Butcher Paper vs Parchment Paper: What’s the Difference and What to Choose?

It can be hard knowing if you should use butcher paper vs parchment paper to wrap your meats. This article will go over the ins and outs of each.
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Jeremy Bivens
Jeremy Bivens
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Jeremy Bivens is a passionate writer and grilling enthusiast. He's been working as a freelance journalist for over 15 years now and has a particular interest in food writing read more
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Butcher paper vs parchment paper can be used for a variety of reasons: smoking meat, grilling meat, lining baking sheets, transporting meat, and more. Both have their pros and cons. It is important to know what you want to use your butcher or parchment paper for so you can make an informed decision on which one is better to buy. Butcher paper is more heavy-duty and great for smoking meat, even though it can’t be used directly on a grill. It comes in a variety of colors, each color having different strengths.

Parchment paper tears more easily and is primarily used to cover baking sheets because of its nonstick qualities. It can also be used on the grill. The FDA makes it necessary Trusted Source Food Code Foodborne illness in the United States is a major cause of personal distress, preventable illness and death, and avoidable economic burden. Scallan et al. (2011a,b) estimated that foodborne diseases cause approximately 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths in the United States each year. The occurrence of approximately 1,000 reported disease outbreaks (local, regional, and national) each year highlights the challenges of preventing these infections. www.fda.gov to wrap certain food in some type of paper, including FDA-approved butcher or parchment paper.

Why do you need to wrap meat?

Wrapping meat in the final stages of cooking is a personal choice, but many people do it as a way to finish cooking their meat without having it dry out.

Wrapping meat will keep it warm while resting after it reaches its top internal temperature. It will also help finish off the cooking process. The rest time of the meat will vary depending on the meat and the recipe.

As meat is cooked, the proteins in the meat set. The higher the temperature the meat reaches, the more set the proteins are. That’s why meat firms up with cooking. The set proteins push the juice to the center of the meat. Wrapping helps the meat’s juices stay inside and redistribute, so the entire cut is juicy.

When you rest the meat, it loses less juice and makes the meat taste better and be juicier. A roast is usually rested for 10 to 20 minutes, while steaks and chops rest for closer to five minutes. Some chefs rest for one minute for every 100g of meat cooked.

Difference between butcher and parchment paper

Butcher Paper vs Parchment Paper: What's the Difference and What to Choose?

While a seemingly obvious choice to wrap meats in aluminum foil, many pitmasters opt for either butcher paper or parchment paper. No one is better than the other, but they each have differences that can create a personal preference or make one better for a certain scenario. When cutting their meat, it is likely butchers are using the best butcher blocks.

Parchment paper is lightweight, versatile, and easy to find. It helps the meat keep its bark. But pink, or “peach,” butcher paper has the same result. Butcher paper is thick and durable and doesn’t tear. This makes it great for grilling. Butchers also use it to wrap meat when you purchase it. That’s where it got its name.

Parchment paper is thinner than butcher paper. A silicone coating gives it nonstick qualities. It can be bleached or unbleached. It is not wax or freezer paper. Both of those melt when exposed to heat. Parchment paper is a little bit cheaper than peach paper, which is a type of butcher paper. The white and brown butcher papers are a little bit cheaper. Buying either in bulk will get you a good deal. Lastly, both are used for meat! You will have to cut your meat. Check out these knives for good options.

About butcher paper

Butcher Paper vs Parchment Paper: What's the Difference and What to Choose?

There are a few different kinds of butcher paper. White butcher paper is uncoated. It is also FDA-approved. It is breathable, and you can use it to wrap subs, sandwiches, and meat. You can also use it to protect your table when doing arts and crafts. If you wrap meat in white butcher paper before smoking it, it lets in the smoke but doesn’t trap any moisture.

Pink and peach butcher paper is light tan to dark pink. It is the best for smoking meat because it lets the smoke be absorbed but protects the meat from germs at the same time. If you want high-quality pink butcher paper, this is a good option. Peach-treated butcher paper looks a lot like pink and peach butcher paper. But it has a sizing agent which preserves fresh meat. It lets in just enough air to reach the meat while still keeping it preserved.

Steak paper is usually used to display beef or pork. It will keep in the meat’s juices while avoiding color loss which makes customers want to buy the meat more. It can be green, black, white, or peach. If you’re interested in history, here Trusted Source Counter-mounted butcher paper cutter - The Portal to Texas History Items purchased into permanent collection except for 1999.008 035-036, portriats of M/M Slavin. These were placed on an annually renewable loan. Collection all came from Thompson’s Store, which was first opened ca.1865-1870 by T.W. Jones. Store remained in continuous use until 1980s oil bust. texashistory.unt.edu is an old butcher paper roller!

About parchment paper

Butcher Paper vs Parchment Paper: What's the Difference and What to Choose?

Professional bakers and chefs keep large rolls of parchment paper in their kitchens. It is now available to home cooks as well, and quickly, home cooks are falling in love just like the professionals. For home cooks, it is important to have good parchment paper like this kind.

Parchment paper can be bleached or unbleached. It is treated with silicone, and that makes it nonstick and resistant to heat. If you check the label, you can see how heat-resistant it is. Most are safe as far as 420 degrees Fahrenheit. It is different from wax paper. Wax paper has a paraffin wax that melts or burns in the oven. Parchment paper can also be bought pre-cut.

