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An Alternative Use For Baking Parchment


gulfporter

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Here's what I discovered by accident. 

 

I hate splatter clean-up, but seared duck breast is something we eat once a week (with various seasonings, sauces and sides...the combinations are endless).  

 

My outdoor grill has a good side burner.  And I have a ton of old cake pans.

 

Sooooooo.....I took an old cake pan, cut a piece of parchment paper to fit it and sear the duck breasts outside.  No stick, no splatter that I have to clean (the splatters land on some sort of hearty landscape plant next to the grill).  

 

So for those struggling with SS pans and sticky proteins, maybe this is an alternative??

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Wouldn't the parchment paper burn?

That was my thought also. Parchment paper is only good for about 400 degrees F. We buy pre-cut half-sheet size parchment paper for our home kitchen. I have never even thought of using it in a pan over flame.

Porthos Potwatcher
The Once and Future Cook

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Wouldn't the parchment paper burn?

It doesn't when I sear duck breasts, maybe because the fat in the pan is keeping the paper lubricated???  

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Is the parchment being used as a cover?

No, it's being used as a non-stick surface when I sear duck breasts in an old cheap cake tin.  

 

I'm using the cake pan because the propane from the side burner of the gas grill that I cook on, blackens the bottom of pans.  The first time I tried it, the duck skin stuck a bit to the cake pan, so the next time, I put a piece of parchment in the bottom of the cake pan before adding the duck breast.  It's been working fine!

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Gulfporter, do you happen to have an infrared thermometer?  What kind of temps is your cake pan hitting when on the side burner?

 

The silicone impregnated into the parchment paper is only rated into the low 400s...

So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money. But when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness."

So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

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Gulfporter, do you happen to have an infrared thermometer?  What kind of temps is your cake pan hitting when on the side burner?

 

The silicone impregnated into the parchment paper is only rated into the low 400s...

 

Silicone impregnated into parchment paper?

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Silicone impregnated into parchment paper?

Silicone is commonly used on parchment paper. The particular brand I buy has Quilon ® as the release coating.

Porthos Potwatcher
The Once and Future Cook

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Things I never knew.  I always assumed parchment paper was just paper.  After a bit of googling I see some parchment is rated to 420 deg F and other parchment is rated to 450.

 

Does anyone know of parchment paper that is uncoated with anything?

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Here's a link about frying eggs on parchment:

 

http://sfglobe.com/2015/01/05/home-chef-uses-parchment-paper-as-a-substitute-for-a-non-stick-pan/

 

This link is from a seller (and manufacturer??) of parchment paper.  If you click on the FAQs about mid-page, it talks about frying on parchment paper.  

 

http://www.paperchef.com/en/pages/parchment101

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I don't know why I could not imagine the parchment in the bottom of a skillet/equivalent.  I have lined baking pans with parchment many times but I have never before seen it used over direct heat and somehow I couldn't picture the food browning on the parchment.  Now I see there is no reason why it shouldn't work.  

I see some experiments with eggs, fish, etc., in my future....  Does anyone else use it this way?

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Things I never knew.  I always assumed parchment paper was just paper.  After a bit of googling I see some parchment is rated to 420 deg F and other parchment is rated to 450.

 

Does anyone know of parchment paper that is uncoated with anything?

 

Yeah, I didn't know either and it kinda bugs me that it's not labeled.  As for your question, I did a similar meander and tripped across something called Patapar paper, which reportedly isn't coated.

 

BTW, gulfporter, cool tip (so to speak).  Thanks for sharing.

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Yeah, I didn't know either and it kinda bugs me that it's not labeled.  As for your question, I did a similar meander and tripped across something called Patapar paper, which reportedly isn't coated.

 

BTW, gulfporter, cool tip (so to speak).  Thanks for sharing.

 

Hmm.  "No silicon added!"  We should trust these people?  But seriously, doesn't the culinary use of parchment paper predate the presence of silicone in the kitchen?

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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I believe that most paper ignites at Farenheit 451 if Ray Bradbury is to be believed.

 

If the propane burner is sooting-up the pan you might want to adjust the gas/air mix to get a blue flame that will be less sooty.

 

But a really neat tip in any event. GP

Edited by gfweb (log)
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I believe that most paper ignites at Farenheit 451 if Ray Bradbury is to be believed.

 

If the propane burner is sooting-up the pan you might want to adjust the gas/air mix to get a blue flame that will be less sooty.

 

But a really neat tip in any event. GP

 

Unknown to Bradbury the first editions of his book were bowdlerized.  I hadn't minded eating food cooked on well charred parchment until this thread.  Now I feel like collecting torches and pitchforks and marching on corporate offices.

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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Hmm.  "No silicon added!"  We should trust these people?  But seriously, doesn't the culinary use of parchment paper predate the presence of silicone in the kitchen?

Of course you must trust them! Edgar Cayce did!

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

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Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

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Regarding the silicone coating: if there are silicone muffin "tins" and such why would a silicone application to parchment be troublesome?

 

I have never really had clean-up issues in my home kitchen so following this thread is for general interest only.

Porthos Potwatcher
The Once and Future Cook

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this is a very fine tip

 

In my area there are ( at least ) two times of parchment paper:

 

the usual 'White' paper made by Reynolds   and a brown paper made by  ( ? ) as Ive moved the brown paper to a more commercial box

 

that has a much sharper metal 'rip' strip.   the brown item is sold down the 'organic' isle and has a lest than fine rip strip.

 

I have noted that the Brown paper is much more stick resistant than the Plain vanilla white.

 

If I can remember, Ill look at the brown stuff in its box at the store and see what they say for it.

 

but nice idea, putting a piece on the bottom of something for its non-stick properties.

 

Kudos  to GulfP. 

 

I use the white paper to fully line the 'disposable' aluminum baking trays i use for "Library Brownies"

 

I then lift out the full tray of brownies w the paper, and take the (reusable) aluminum trays home for the next batch

 

the brownies still stick a bit on the white paper, so Ive learned to give the paper a light 'spray' of

 

generic "Pam" before I add the batter.  they never stick to the brown paper  " as is "

Edited by rotuts (log)
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Regarding the silicone coating: if there are silicone muffin "tins" and such why would a silicone application to parchment be troublesome?

 

I have never really had clean-up issues in my home kitchen so following this thread is for general interest only.

 

I have nothing against the culinary use of silicone per se.  My kitchen has several items of silicone, most of which I find satisfactory (except for a silicone ice cube tray).

 

Rather my objections to silicone coated parchment are that I question what happens when the material chars, and I question the lack of disclosure on the part of the parchment manufacturers.

 

Further, since silicone is a heat stable material, why does coated parchment seem to have a lower temperature rating (420 deg F in the case of Reynolds) compared to just plain paper?

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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