Mom never used parchment paper when baking, so I didn’t encounter it until well into my twenties. Even then I didn’t routinely buy it because of budget constraints. Now, thirty years later, I keep parchment paper in the drawer, at the ready for when I need it. Sometimes, I even have an extra roll in the pantry.

I realized yesterday, as I unfurled a piece, placed it on the baking tray, and pressed out its curves, that I haven’t fully extoled the virtues of parchment paper to my own children. In fact, they might not even know that I use it. So today, I’m simply going to let my kids know how I use parchment paper or how it can be used so that one day, when it’s after my bedtime and they’re facing down some ingredients and an oven, they’ll have a place to find some answers. Note that parchment paper can be used in the oven to about 425 degrees.

My list, in no particular order:

• Lining baking pans for easy cake removal
• Lining baking sheets to roast vegetables or nuts or make bacon
• Working with Perler beads
• Keeping foods separate in containers (think layers of cookies or anything else)
• Rolling out dough or pie crust
• Grabbing grease from the top of pots (think stocks and soups)
• Covering foods in a microwave
• Covering counters for easy clean-up (I do this sparingly because I hate to waste paper)
• Steaming corn in the microwave
• Protecting clothing from iron stains (if I iron anything, which is once every five years or so)
• Crafting a pastry bag or funnel

My main tip is to use parchment when the recipe calls for it, and sometimes even when it doesn’t. And kids? Don’t say I never discussed parchment paper with you. Now, there’s proof.

Image of lemon cake and parchment paper by sara Alaa from Pixabay.com.