Is wax paper and parchment paper the same thing

I am not an avid baker, which means it wasn’t until this year that I used parchment paper for the first time, and only because I was at my sister’s house and her silicone mat was otherwise occupied at the time.

What is this obviously plant fiber-based material that doesn’t shrivel up and burn in the oven? What is this quick-release ability, where cookies popped off instead of needing to be spatula-scooped? Sorcery! I thought. Or just parchment paper, my sister scoffed, before asking me what kind of food writer I was. (Again, not the baking kind, clearly.)

But fortunately, I am the inquisitive, researching, nerdy kind, which is what brings me to our titular question: Is wax paper the same as parchment paper?

The Similarities Between Wax Paper and Parchment Paper

If you’ve confused wax paper with parchment paper and vice versa, don’t worry—you and I aren’t the only ones! In fact, there are a lot of similarities between the two papers:

• They’re visually similar with the dull sheen of their respective coatings, which adds a slightly shiny, slightly opaque quality to it.
• They’re both coated papers used to prevent sticking, are both found in the baking aisle, often side by side, and sold in rolls.
• They’re both derived from plants, foundationally.
• Both can be used to line counters or create barriers between sticky doughs and your rolling pin, with wax paper being the more cost-effective choice.

In fact, wax paper is ideal for rolling out pie crusts, cookies, or kneading bread. It helps to avoid making a mess and creates an additional barrier for general surface cleanliness. It’s also great for cold food storage, particularly to keep chilled or frozen foods from sticking to one another.

Wax paper will gently adhere to items that have some moisture to it, such as sticky candy, deli meat, or cheese. You can also use wax paper to separate fudge or burger patties in the freezer; the plasticine coating helps protect your food items from freezer burn since it’s resistant to moisture.

However, despite sharing a nonstick character, there's one key difference that makes wax paper and parchment paper not like-for-like substitutions for one another.

Can Wax Paper Go in the Oven? No, It Cannot.

Herein lies the biggest difference between parchment paper and wax paper: parchment paper can go in the oven; wax paper cannot.

Parchment paper is chemically treated to withstand reasonable exposure to heat, liquids, and oils. Modern parchment paper is also typically treated with silicone, which enhances its heat resistance and makes it even more nonstick. This practice began in the 1950s.

Wax or waxed paper, on the other hand, is tissue paper that is typically triple-waxed with food-safe but not heatproof beeswax, soybean wax, or paraffin, which is forced into the pores of the paper to create a moisture-resistant structure and also spread across the outer surface on both sides. This coating will melt if it’s put in the oven, even on low heat. More alarmingly, it will catch fire at high heat.

So, if you’re planning to do some baking, make sure you line your baking pans with parchment paper (or a Silpat), not wax paper. Parchment paper’s heat resistance—up to 420 degrees Fahrenheit—make it appropriate for most baking. It’s also as a good substitute for aluminum foil for lining baking sheets.

But wax paper? Save it for lining a countertop or wrapping up foods. It makes a good work surface for dry materials, too! You can curl wax paper up in a cone for a makeshift funnel to return excess ingredients to their containers.

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Parchment paper, baking paper, and wax paper are all names for types of paper used in cooking.

Parchment paper is actually the same thing as baking paper.

It’s just that in some parts of the world it’s called one thing and in other parts of the world, it’s called another.

The only difference is between parchment or baking paper, and wax paper.

Most importantly, parchment paper can be used in an oven or toaster oven and wax paper can’t.

Lots of people find this out the hard way when their kitchen fills with smoke and the fire alarm goes off.

What is parchment paper?

Parchment paper is treated paper coated in heat resistant material.

Nowadays, a silicone coating is normally used.

It actually has a number of uses, but the most common one is to line baking trays to provide a non-stick surface between baked goods and the tray.

Similar uses for it are in cake pans, pie pans, and other kitchen cookery items.

Traditionally pans were greased with butter, but it’s much easier to use parchment paper.

All you do is line the pan, put your mixture on top and then put it in the oven.

If you leave some of the paper exposed around the food, you can hold onto it and use it to lift your food out of the pan more easily.

Another common use is for cooking ‘en papillote’, where items are wrapped in parcels and then cooked.

You can find parchment paper in most grocery stores.

