Stop Your Parchment Paper From Rolling Up Using One Simple Tip

If you find yourself in the kitchen often, you'll know that using parchment paper is often an essential step. Whether roasting veggies, baking brownies, or frying donuts, the inevitable moment comes when you have to pull out the parchment paper. For most of us, this is followed up by fighting a sheet that just won't lay flat and questioning whether we should line pans with foil instead. If your version of success is awkwardly holding the paper down with one hand while pouring your brownie batter with the other, listen up. This simple hack will end all your parchment paper battles: Crumple it.

Once you have your parchment piece, just crumple it into a ball before flattening it again. This will keep it flat and stop it from curling at the edges — and it works for lining cake pans and baking sheets. There might be a few crease marks on the bottom of your baked goods, but this seems like a small price to pay.

To take this trick up a notch, you can also wet the paper once scrunched, squeezing out any excess water before laying the paper flat. This will help the parchment stick to the pan and make it more malleable to fit in the corners. If you are baking for a special occasion and want a crease-free result, there's another way to keep your parchment paper from curling in while still keeping it smooth. Spread some butter or oil on the edges and bottom of the sheet or cake pan before smoothing out your parchment paper on top. This will act like glue and hold your paper in place. 

If you want to line a baking pan with parchment paper like a pro, always leave a few inches of overhang so that you can easily lift out your baked goods. Another way to avoid a curling parchment paper fiasco is to buy flat sheets or pre-cut circles for lining round cake pans. This luxury often comes at a price though, and these parchment paper hacks might just save you some bucks.