Should You Put Parchment Paper On The Cooling Rack?

The cooling racks are an essential baking tool because using these, and you can quickly and effectively cool down your baked food, making a huge difference in how your final dish will turn out.

On the other hand, the cooling rack can also double as a baking rack, and parchment paper makes the usage of the cooling rack more efficient.

Should you put parchment paper on the cooling rack?

You should put parchment paper on the cooling rack before placing food. Because parchment paper is intended to keep food from sticking and breaking and parchment paper also makes removing food more convenient.

Continue reading if you want to know which type of parchment paper you should use and the benefits of using the parchment paper on the cooling rack. You will also learn about the different kinds of cooling racks and what to use if you don’t have parchment paper.

Should you put parchment paper on the cooling rack

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Benefits of Using Parchment Paper on the Cooling Rack

Parchment paper serves as a non-stick surface between food and the cooling rack. Following are some benefits of using parchment paper on the cooling rack.

1. Keep Food from Sticking to the Cooling Rack

When you put food on the cooling rack, it may stick to the cooling rack or sink into the wires. Therefore, by using parchment paper on the cooling rack, you can easily remove food from the cooling rack; and avoid the food stuck to it.

2. Helps to Add a Glaze or Wet Topping to Baked Food

Presentation of food matters a lot, and therefore, by adding glaze or wet topping, you make your food look good. The wire rack is the perfect tool to add glaze and liquid topping to your baked food.

Place the parchment paper on the wire rack, put your baked goods on it and add the glazing. In this way, the extra glaze will drip on the parchment paper and will not stick to the racks.

3. Absorbs Extra Grease

You use a lot of butter and oil while baking cakes and pastries, and putting parchment paper on the cooling rack before placing cakes and pastries on it can absorb excess grease.

Types of Parchment Paper

Parchment paper is coated with silicon and has properties; such as heat resistance, non-stick, resistance to the humid state, odorless, and moisture-proof. Parchment paper can be used in your kitchen for multiple purposes, from cooking and baking to decorating food and storing it for later use.

Parchment paper is available bleached and unbleached, and the type of parchment paper you can use somehow depends on your personal preference.

However, you can use bleached and unbleached parchment paper interchangeably, and it will not affect the outcome of your recipe. Moreover, both types of parchment papers are explained below to help you make an informed decision.

1. Bleached Parchment Paper

As you had expected from the name, this parchment paper is bleached; with substances such as chlorine; thus, it is white. It may have some harmful substances, but those substances are infinitesimally small and don’t have any health risks.

2. Unbleached Parchment Paper

The unbleached parchment paper is brown as it is untreated and chlorine-free. Therefore, some people prefer it over bleached parchment paper to limit chemicals. However, it is not scientifically proven that bleached parchment paper has health risks of any kind.

Types of Cooling Rack

A cooling rack is a baking tool that allows air circulation under food; to cool down baked goods quickly and prevents condensation for a crisp bottom. However, cooling racks are available in different shapes, sizes, and materials discussed below.

In Terms of Shape: Cooling can be square, rectangle, round or oval with feet on edges to keep it raised from the surface.

In Terms of Sizes: The cooling rack can be flat or tiered with multiple layers stacked upon each other with at least 4 inches of space between them to support up to a batch of baked goods simultaneously. The tiered cooling rack usually comes with wheels for easy mobility.

In Terms of Material: Cooling racks can be made of aluminum, steel, or stainless steel wires formed as parallel lines or mesh squares to support food without falling. Non-stick and oven-safe cooling racks are also available; however, non-stick cooling racks are not oven safe.

Substitutes for the Parchment Paper for Cooling Rack

Parchment paper is your best friend if you are a regular baker. But if somehow you ran out of the parchment paper, we have mentioned a few substitutes for the parchment paper below.

1. Aluminum Foil

Aluminum foil is the best option to replace parchment paper, but it does lack the non-stick properties of parchment paper. Therefore, you may have to grease aluminum foil before using it.

2. Wax Paper

Wax paper is almost similar to parchment paper, with a coating of wax on both sides to give it the non-stick property. You can use wax paper instead of parchment paper on the cooling rack.

But never use wax paper in the oven as the wax paper is not heat resistant, and melting wax mix with your food can contaminate it. You can use wax paper to store, present and wrap food at lower temperatures.

3. Silicone Baking Pad/ Mat

Silicon baking pads are a great alternative as they are also made of silicon-like parchment and have many of the same properties as parchment paper.

Further, silicone baking mats are durable and last longer, but they are more expensive than parchment paper.

4. Paper Bag

If you don’t have any of the alternatives listed above, paper bags can be your best choice. Paper bags are eco-friendly but have lower burning temperatures. However, you can use a paper bag on the cooling racks if you would not have parchment paper.

Read Also: Can You Freeze Parchment Paper

Conclusion

Parchment paper is an essential staple for baking and cooking. Its non-stick and heat-resistant properties allow you to use it on the cooling rack to prevent baked goods from sticking and breaking.

However, if you do not have parchment paper, you can use aluminum foil, wax paper, a silicone baking pad, and even a paper bag as alternatives.

Should You Put Parchment Paper on the Cooling Rack?

Benefits of Using Parchment Paper on the Cooling Rack

1. Keep Food from Sticking to the Cooling Rack