You May Want To Think Twice Before Putting Wax Paper In The Oven

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Wax paper is something you can find in most any professional kitchen, bakery, or home-baker's repertoire. Because of its many culinary uses and similar appearance to parchment paper, you may assume that wax paper is a handy sheet pan liner for baking or roasting. The truth is, wax paper isn't intended to be used in the oven as it can and will melt at hot temperatures — or worse, catch on fire.

Wax paper is a thin, tissue-like paper that's been coated in food-grade paraffin wax, making it safe to put your food ingredients on. You can place meat and chicken between two pieces of wax paper to tenderize or pound thin; it's great for rolling out sticky sugar cookie or pie dough because the waxy coating prevents the dough from sticking; you can place sticky ingredients on top of it for cooling, like candy apples, cake pops made from leftover cake, and lollipops; and it's great for wrapping cheese in.

If you're trying to prevent messes and keep things from sticking in the oven, it's best to use parchment paper or aluminum foil. It's better to keep wax paper reserved for non-heat related tasks.

The one exception to using wax paper in the oven is if you need a liner for a cake pan. And that's only if your cake batter will entirely cover the paper, leaving no part of it exposed, since otherwise it could potentially catch fire. Many bakers will cut a circle or square of parchment to lay on the bottom of the cake pan so the cake will easily release after it's baked. 

Of course, you don't necessarily need a paper barrier at all. Prepping your cake pans correctly will prevent your cake from turning into a sticky mess. By coating the pan with a layer of butter, oil, or baking spray, cakes should come out as easily as if you'd lined the pan with parchment or wax paper. In fact, there are certain types of pans that don't accommodate wax paper. For example, pans with an irregular shape or intricate Bundt pans. Another option would be reusable silicone baking liners which you can purchase in a range of different shapes and sizes to fit your needs.