When it comes to cooking, there are a lot of types of surfaces where you can put your food on. Here, we will see which is better between the butcher paper or the parchment paper in cooking.

See, when it comes to pizzas, you will need something to place it on in order to keep the crust crispy especially inside a convection/toaster oven. For meat, you need something to at least sear the outer parts and leave the insides juicy.

With other foods, you also need a certain type of surface where you can reliably place the food so that it cooks nicely. Since it involves heat, you will be needing something durable.

Let’s face it, paper is not the first and best option when it comes to cooking with immense heat. There are many types of cookware in the kitchen that you can use for multiple purposes.

However, there are some benefits to when you are using paper as well. They are thinner which means that you can manage the shape according to the size of the food that you are cooking.

There are also some types of paper that can be used in cooking with intense heat. These are made to resist and even gather the heat so that it can cook the food properly on it.

Parchment paper is a more-known kind of cooking paper that will help you in both baking and grilling food. You can also use it in other ways of cooking so it is a versatile type of paper.

Butcher paper, on the other hand, is a type of paper that is mainly used when wrapping food such as meat before it goes into the oven or grill, it is used less in the cooking process.

However, things have been developing and now, some people are already using both papers to cook. So if you want to know more, read on as we compare these two amazing cooking surfaces!

 

What Are The Differences Between Parchment Paper And Butcher Paper

 

In order to see the differences clearly between the two, we will be looking at their textbook definitions and see which is which. This will also let you know about their basic uses in cooking.

 

What is Parchment Paper?

Parchment paper is a type of cooking paper that is made with cellulose. This has many properties that make it beneficial for cooking and does well with intense temperatures.

Parchment paper is treated with silicone which actually gives it a non-stick feature. With that, you can use the parchment paper to cook the food directly over it and get as much heat.

When I tried cooking in the oven with parchment paper, it was actually better than I expected. The water did not melt the paper and it did not actually crumple into ashes when burned.

But then, there is no direct heat or flames from the oven so I suggest keeping it there. Some even use parchment paper in grills so this paper really is durable when it comes to heat.

One of the main purposes of parchment paper is to put a lining on your cooking utensils. That way, you will not actually put the food directly on the cookware to keep it from sticking.

This will also give you more benefits to cleaning as the parchment paper would catch most of the residues. You can get parchment paper in either bleached or unbleached forms.

 

What Is Butcher Paper?

Butcher paper is not very well known to users as something that is used to cook food. It is like more of a wrapper rather than an actual cooking surface that you put in grills or ovens.

It does not tear easily and so you can put meat on them to rest or let other foods drip before cooking. They are also more customizable compared to the usual parchment paper.

See, butcher paper is sold in rolls and sheets compared to parchment paper that is sold in specific dimensions. That way, you will have a more controllable size on the butcher paper.

 

 

If you need to wrap a whole leg before cooking it, you will be able to do it with butcher paper. In fact, its original use was to wrap fish and meat when you buy them in most butcher shops.

The main difference perhaps is that parchment paper is mainly used in cooking. Butcher paper, on the other hand, can be used in making crafts, used in hobbies, and art pieces in school.

Yes, since it is a durable type of paper, you can apply almost anything to it so you can be as creative as possible. It is cheaper compared to parchment paper so you can use it in a lot of ways.

 

When And Where To Use The Papers

The main purpose of parchment paper is to line any type of cookware before putting the food in it. The paper gives the cookware a non-stick surface to keep the mess out of the tool.

That means that you can put it on top of the grill or oven racks. It is used mainly in baking and grilling but you can also use it when cooking on stoves as long as you have the pan first.

Butcher paper, as the name suggests, is used in butcher shops to wrap meat and fish. Because of its durability, you can use it to carry the food safely while also acting as a protective cover.

Unlike parchment paper, butcher paper cannot be used directly over grills and direct heat. There is no special coating for this type of paper when manufacturing it so it can burn easily.

But then, you will find a loophole in there when we talk about direct flames or direct heat. Although you cannot use the butcher paper over direct heat, you can still use it to cook food.

Butcher paper is perfect for controlling the heat when you are smoking meat. The paper is now becoming more popular when people need something to wrap their food while smoking.

Parchment paper can be used here but then, it will not give the same result. Remember that parchment paper is coated so it will not let any of the smoke enter the meat, which is needed.

The other common use of butcher paper is when starting a fire. Yes, they are thick but are totally flammable so they are the perfect fire starters for your grill or wood-fired ovens.

Parchment paper is perfect for baking and cooking pizzas. Ideally, you would want to use a pizza stone when cooking pizza as it does not allow the dough to stick on the surface.

However, it does not hurt if you put parchment paper over the pizza stone first. You will be able to make the best pizzas with the crispiest crust when you do this while keeping the stone clean.

Since it is actually able to resist heat, you can use parchment paper directly over the grill. This will help you keep the racks clean while also getting those nice grill marks on your food.

 

Butcher Paper Instead Of Tin Foil

When you are done smoking or cooking meat on the grill, I find it best to wrap the meat in butcher paper rather than tin foil. It gives the right environment for the meat to rest.

See, butcher paper does not resist too much heat or it does not collect it. Parchment paper does have a little bit of this so it continues to cook the meat even if it is out of the grill.

The same goes with tin foil so when you wrap the meat with either foil or parchment paper, the food is actually going to continuously cook even when it is out of the oven or grill.

Letting the meat rest is essential for keeping the juices in the meat. That is why it is best to wrap the cooked meat in butcher paper to lock the flavors, juices, and finish on the meat.

 

Conclusion

When you want to cook in different ways, you can always resort to your creativity. Paper is no longer looked at as a weak tool when it comes to cooking as it can be used in high-heat cooking.

Parchment paper will give you a non-stick surface that resists high temperatures. It can catch the food residuals and make the cooking process a lot cleaner and easier.

Butcher paper, although being treated as a wrapper, has slowly evolved and can no w be used in cooking too. Just make sure not to use it over direct heat to prevent it from burning.

These two types of paper are perfect for widening your knowledge about cooking. They will help you achieve different yet beautiful finishes on baked goods and meat that you cook.

If you like the post then do not forget to share it on social media!