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Thanks to its non-stick properties, parchment paper is widely used kitchen paper while baking food without sticking to the pan. It’s one kind of grease resistant surface which is also heat-resistant.
I'm sure you have parchment papers in your kitchen cabinet, and if you have a toaster oven, you might be wondering if you can use parchment paper in it.
Yes! You can use parchment paper in a toaster oven.
However, you need to follow certain precautions to ensure the best use and safety.
This article presents to you everything you need to know about using parchment paper in your toaster oven.
What Is Parchment Paper And Why Is It Used For?
Firstly, let's start with what parchment paper exactly is. It's a non stick and grease-resistant paper that's commonly used while baking food inside the oven. Basically it consists of silicone coating therefore it is heat resistant and water resistant.
Duo to its built-in materials it easily can withstand up to 450°F temperature. These superb qualities make it a preferred choice (over other materials such as foil) among the professional bakers.
Many Professional chefs prefer to use parchment paper to line their baking sheets for making cookies or cakes in a large volume. It allows the food to come out easily without sticking to the pan. It also makes cleanup your pan hassle free.
Moreover, this kitchen paper is also useful to store baked items in a large scale. You can also use them to cook delicate fish, meat and vegetables with ease.
Thanks to its incredible versatility, you can use parchment paper to make a sheet pan dinner, reheating leftovers, roasting fish and veggies, baking cakes and cookies and so much more.
Why Do Some Parchment Paper Manufacturers Don’t Recommend Using It In A Toaster Oven?
Parchment papers are silicone-coated and non-stick, making them ideal to be used in conventional ovens. However, in toaster ovens, the heating elements are positioned very close to the food.
As a result, toaster ovens expose parchment papers to heat at close proximity, increasing their chances of disintegrating and ruining your meal.
Due to this, some manufacturers discourage using them in toaster ovens. If you want to use parchment papers, ensure that it's not close to the heating elements and avoid broiling.
Using Parchment Paper To Bake In A Toaster Oven:
Now that you know that parchment paper can be used in a toaster oven, here's the proper way of using it safely in your toaster oven.
Step one:
Firstly, you need to size the parchment paper exactly to your toaster oven's tray. Turn your tray over and place it on the paper. If necessary, use a pair of scissors the cut the exact shape.
Step Two:
After that, place the reshaped parchment paper inside the tray. You must ensure that the paper isn’t hanging over the tray’s edges or touching the toaster’s heating elements.
Step Three:
Place the food that you want to bake on the paper. You'll be dealing with a smaller size, but you can still bake frozen baked goods, small pies, and cookies.
Step Four:
Put the tray inside your toaster oven. Check and ensure that the paper isn’t sticking out. When the bake is done, wear oven mitts, take out the tray, and place it on a heat-safe rack of a dish.
Step Five:
Your bake will come off the paper easily. Throw out the used parchment paper. If there's an additional round of baking, use fresh paper as parchment becomes brittle and loses its effectiveness after usage.
Some Precautions When Using Parchment Paper
When you’re using parchment paper in a toaster oven, you need to follow safety precautions as underlined below:
- Make sure that the oven temperature does not exceed 450 degrees when using parchment paper. Although, it can withstand up to 500 degrees. But, it's batter to be in the safe side.
- To prevent burns and fire hazards, ensure that the paper isn’t sticking out. The paper will burn if it touches any hot surface.
- Ensure that the papers aren’t touching your toaster ovens walls. The walls tend to get hotter than other areas, which can burn your paper.
- You must also make sure that the paper isn’t in close proximity to your toaster oven's heating elements, or they could go up in flames. As such, it's highly recommended that you cut your parchment paper to your pan's exact size and shape. If you're not able to do that, no worries you can easily get the pre shaped paper ( that gets fit with the most standard pan) from the nearby cake supply store.
- Parchment paper tends to become softer and lose its efficacy after each use. If you've run out of paper and want to reuse it, don't reuse it more than 3 times.
Pro tips:
You can watch the following video on how to cut parchment paper that gets fit on various types and shapes of baking pan.
What Are The Alternatives To Parchment Paper?
If you've run out of parchment paper or simply don't want to use it for whatever reason, there are several alternatives that you can try. Some alternatives are also much better than parchment paper, depending on what you'll be cooking.
Aluminum Foil:
Aluminum foil is probably the best alternative to parchment paper and does pretty much the same things. It's safe for toaster ovens and excellent for lining baking sheets. When grilling, many people use aluminum foils to wrap delicate food items like-meat, ribs etc. so that the juices can not fall down.
Non-stick aluminum foils are particularly suitable if you want to bake cookies or roast a turkey or chicken in your toaster oven. That's because, it will preserve the maximum food flavor and make clean up so easy. However, avoid using it to line your oven's bottom to catch drips and spills.
Wax Paper:
Wax paper looks very similar to the parchment paper. It's coated with the thin layer of food-safe paraffin wax which makes it non-stick and water resistant. However, unlike parchment, wax papers aren’t heat-resistant, and they can melt and even ignite if exposed to high temperatures that are typically needed while baking or cooking.
However, you can use it to line your pan while baking any food in which the batter or dough entirely covers the paper's lining. Additionally, it's also cheaper than parchment paper.
You can watch the following video for more info.
Cooking Spray:
If you simply want to prevent your food from sticking, cooking spray is a fantastic alternative to parchment paper. It sprays just enough oil to offer a non-stick coating without adding much to your bake’s fat content. Additionally, you don’t need to add flour with this method.
FAQ's Of Using Parchment Paper in Toaster Oven
Q1: What is The Max Oven Temperature Range For Using Parchment Paper?
It's highly recommended that you don't use parchment paper in oven temperature exceeding 425°F and always make sure to preheat your oven first. Additionally, never use parchment paper if your oven manufacturer prohibits it.
Q2: Can You Put Aluminum Foil in The Toaster Oven?
Yes, aluminum foil is 100% safe to use in a regular toaster oven or in a convection toaster oven. You can use them to bake smaller batches of food in the oven. Just make sure that, it doesn't touch the hot interior. Cut them into smaller pieces before putting them inside the oven.
Final Words:
Parchment paper is safe and very helpful while baking in a toaster oven. They can make your cooking sessions more convenient. However, keep in mind that they are heat resistant and not flame resistant. As such, always follow the proper procedure and safety precautions as mentioned in this article.
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