You can use parchment paper as a baking sheet or a cake pan. Parchment paper doesn’t have to be greased. You can also reuse the paper if you’re making more than one batch. You can also grease your pan, so the paper sticks to it better.

You can also use it to make a piping cornet for icing. Culinary students learn this skill. Lastly, you can use it to cover a work surface if you’re making meatballs or rolling dough.

What’s more affordable?

Pink butcher paper is usually more expensive than parchment paper, but white butcher paper is the cheapest. Since the products are mostly similar in price, it’s important to look at the differences between them as your main deciding factor. It depends on what you want to use it for and what result you want in your meat.

Butcher paper is thicker and more absorbent than parchment paper. It is also more permeable and can only be used at lower temperatures than parchment paper. If you’re grilling, parchment paper is better. It has a higher temperature rating, but butcher paper might catch fire. Butcher paper is heavy-duty and is usually used to wrap meat for grilling and BBQ. It can be bought in sheets or in rolls. It is heat resistant and has various color options. It also has a high density.

It is not great for wet foods and does not resist stickiness. It also might be poisonous when combined with certain foods and does not contain greasiness. Parchment paper offers a nonstick surface and is heat resistive and waterproof. It is good for cooking in the oven. It tears apart a bit too easily and only comes in one color. It has a lower strength than butcher paper.

What’s more available?

Butcher Paper vs Parchment Paper: What's the Difference and What to Choose?

Butcher paper and parchment paper are equally available. That’s why it’s important to look at the differences between the two to make your decision because availability won’t really be a factor.

Parchment paper is primarily used to line the inside of a cooking material before using it. That makes a nonstick surface so that it is easier to remove the food later. It is common when cooking pizzas.

Parchment paper is moisture resistant and made using Silicone. That is why it can be used in the oven. Butcher paper is mostly used to wrap meat and fish when you get it from the butcher. It is strong and has a good sturdy cover. You can’t grill with it directly, but you can smoke with it using these incredible smokers. It can also be a fire starter in your grill. You can also freeze meat in the freezer using butcher paper. It will protect it from freezer burn.

What’s more effective?

Butcher paper and parchment paper are effective for different things. It’s impossible to say that one is more effective than the other. It depends on what you want to use each thing for. Butcher paper is heavy-duty and is mostly used to wrap meat. You can also use it to grill and BBQ. It is available in sheets and rolls. It is made of low lignin and caustic soda, and sulfide mixed for higher strength. It is heat resistant, has multiple color options, high construction strength, high density, is affordable, is prepared for consuming meat, and is available in sheets and rolls.

However, it is not great for wet food, it doesn’t resist stickiness, it can be poisonous when combined with certain foods, and it doesn’t contain the greasiness of meat. Parchment paper is nonstick, heat resistive, and waterproof. It can also be used for decoration when made into art. It is grease resistant, can be used over and over again, and is the best for food cooking in the oven. But it tears easily, only comes in one color, and is low-strength next to butcher paper. You can use these grill mats to use parchment paper or butcher paper on the grill.

What’s more versatile?

Butcher Paper vs Parchment Paper: What's the Difference and What to Choose?

Parchment paper and butcher paper are similarly versatile, just for different things. It is important to know what you want to use the paper for so you can buy the right kind for your needs. Parchment paper is thinner and nonstick. It can be bleached or unbleached. It can be used in grilling or to line a sheet pan. You can take a large piece of parchment paper and put it on the grill. Then sandwich the meat in it and close the lid and grill the way you normally would. It can also be used to line baking sheets. Its nonstick properties are great for this. Similarly, it can be used to line pizza stones. It can also be used for arts and crafts projects.

Butcher paper is durable and doesn’t tear very easily. It is usually used to wrap fish or meat from the butcher.

Butcher paper can’t be used directly on the grill but can be used to keep your meats warm. It is also great for smoking meats instead of using tin foil. Pink butcher paper is the highest quality butcher paper and will keep the meat juicy while you are keeping it warm before serving.

Final Thoughts

Butcher paper vs parchment paper are similar but have distinct differences. Know what you are looking for when you are buying butcher paper or parchment paper. It may be wise to have both in the house, so you are always ready no matter what you need the paper for. Now you know the differences between a butcher and parchment paper, and you are ready to use them in the kitchen or on the grill! You can even use them before the cooking has even begun. No matter which one you use, you will have a good time cooking food for your family and friends.

References

1.
Food Code
Foodborne illness in the United States is a major cause of personal distress, preventable illness and death, and avoidable economic burden. Scallan et al. (2011a,b) estimated that foodborne diseases cause approximately 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths in the United States each year. The occurrence of approximately 1,000 reported disease outbreaks (local, regional, and national) each year highlights the challenges of preventing these infections.
2.
Counter-mounted butcher paper cutter - The Portal to Texas History
Items purchased into permanent collection except for 1999.008 035-036, portriats of M/M Slavin. These were placed on an annually renewable loan. Collection all came from Thompson’s Store, which was first opened ca.1865-1870 by T.W. Jones. Store remained in continuous use until 1980s oil bust.

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