Butcher Paper vs Parchment Paper – Everything You Need To Know!

There are a lot of papers and wrapping sheets that get used in various processes included in cooking. This includes plastic wrap, aluminum foil, butcher paper, wax paper and parchment paper. As you would expect, all of these different papers get used for different stages of cooking because of their given properties.

But if you are into barbecuing or baking, then you must have heard about grilling with parchment paper and butcher paper in the past. Both of these papers can be handy for cooking as well as food preparations before you even start cooking. Their prevalent use across different styles of cooking can cause some confusion regarding their suitability to certain cooking procedures.

With this article, we aim to clear things around the confusion between parchment paper vs butcher paper. By the time you reach the end of this article, you’d know almost all the difference between butcher paper and parchment paper.

What Is Butcher Paper?

A butcher paper is a heavy-duty paper that is mainly used for wrapping meat which you might also use for grilling and BBQ. These papers are available in both sheets and rolls as per your convenience. As for its construction, it has low lignin along with caustic soda and sulfide mixture for high strength.

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1. When To Use Butcher Paper?

As per its name, a butcher paper is mainly used to wrap meat and fish once you get it from the butcher shop. This allows you to easily take the meat back to your home because of its strength and makes for a great protective cover. While butcher paper cannot be used for grilling directly on a high flame, it can certainly be used for smoking your meat while keeping it covered for controlled smoking. Some users also use butcher paper as a fire starter in their grill as this paper burns really well and can be a great starter fuel for your charcoal or wood pellets.

2. Can You Freeze Meat In Butcher Paper?

Yes, you can use Butcher Paper to store meat in the freezer as it will protect your meat from getting freezer burns or any other effect of freezing your meat; however, you will notice that freezer paper is a lot more practical for storing meat in the freezer. At any point in time, if you do not have butcher paper, you can use parchment paper to store your meat in the freezer as well.

3. Is Freezer Paper The Same Butcher Paper?

Freezer paper and butcher paper are not the same; there are a few significant differences between the two papers. One of the main differences between the two is that Freezer paper has a coat of wax/poly while butcher paper does not have this coat. Freezer papers are used to store meat as they hold the meat juice a lot longer than butcher paper. On the other hand, butcher paper is a lot more heat resistant than freezer paper. Another difference is the packing of the two papers; butcher paper comes in a roll similar to Kraft paper, while freezer papers are packed similar to parchment papers.

What Is Parchment Paper?

Parchment paper is used in the cooking process of a lot of food items in your kitchen. This paper is made out of cellulose that has very useful properties. The main purpose of this paper is to line cooking utensils instead of greasing them to get a non-stick cooking surface. As opposed to wax paper, parchment paper can withstand higher temperatures when exposed to direct heat. This is the reason why wax paper isn’t recommended to be used in an oven.

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When To Use Parchment Paper?

The major usage of parchment paper is to line or cover the insides of any given cooking utensil before you start cooking in it. This simply offers a non-stick surface to the user so that you can take out your food items easily later on. A parchment paper lining is rather common while baking pizzas in ovens. Since these can withstand temperatures of up to 450°F, you may use parchment paper on a pizza stone while baking a pizza. This might give you an added advantage of not having to clean soiled pizza stones every time you whip out a fresh batch of pizzas from your oven. While you can grease your utensils to get the same effect, that might affect the taste and even increase the oil content of your dish.

While ideally, a the best pizza stone (one with a smooth surface and no irregularities) wouldn’t require any additional layer to prevent sticking, using it wouldn’t do any harm to the pizza. Alternatively, to avoid the use of a parchment paper while baking pizzas altogether, you could use a deep dish pizza pan with perforations on the bottom surface. This ensures that excess moisture is let out and the crust doesn’t stick to the bottom of the baking tray.

On the other hand, if you have a liking for baking on your pizza stone but still want to avoid using parchment, a pizza peel will be your best mate in that situation. Find out one for you from our compilation of the best pizza peel if you don’t already have one added to your arsenal.

Some users can also be seen grilling with parchment paper since it can easily withstand high temperatures. This can be simply done by wrapping brisket in parchment paper and placing it on top of the grill for a very different taste.

2. Can You Bake With Parchment Paper?

Parchment paper, just like wax paper, is also moisture resistant and non-stick; however, parchment paper is made using Silicone. This is why parchment paper can be used in the oven, but only as high as 450 degrees Fahrenheit, which you reach when you are making pizza such as the cauliflower pizza, Meyer Lemon pizza, Butternut Squash Pizza, etc. If you use parchment paper above this temperature, the paper will start to darken; but, the paper will not burn or release any harmful chemicals.

3. What Is The Difference Between Freezer Paper And Parchment Paper?

Parchment paper, which is also known as baking paper, is a cellulose-based paper that is mainly used for baking food. Freezer paper, on the other hand, is a heavy-weight paper that is lined with plastic on one side. In terms of use, parchment paper is used in baking to keep the dough from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Freezer paper is used to store meat, fish, and bread in the freezer while not letting the cold temperatures affect the food placed in it.

Is Parchment Paper The Same As Butcher Paper?

Now that you know about both of these paper types, you might be interested in knowing about things like can I use parchment paper instead of butcher paper or can I use parchment paper for brisket grilling. Thankfully, this is possible in a few cases because of their similarities.

Both of these sheets are made out of paper pulp that results in similar texture and flexibility. You also get very similar heat resistance in both of these papers, making them ideal for grilling and smoking your meats. And you can easily find both of these in rolls to cover up a lot of meat with ease.

Difference Between Parchment Paper And Butcher Paper

Even though these papers have a few similarities, they also have their differences because of which you might want to use them for different cooking needs and requirements. The first difference between butcher paper and parchment paper is their construction and chemicals used. While butcher paper uses sulfide and caustic soda along with the paper pulp, parchment paper uses only sulfuric acid and silicone in a few cases along with the paper pulp that results in different properties.

Other than this, their traditional usage is different from each other as butcher paper is used for cooking meats and parchment paper is used in an oven. However, you can still consider them for similar usage in a few cases. While it might not directly affect your cooking requirements, butcher paper and parchment paper have completely different color options.

In comparing the difference between butcher paper vs parchment paper, parchment paper only comes in a single colour and butcher paper comes in multiple colour options. Having multiple colour options can be quite handy if you care about the aesthetics of your food dishes as you can match it with the meat colour. Apart from this, since butcher paper is not moisture resistant, it is not non-stick like parchment paper.

Conclusion

Once you have gone through this article along with all the parchment paper vs butcher paper details, you must be able to easily choose the perfect one for you. You can also find answers to questions like can I use parchment paper instead of butcher paper or is parchment paper the same as butcher paper in this article.

Since we have mentioned the details between butcher paper vs parchment paper in-depth, you must be able to pick the right one for your cooking requirements. But if you still have any questions or doubts regarding these papers, then make sure to leave your questions and doubts in the comments section down below.