Parchment Paper vs Wax Paper vs Butcher and Freezer Paper

The short answer

Parchment paper and wax paper are not interchangeable. Parchment paper is coated with silicone (or a similar release coating), so it is non-stick and heat resistant: you can bake with it. Wax paper is coated with wax, so it is non-stick and moisture resistant but not heat resistant: the wax melts and can smoke or ignite in an oven.

Quick answer: Use parchment for anything that goes in the oven or air fryer. Use wax paper for cold jobs: wrapping sandwiches, separating cookies or burgers, rolling dough, lining a counter, or covering food in the microwave. Use freezer paper for long-term freezer storage, and butcher paper for wrapping meat and smoking barbecue.

Parchment vs wax vs butcher vs freezer paper at a glance

What is parchment paper?

Parchment paper (also called baking paper in many countries) is a dense cellulose paper treated to make it strong and moisture resistant, then coated with silicone on one or both sides. The silicone gives it a slippery, non-stick surface and lets it withstand oven temperatures.

Parchment paper temperature limits

Most brands rate parchment for oven use up to roughly 420–450°F (215–230°C). For example, Reynolds rates its parchment up to 425°F. At higher temperatures, the paper browns, turns brittle and can char at the edges, especially where it touches the oven walls or heating element. Always check the limit printed on the box, trim the paper so it doesn't hang over the pan, and never put parchment under a broiler.

Bleached vs unbleached parchment

White parchment is bleached; brown parchment is unbleached. They perform the same in the kitchen. Choose unbleached if you prefer less processed paper. Both are food safe when made for food contact.

Silicone-coated vs Quilon-coated parchment

Most retail parchment uses silicone. Some commercial bakery parchment uses a Quilon coating, a chromium-based release agent permitted for food contact, which handles moderate temperatures and is common in sheet-pan liners for professional kitchens. For home use, silicone parchment is the norm.

Best uses for parchment

• Lining baking sheets and cake pans
• Roasting vegetables and baking fish en papillote (in a sealed paper packet)
• Lining air fryer baskets (see below)
• Rolling out sticky dough
• Making piping cones for icing
• Microwave covering to stop splatter

What is wax paper?

Wax paper is thin paper coated on both sides with a food-grade wax, traditionally paraffin, sometimes soybean wax. The wax makes it moisture resistant and non-stick at room temperature.

Can you put wax paper in the oven?

No. Wax melts at low oven temperatures and can smoke and even catch fire. The only exception many manufacturers allow is using wax paper as a cake pan liner when the batter completely covers it, so the paper is never directly exposed to oven heat. Reynolds, for example, warns that wax paper should not be directly exposed to heat in an oven. When in doubt, use parchment.

Can you put wax paper in the microwave?

Yes. Wax paper is microwave-safe for covering food and preventing splatters, because microwaves heat the food, not the paper. Don't let it sit in direct contact with very hot fat for long periods.

Best uses for wax paper

• Wrapping sandwiches and cheese
• Separating layers of cookies, burgers or fudge
• Rolling dough or pie crusts on the counter
• Catching drips when decorating or dipping chocolate
• Lining candy molds or trays for no-bake treats
• Covering bowls in the fridge

Is wax paper edible?

No. Wax paper is not meant to be eaten. Food-grade wax is safe for food contact, and swallowing a small accidental piece is usually not harmful, but if you're worried, especially about a child, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for free, confidential advice.

What is butcher paper?

Butcher paper is strong, food-grade kraft paper, usually uncoated. It comes in white, natural brown and the pink (also called peach) color made famous by Texas barbecue.

Butcher paper for smoking meat

Pitmasters wrap brisket and pork in unwaxed butcher paper partway through smoking. Unlike foil, the paper breathes, letting some moisture escape so the bark stays firm while the meat keeps cooking through the stall. Smokers usually run at about 225–275°F, well within what quality butcher paper tolerates. Use unwaxed butcher paper only; waxed or coated versions are for wrapping, not cooking.

Butcher paper for wrapping

Butchers and delis wrap meat, fish and sandwiches in butcher paper because it is strong, absorbs a little moisture and is cheap. For freezing, it works for short periods; for long-term freezer storage, freezer paper is better.

Butcher paper for crafts and serving

Food-grade butcher paper is also a popular table cover for barbecues and crab boils and a canvas for kids' drawings.

What is freezer paper?

Freezer paper is heavy paper with a plastic (polyethylene) coating on one side. The plastic side faces the food and blocks air and moisture, preventing freezer burn; the paper side faces out and can be labeled with a marker.

• Oven: no.
• Microwave: not recommended unless the box says otherwise. Most cooks unwrap food before thawing it in the microwave.
• Freezer: yes, it's made for it.
• Bonus use: quilters iron the shiny side onto fabric to make temporary stencils.

Which paper for which job? A kitchen cheat sheet

What about aluminum foil and silicone mats?

Aluminum foil handles very high heat, conducts heat well and molds tightly around food, but it is not non-stick (unless labeled non-stick), and most microwaves should not contain foil. Acidic foods such as tomatoes can react with it.

Silicone baking mats are reusable, non-stick sheets rated to around 480°F by most makers. They replace parchment on baking sheets and save waste over time, but they can't be cut to shape or folded into packets.

Parchment paper in the air fryer

Parchment works in an air fryer, with a few rules:

1. Use perforated parchment or poke holes in it, so hot air can circulate.
2. Never preheat the air fryer with parchment alone. The fan can lift loose paper into the heating element. Put food on it first to weigh it down.
3. Trim it to the basket. Paper should not extend up the sides or past the food.
4. Stay under the paper's temperature limit, usually around 425°F.