Commonly it is brown, but you can find it bleached white as well.

Pre-cut shapes are often available if there is something of a certain shape on your menu.

Uses for parchment paper

The main uses are:

• To line cake pans and other pans exposed to heat
• Cooking ‘en papillote’
• Creating collars and wraps to cook in
• Catching drips

What is the difference between parchment paper, baking paper, and wax paper?

As we said earlier, baking paper is just another name for parchment paper.

They are the same thing.

The main difference is between parchment and wax paper.

Wax paper is not heat resistant and you should not use wax paper to line the surface between baked goods and a cooking pan.

If you use wax paper in an oven it may set on fire.

Parchment paper vs wax paper

Wax paper has a moisture-resistant coating made of wax.

Wax paper and parchment paper both have a non-stick surface.

The difference between parchment and wax paper is that rather than having a heat resistant surface, wax paper is coated with flammable materials like paraffin wax.

Parchment paper isn’t flammable but is less suited to cold storage because it is less moisture resistant and so won’t keep food as fresh as waxed paper.

What is wax paper?

The highly moisture resistant properties of wax make it ideal for wrapping and cold storage of food.

It can be used to wrap anything from cookies and bread dough to meat and cheese.

Wax paper is mainly used for this but also has some other uses.

Uses for wax paper

The main uses are:

• Wrapping foods for cold storage
• Lining surfaces before rolling out dough or doing messy work
• Lining pans for cold food preparation
• Presenting things nicely

What are good substitutes for parchment paper and wax paper?

If you’re missing the right thing to line your baking sheets or to wrap something you’ve made there are alternatives and some of these are common kitchen items.

Parchment paper substitutes

Often, people run out of parchment paper and go to the cupboard and get wax paper instead because it looks the same. This normally results in a lot of smoke and a cleanup job, but can also be dangerous. As we said earlier, waxed paper cannot stand a high temperature and so isn’t a substitute for parchment paper.

Grease the pan

Often the easiest way is to do things the old-fashioned way and grease the pan, rather than find an alternative. For most recipes, butter is the best thing to line your pan with. But you can also use oil, cooking spray, or lard.

Often it’s a good idea to shake some flour around in the pan as well to help prevent sticking.

Aluminum foil

Aluminum foil is something most people have in their kitchen and makes a good substitute. It is less expensive than the alternatives and can be used in much the same way to line baking sheets or whatever else you’re working with.

However, aluminum foil lacks non-stick properties. It will save your pan from a clean up as you can peel it off and throw it away afterward. But to stop it sticking you’ll need to coat it in butter, oil, or something similar. For most baking recipes aluminum foil is a bad choice.

Silicone baking mats

Silicone baking mats are used by people who do a lot of baking or in commercial kitchens. They are used the same way as parchment paper but are thicker, more durable, and re-usable. I love Silpats, for example. Read more on other baking accessories here.

Silicone rubber molds

You can also buy silicone rubber molds which are molded to create certain shapes.

Wax paper substitutes

Wax paper is really the best thing for storing and keeping foods fresh. However, if you run out there are some simple alternatives:

Parchment paper

You can just use parchment paper. A lot of people do this and it works quite well. However, wax paper and parchment paper aren’t equally moisture resistant and so your food won’t stay quite as fresh.

It also doesn’t look and feel as nice. If you’re wrapping food gifts or want to present your favorite recipe to someone, wax paper is the way to go. Have a look in your grocery store and see if they do patterned and colored versions.

Aluminum foil

Aluminum foil is another good alternative, which most people have in their kitchen. It will keep things fresh and can be reused or recycled, but foil can stick even if it’s not exposed to heat.

Freezer paper

Freezer paper is coated on one side with plastic. For wrapping and freezing, this is often a better choice as it’s stronger in cold conditions. You can also write on the outside so you know what’s in your freezer. However, it can be hard to find and doesn’t usually look quite as nice.

Plastic wrap

Plastic wrap is another good alternative to wax paper. It is easy to use and wraps tighter than foil or freezer paper. It is, however, not as strong as wax paper, doesn’t look as nice, and more harmful to the environment.

Also

Read more on other things that can’t go in the oven here.

Hope this was helpful!

Love,

G.

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