Difference Between Parchment Paper and Wax Paper

Parchment paper Vs Wax paper

Bakers and cooking enthusiasts surely know how to distinguish a parchment paper from a wax paper. Commonly used in baking and cooking, you should not treat these two types of baking paper as interchangeable as it may lead to disastrous cooking moments.

By definition, wax paper is like a normal tissue paper that has been coated with paraffin wax, at least with three coatings. Conversely, parchment paper is a high-density piece of paper with a nonstick coating. The coating difference, thus, spells out their cooking thresholds. For wax paper, its coating basically melts when exposed to moderately high temperatures. When this happens, the melted paper will have undesirable effects on the flavor of your food. If you have tried using wax paper in baking then you may have seen it smoked or burned. The coating of parchment paper is usually made of silicon material that enables the paper to withstand higher temperatures (average of 420 degrees Fahrenheit). Nevertheless, this depends on the particular brand you’re buying. Make sure to read the label first so you’ll know the paper’s heating threshold. On top of this, you should also know that parchment paper can burn when placed directly in contact with the heating source’“it’s still just paper anyway.

So how are these papers manufactured? Wax paper is subjected to a super calendering process that compresses or squeezes the paper until it becomes more transparent. After this step, coating with paraffin wax is done. For parchment paper, the raw material is compressed into sheets which are later dipped into an acid bath. Next, the sheets will have to be washed and then passed on quite a few rotating drums whose purpose is to realign the sheets’ fibers. It is because of this realigning procedure that gives parchment paper its durable characteristic. Lastly, the semi-done parchment paper is coated with silicon as part of the finishing touches.

Because of the sticky characteristic of wax and the non-stick nature of silicon on parchment papers, wax paper is normally used for smudging grease equally unto the pan. The latter is best used for lining pans as it adheres less on foods or on your baked goods. Nevertheless, both materials can still be used as plate covers and food wrappers as they can be stored in the cold fridge.

Overall, because of the plethora of advantages that one will gain when buying parchment paper, this material is normally priced higher than wax paper.

1. Parchment paper has a greater heat resistance than wax paper.
2. Parchment paper is more adept for baking due to its non-stick characteristic compared to wax paper.
3. Parchment paper is pricier than wax paper.

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