Never use wax paper in an air fryer.

Substitutes when you run out

How to use parchment like a pro

Line a round cake pan

1. Set the pan on a sheet of parchment and trace around the base with a pencil.
2. Cut just inside the line so the circle drops flat into the pan.
3. Grease the pan lightly, press the circle in, then grease the top of the paper.
4. For tall cakes, cut a strip as wide as the pan is deep plus an inch and press it around the sides; the grease holds it in place.

Line a square or loaf pan with a sling

Cut a strip of parchment the width of the pan and long enough to run up two sides with a few inches of overhang. The overhang becomes handles for lifting brownies, bars or bread out cleanly.

Make a parchment packet (en papillote)

1. Fold a large sheet of parchment in half and cut a big half-heart shape so it opens into a heart.
2. Place fish or vegetables on one side of the fold with herbs, a little butter or oil and a splash of liquid.
3. Fold the other half over, then crimp the edges with small overlapping folds, starting at the top of the heart, until the packet is sealed.
4. Bake on a sheet pan. The steam trapped inside cooks the food gently, and the packet puffs up for a dramatic serve.

Keep parchment flat

Rolled parchment curls. Crumple a sheet into a ball, then smooth it out: it will lie flat in the pan. A dab of butter or a few drops of water under each corner also holds it in place. Pre-cut flat sheets avoid the problem completely.

Common mistakes with kitchen papers

1. Using wax paper in the oven. The most common and most dangerous mix-up. Check the box before you bake.
2. Letting parchment overhang the pan. Edges that touch oven walls or elements can scorch.
3. Putting parchment under a broiler. Broilers exceed most parchment ratings.
4. Microwaving freezer paper without checking the box. Many brands don't recommend it because of the plastic coating; unwrap food first.
5. Wrapping brisket in waxed butcher paper. Only unwaxed paper belongs in the smoker.
6. Freezing in wax paper for months. Wax paper is not a long-term freezer barrier. Use freezer paper or freezer bags.
7. Reusing badly browned parchment. Lightly used parchment can be reused for another batch of cookies, but brittle, darkened paper should be thrown away.

Commercial sizes for kitchens and food businesses

Restaurants and bakeries buy these papers in standard commercial sizes:

Buying pre-cut sheets saves prep time and waste for any kitchen that lines the same pans every day.

Greaseproof paper, deli paper and baking paper: what the names mean

Names vary by country and by store:

• Baking paper usually means parchment (common in the UK, Australia and Europe).
• Greaseproof paper is a dense paper that resists grease without a wax or silicone coating. It is common in the UK for wrapping and lining, but it isn't always non-stick for baking.
• Deli paper (dry wax paper or interfolded deli sheets) is a lightly waxed, pre-cut sheet used to handle food and wrap sandwiches.
• Patty paper is pre-cut wax or parchment squares for separating burger patties.

Are these papers safe? PFAS and food contact

Papers that touch food in the US must be made with substances permitted for food contact under FDA rules. In 2024, the FDA announced that grease-proofing substances containing PFAS ("forever chemicals") are no longer being sold for use in US food packaging, and several states also ban intentionally added PFAS in food packaging. Parchment is typically made non-stick with silicone rather than PFAS. If you buy specialty grease-resistant papers for a business, ask your supplier for a written food-contact and PFAS statement.

Can you recycle or compost them?

• Parchment: not recyclable. Some unbleached, silicone-coated brands are certified compostable in industrial facilities; check the box.
• Wax paper: not recyclable. Soy-wax paper may be compostable; paraffin-coated paper is not ideal for compost.
• Butcher paper: clean, uncoated butcher paper is compostable; greasy paper usually isn't accepted in recycling.
• Freezer paper: not recyclable or compostable because of the plastic layer.
• Aluminum foil: recyclable in many areas if clean and balled up to golf-ball size or bigger.

Food packaging for businesses

Restaurants, bakeries and food brands use these papers as part of their packaging: deli sheets inside takeout boxes, parchment liners in bakery boxes, butcher paper around sandwiches. When you design printed food packaging:

• Keep food-contact papers separate from printed outer packaging unless the inks and coatings are approved for food contact.
• Use grease-resistant liners inside paperboard bakery and food boxes rather than relying on the box board alone.
• Choose recyclable outer packaging so customers can recycle the box even if the greasy liner goes in the trash.

IndustriesBakery BoxesCake, cupcake, cookie and pastry boxes in food-grade board, with or without windows. IndustriesFood BoxesFood-grade cartons, pouches and mailers for snacks, takeaway, meal kits and specialty foods. GuideWhat is kraft paper?What kraft paper is, how the kraft process makes it so strong, the main types and weights, how it prints, and whether it is recyclable and food safe. GuideSustainable packagingHow to make packaging lower-impact without greenwashing: recyclable paper formats, recycled content, FSC, inks, plastic-free inserts and honest claims.

Sources and further reading

Manufacturer and official pages used for this guide. Product ratings differ by brand, so always check the box.

• Aluminum foil and cooking papers guide (Reynolds Kitchens): oven and microwave guidance for parchment, wax and freezer paper.
• FDA announcement on PFAS grease-proofing agents (FDA): the 2024 update on PFAS in US food packaging.
• 21 CFR 176.170: Components of paper and paperboard in contact with aqueous and fatty foods (eCFR): the main US food-contact rule for coated papers.

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