Can you use Parchment Paper in cast iron cookware? (2024)

FAQs

Can you use Parchment Paper in cast iron cookware? ›

A cooking hack that's gone viral on TikTok has people lining their stainless steel pans and cast iron skillets with parchment to cook delicate foods, like fish and eggs, without the food sticking. It's essentially nonstick cooking without a nonstick pan, and even chef and author J. Kenji López-Alt says it's legit.

For cooking with cast iron, make sure you're using high-quality parchment paper that can take the heat. Kana parchment paper, for example, is oven safe up to 428 F (220 C) — hot enough to help you bake this mouthwatering three-cheese bread.

Prior to cooking, add about a teaspoon of oil to your skillet and heat it gradually on the stovetop or in the oven to help reduce sticking. After cooking, allow the cookware to cool, then use a pan scraper to remove stuck-on food, scrub with a nylon brush or nonscratch pad, hand dry, and add a generous layer of oil.

When Not to Use Parchment Paper. Parchment paper is not designed for high-heat cooking. Avoid using it in your oven or on the grill if temperature will exceed 400 degrees, says Michelle Weaver, chef at Charleston Grill in South Carolina, as there's a chance it could catch fire.

Parchment paper has the unique quality of being non-stick (it is NOT wax paper) which means that rarely do you have to grease a sheet pan or bread pan if you cover the pan with parchment paper before baking.

Here's the good news: most parchment paper is coated on both sides. “I can't speak for other brands, but our parchment—both the roll and sheets—is double sided meaning you can use either side,” Jenna Davis, Director of Brand Marketing at If You Care, explained in an email. That's right: there is no right side up!

Food won't stick to a well seasoned cast iron pan. To season, lightly coat the pan with oil/lard/shortening - not so much that it drips, that's too much, wipe off the excess. Put it in an oven at 400F for an hour. Repeat once it's cool enough to handle.

What oils can I use to season cast iron? All cooking oils and fats can be used for seasoning cast iron, but based on availability, affordability, effectiveness, and having a high smoke point, Lodge recommends vegetable oil, melted shortening, or canola oil, like our Seasoning Spray.

However, this is not without its own drawbacks. Unbleached wood fibers can contaminate food with which they come into contact, and since lignin is the component responsible for wood charring when burnt, unbleached parchment paper could be more prone to smoking at high temperatures6.

What side of parchment paper goes up? ›

Fortunately, according to Southern Living, there's a simple way to determine which side is which. Hold up a sheet of your go-to parchment paper, and note which side seems glossier. The glossier side is coated with nonstick silicone, like we mentioned earlier, and this is the side you want facing up.

Several of our experts recommend using parchment paper when baking with cast iron. Mike Vaona, a mechanical engineer turned bread maker and small business owner, calls parchment paper your friend.

After a lot of use, cast iron skillets tend to gather a lot of gunk, and food often begins to stick to the cooking surface. This happens when the cast iron skillet's seasoned layer is damaged and no longer fully coats the pan.

Cast iron pans must be kept well seasoned and a fat or oil used for frying. That will reduce or eliminate food sticking during cooking. Don't destroy the seasoning or the pan by using a steel wool cleaning pad or any abrasive cleaner. You can season your cast iron well, but you may have food stick to it occasionally.

Parchment paper isn't just for baking anymore! You can use it to keep water stains off clothes while ironing or to keep jewelry from tangling while traveling.

It's fine to place the dough into a buttered or oiled tin (providing the tin is non stick). This sourdough focaccia can also be baked using just olive oil in a cast iron skillet.

If you need to use a cover sheet, we recommend silicone paper, parchment paper, or butcher paper. These materials shouldn't affect the amount of heat getting from your top platen to your printing substrate.