The Only Way To Perfectly Line A Baking Sheet With Parchment Paper Every Time

Parchment paper is an extremely versatile and affordable item to keep stocked in your home, and a bit of an unsung hero in the kitchen. It prevents food from sticking to the pan, makes cleanup a breeze, and can even be used to elegantly change up your salmon routine. However, wrestling with a piece of parchment paper so that it perfectly lines your baking sheet or pan can be frustrating. You might even think you'd be better off skipping it all together, but we found an expert to chime in with some helpful tips.

Tasting Table asked Walleska Cianfanelli, Executive Pastry Chef at Wilton Sweet Studio, what method she recommends for getting the perfect piece of parchment paper every time. "For rectangular pans, fold to match the shape and crease the corners along the pan's edges — this creates natural folds that stay in place without bunching," she said. It's a super-easy trick that ensures your pan is fully lined to the edges without any gaps or overhanging paper. Sometimes you may need a little extra help getting the lining to lay flat. For this, Cianfanelli says that "a very light spritz of oil or butter under the parchment helps it adhere and stay flat while you pour in your batter."

A square or rectangular pan is one thing, but lining a round pan might seem like a near-impossible task. Luckily, Walleska Cianfanelli has a parchment paper hack for that, too. She explained, "For round pans, fold the parchment in half several times to form a narrow wedge, then snip the tip at the pan's radius. When you unfold it, you'll have a perfect circle that fits snugly into the base." Now you can bake and roast to your heart's content without worrying about your culinary creations getting stuck in the pan.

Beyond baking, parchment paper can be handy when rolling out dough, portioning out food for storage, doing messy crafts with kids, or acting as a protective layer between your cutting board and whatever your dicing up. It should be noted that this product isn't a cure-all in the kitchen, and there is a limit to how long it can safely stay in the oven (about half an hour when the heat is cranked to 420 degrees Fahrenheit). Moreover, while the product is coated with a layer of silicone that makes it heat- and stick-resistant, excessive heat could ignite the lining. It's best to use parchment paper for recipes that call for a baking temp of 425 degrees Fahrenheit or less to avoid the risk of burning the paper or causing it to catch fire.