[Q&A] Parchment vs Wax

I always did wonder what the difference was, other than the texture.

WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF PARCHMENT PAPER AND WAX PAPER IN PREPARING BAKING PANS/SHEETS? WHICH ONE IS BETTER TO USE?

Parchment
It's great for making sure cookies don't stick to the sheet. You don't even need to become a butterfingers - forget the leftover butter wrapper! Parchment paper is also more reliable than regular greasing. Remember my Everyday Chocolate Cake #epicfail? On the first attempt, we used parchment paper. The cake was easy to pull out of the pan and there was no knife needed. Whereas, when I tried greasing, the four corners were not greased and cake stuck to them hilariously. Also, flour stuck to the cake from the greasing, therefore rendering the cake a rather non-professional appearance.

One time, Mom was making gluten free snickerdoodle cookies for Little Bro Z. I asked mom a question about parchment paper I think, and she said, "Look, you can just easily peel the cookie off!"

Truth be told, 'twas true.

Parchment paper is much more papery than wax paper. 

HOWEVER, the thing about parchment paper is that it can't be reused. I mean, it can be used again for another batch of cookies, but when all the batter is finished and you're done baking for the day, you throw the parchment paper away. Right? Well, by using butter wrappers, you're doing the cows and farmers a favor in reusing the butter wrapper. They'd love to know that their elbow grease came to use.

Wax
It's waxy.

Wax, oven, hot, fire, burning... is there any connection?

Parchment paper is chosen over wax paper, usually. Apparently, wax paper burns in the oven and so, it's not a good choice for baking. If you search 'wax paper' on Google images, you'll find more craftsy stuff instead of baking stuff. If you search parchment paper, you'll see annoying scrolls (XD) and lined baking pans. Therefore, wax paper isn't really the guy you need for baking.

 Wax paper burns more easily. It's more slippery. Easier for you to hurt your finger when ripping it out of the container.

HOWEVER, wax paper is good for lining cake pans, as long as it isn't exposed! It can also be used for tiny treats, like truffles or candy apples. Wax paper is water-resistant. Just tape it to your table and you can roll out your dough pretty easily. Wax paper is ideal for storing food, but it is not ideal for baking. If you use it in baking and the oven is at a high temperature, the wax will melt and sink into whatever you are baking. Nasty.

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So, whenever baking, please refer to parchment. It's highly recommended.

Sorry, wax paper.

-N-