conducting abilities. You can choose to not adjust the temperature but you should expect a slight difference in the end product by not doing so. Depending on what you’re striving for, either lowering the temp or letting it stay the same is what I would recommend.
If you’re feeling unsure about what to do, remember that anything placed on foil will brown on the bottom at a faster rate. Removing the items earlier or adjusting the temperature slightly is a good start.
Adjust Time
Since aluminum foil will brown your cookies, bread, or whatever it may be faster than parchment paper, one way to approach it could be by cutting the time spent in the oven. I’m not saying “Cut the time in half!” but I’m suggesting that you start checking on the food earlier than you would if it was placed on parchment paper.
Add Oil To Avoid Having To Scrape Food Off The Foil
This is no joke, I’m telling you. If you’ve grown accustomed to the comfortable process of removing food from parchment paper or rather having it fall off in some cases, then you’re in for a surprise. Aluminum foil does not provide the same kind of non-stick surface.
In fact, it can be quite tricky to remove pieces of food from aluminum foil when it’s removed from the oven. Scraping them off is a tedious task that you want to avoid at all costs.
It’s possible to achieve something similar to parchment paper’s surface by greasing the aluminum foil. I do this by spraying a couple of bursts of Pam cooking spray on the foil, which makes food less likely to stick onto it.
Be Careful With Acidic Foods
Some studies have shown that aluminum foil and acidic foods don’t mix very well. According to this study, aluminum transfer into food was increased in acidic foods. The highest recorded level was measured in rhubarb juice, which is fairly acidic. Tomatoes and lemons are also acidic foods.
What Else Can Substitute Parchment Paper?
We’ve talked about substituting parchment paper with aluminum foil, but that’s not the only option now, is it? No, of course not. There are a bunch of suitable options available, and I’m sure you’ve got a couple of them at your disposal. Why not consider one of the following when you’re out of parchment paper?
Silpat Baking Mat – Perfect for Baking
Silpat baking mats are made out of silicone, which makes them both flexible and heat-resistant. They’re a bit more expensive than parchment paper but they can be used over and over again for years. This increases the bang-per-buck ratio substantially, especially when comparing it to parchment paper.
Silpat baking mats are best used for dry, crispy baking projects, such as cookies, bread rolls, or pizzas. Unlike parchment paper, the baking mat can’t be cut and reshaped the way that parchment paper can.
The bad thing about that is that you would have to purchase a set of baking mats to get them in different sizes.
Wax Paper – Perfect for Storing and Wrapping
You can use wax paper as a substitute for parchment paper but only for the things that parchment paper is used for that don’t involve heat. The thing that makes wax paper and parchment paper similar to one another is that they’re both coated to make their surface non-stick.
The biggest difference between the two is that wax paper isn’t heat-resistant, rendering it useless for baking, roasting, and so forth. But don’t fret, there are still areas of usage. Wax paper can, for instance, be used to layer desserts, store cheese, line dishes, and cover counters.
If you were to put wax paper in the oven, the wax-coated sheets of paper would melt and, eventually, catch on fire. It’s a great substitute for projects that don’t involve heat but a terrible choice for those that do.
Grease – The Blast From The Past
The traditional way of keeping things from sticking to pans. Yes, grease can be used as a substitute for parchment paper. Adding a spoonful of oil or spraying a couple of bursts of Pam cooking spray then spreading it onto the pan using a paper towel is a legit method.
It’ll make the pan more non-stick but it’s messier than using parchment paper, that’s for sure.
Butter or an oil with a relatively high smoking point can be used to substitute parchment paper when high heat is involved. In the oven, on the stove, in the air fryer, and so on.
But when you’re kneading dough, or just trying to keep ingredients from sticking with no heat involved, flour is going to be a much better option.
So I Can Bake Cookies Without Parchment Paper?
Yes, you can bake cookies even when you’re all out of parchment paper. Just pick one of the suitable substitutes, adapt, and start baking. Personally, I would go with either a Silpat baking mat or greased-down aluminum foil.
Both the mat and foil have produced consistent and tasty results every single time I’ve used them.
The last alternative is to place the cookies in a thin-bottomed pan, as thicker bottoms will take longer to get up to temperature which can lead to inconsistent results.
Is Parchment Paper Better Than Aluminum Foil?
That’s like asking if a spoon is better than a fork. It depends entirely on what you intend to do. There are certain areas where their abilities overlap and certain areas where one is superior to the other.
I read an article about the subject and found a way of describing their areas of usage, or at least where they are best used.
However, as we’ve talked about in this article, there are several things that both can do. Parchment paper is going to be the better alternative for things that easily stick, as it has non-stick properties.
While aluminum foil, on the other hand, is a better choice when you want to keep something heated when you’ve removed it from the heat source.
“Sweet treat, parchment sheet. Grill or boil, go with foil.“
Which Side of the Aluminum Foil Should I Use?
If you’ve ever held a sheet of aluminum foil in your hands, I’m sure you’ve noticed that it has two different sides, one that’s a bit shinier than the other.
Some people argue that one side has better heat-conducting properties, while the other will provide a more even finish but the truth is that the only difference between the two sides is purely visual and has no impact on functionality.
As their differences purely stem from the manufacturing process, there’s no right and wrong way of using aluminum foil. You shouldn’t be able to tell the difference between something cooked on one side versus the other.
When manufacturing sheets of aluminum foil, one sheet is milled against another sheet to prevent them from breaking during the milling process.
The side that’s pressed against another sheet of aluminum foil will then become the dull side of the sheet, while the shiny is milled without coming in contact with another layer of foil.