Parchment Paper vs Wax Paper for Microwave Oven

Even if you have a top-tier microwave oven, you still need other supplies to make the cooking and cleanup process as simple as possible. While aluminum foil or plastic wrap is a standard method for covering dishes, they aren’t entirely microwave-safe. So, instead, we recommend you look at parchment paper and waxed paper for cooking purposes in a microwave. That said, comparing parchment paper vs wax paper for a microwave oven is the only way to get the best paper products for your food items. Read on to see a complete comparison of these kitchen papers.

Comparing Waxed and Parchment Paper for Microwaves

The main difference between parchment paper and wax paper is how they’re made. In addition, some circumstances call for one type of paper over the other. Read on to learn which paper is oven safe vs microwave safe.

Parchment paper is a food-safe, disposable nonstick surface that is great for food preparation. Manufacturers treat the coated paper with silicon, making it resistant to extreme heat and great for lining cake pans for baking cookies. In addition, you can buy bleached or unbleached parchment paper, but it makes little difference for taste or safety.

Also called paraffin paper, Wax paper is a cooking paper treated with a paraffin wax coating. The wax coating makes the paper a non-stick surface, which is ideal for steaming food in the microwave. In addition, some cooks like to coat their counter with wax paper to roll out pie or cookie dough.

Much like comparing porcelain and ceramic containers for microwave purposes, these types of papers are both great to use in your microwave. That said, if you have a convection microwave, it is best to stick to parchment paper or a heat-resistant baking sheet.

Heat Resistance

Parchment paper is much more heat resistant than wax paper. In addition, due to the silicone coating on parchment paper, it can withstand long sessions in the microwave. Wax paper, however, needs to be periodically cooled in between microwave sessions of no more than 2-3 minutes to avoid melting the paraffin wax coating.

Food Safety

Both types of baking paper are completely food-safe. That said, never heat food on the wax paper. Instead, use it to cover a dish or cup to assist with steaming vegetables or stop soup from splashing in the microwave cavity.

Versatility

Since you can use parchment paper for baking, microwaving, and food storage, it is a phenomenally versatile cooking paper. That said, the wax paper has multiple uses, but you cannot bake it in a convection microwave.

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