Characteristics of Parchment Paper for Cones?

I use Reynolds parchment paper. It's not waxed (like waxed paper), but it does have a non-stick coating that makes it somewhat slick and easy to roll into cones. It also keeps the paper from absorbing a lot of moisture. The paper itself is also relatively thick as baking papers go, which, again, keeps it pretty moisture-resistant.

 

Here's how the company describes the paper: Reynolds® Parchment Paper is a natural, high density paper with a non-stick coating.

 

Here's a link to more info: http://www.reynoldskitchens.com/products/parchment-paper/parchment-paper-rolls/

CK has parchment triangles also. Sometimes I cut them in half for just tiny amounts of icing details.

When I use parchment cones, I simply use whatever baking paper I hapen to have and have never experienced any soaking. We also have grease-proof paper here in Germany, but that's something completely different, a lot more flimsy. It is like the paper you get cheesburgers in. I don't know about SA, but if your baking paper is like cheesburger wrappings, I do believe you have problems.

As far as I know, the heat resistancy is the key to non-soaking, because this coating they use for it also makes the paper very durable against water, etc. It should be at least 460°F. Does your baking paper show this? If not, try to find one that does. Maybe this will help solve this issue.

I could be totally wrong, of course  Just have it in the back of my head that I heard this in some tv show. They explained why most baking papers in Germany have 460°F as standard anyway (240°C).

Sorry, forgot a very important thing... muddle-head...

What weight has your paper? My baking paper at the moment has 40gr/m2. And this is on the thin side. Can't remember what my last one had, but definitely more. If yours is considerably thinner, that could also be the reason. Try to find thicker paper with food safe coating - maybe at butcher or baker supplies?

 

Right now I have the one from Lidl (German discounter). It's a bit thinner than some, but it is WHITE! The only white baking paper I could find. Which allows me to use it as packing material also, which doesn't look nice with the normal brown paper. But I also had the paper from Aldi (which you will definitely find in Belgium too), or Penny, or any other discounter. I have to admit that when checking again right now, I find that the heat resistancy only goes up to 220°C, though. Cheap discounter stuff  

If I'm after high quality baking paper, that really doesn't soak through even if you bake very juicy things on it, I chose Toppits. Triple the price but it is thicker and more durable. I am pretty sure that you will find that brand in Belgium as well.

And you are right, not all baking papers mention the heat resistancy and thickness (I corrected my severe typo above, btw, it is 40gr, not 50). Sometimes you can google those specifics on the companies internet site, or ask the people in the shop, or just guess *lol*

And if I seem a bit obsessed with paper: I've worked for a paper selling company a while ago *lol*

The Reynolds paper is heat-resistant up to 420F or 216C, which is about as hot as I ever bake anything, so it serves my purposes well. It just says it is "high density", no density is on the package; though one could always weigh it to find out. I'll try to do this if I can find a spare moment.

I know that some parchment paper has a silicone coating to make it non-stick, which is what I use. It seems to be stronger, and reasonably moisture-proof. I have heard that the pre-cut triangles don't usually have the coating, but have not tried different brands to verify. If you leave any icing in them for long storage they will soak up moisture, which dries out your icing as well as buggering up the tip. This can even happen on the same day if the icing starts to separate. It's even worse if you store the bag tip-down, because the water will collect at the lowest point.

Just be careful if you usually paint gel or paste food coloring onto the inside of the bag for two-toned icing, because it beads up on the coating. I have only ever seen white, and would love a natural/unbleached alternative. I like that parchment is biodegradable, but not sure if the coating changes that.

If the parchment doesn't work out, does your butcher use paper with a slick coating on one side? The paper they wrap meat in here does, and it's very thick/sturdy. If it works, you could probably buy a large roll for a good price.

Have you tried using metal or plastic decorating tips inside the cone? Just snip enough off enough for the opening in the tip to show. Reusable/washable bags might make more sense if you have trouble getting supplies. It's not eco-friendly, but there are disposable plastic triangle decorating bags too. Not sure what countries have them readily available. Hani only uses plastic sandwich bags, so maybe head over to her blog (Hanielas) to see how she does it.

Julia, that's an excellent idea!!! I've just done so

The packing reads (very tiny, in a hidden corner): silicone coated, at least 40gr/m2. I weighed one sheet, projected to 1m2 and it is 42.7 round about. Then I have checked the general specifics of baking paper. Heat resistancy can be between 200-250°C, weight between 35-60gr (43 seems to be most common), either silicone or Quilon coated.

As both your and my baking paper have the same heat resistancy, I guess this is a suitable specific. My baking baking paper has roughly 43gr and doesn't soak, so that should be fine, too. And I know that mine is silicone coated, but no further specifics about that.
Liesbet, I am by now pretty sure, that the coating of your paper is the problem. Maybe it's not silicone but something else. Or the coating is too thin, or whatever.

If I find the time, I'll make a store check and see what I can find on the different packings.

Gee, that topic's really gotten into me

Wildflower - You are right about the triangles, or at least those I've tested. They tend to be flimsier and less waterproof. They are also not as slick (since they are not coated), so I actually find them harder to shape into cones because the paper doesn't slide as freely past itself.

 

 

The Reynolds paper is 44 g per square meter (just weighed it). So it's not really any more dense than the others. I suspect the coating gives it the feeling of more density and stability without adding much weight, as it definitely feels firmer than the parchment triangles.

 

I have done a bit of research and a small store check and have learned quite a lot about baking paper. It was so much fun

 

Store check

All baking papers are more or less the same. Most have absolutely no information on weight or kind of coating. They only claim that they are non-stick and very heat resistent. If further information is given, it is really identical. Coating silicone, heat resistency 220°C (so I was wrong in my first post...). The only real difference I could find were the prices. Gee, those really can make you wonder.

 

General info on baking paper

There are two different kinds. Coated and uncoated. Coated can be with silicone, Quilon, or some chrome salts. In reality I could find nothing else than silicone. All of them are heat resistent, grease-proof, and water resitent.

Uncoated (now we are getting to the topic of this thread!) baking paper is, as the name implies, uncoated. It is heat resistent, and grease-proof. This is reached by grinding the wood pulp in a special way so that tiny hairs stick up and build a natural barrier for grease (at least that's what I understood, but I only knew half the words in the text, so I might have missed the finer points ). But - drum roll - they have no barrier against water! In Europe and obviously in the US, it is hardly posible to get uncoated baking paper. You have to order it online in special eco-stores and it is highly expensive. I wasn't aware that it even existed.

Soooo, if you have grease-proof paper in South Africa, this sounds like you have the uncoated version which ist not water-proof. And as RI has no grease but lots of water, it soaks through. Any kind of silicone coated paper is sure to solve this issue.

 

OK, I hope I've not bored you all to death

 

 

Laegwen, Julia, you are awesome! Thanks for clarifying all the information, it's very helpful to know.

Liesbet, I am so glad you have somewhere to start looking. Please, please come back and let us know what you ended up using, and how it worked out. I would be happy to mail you a couple rolls of the Reynolds (i always have extra rolls since it is so inexpensive on sale), but not sure about the shipping, as I am in the USA. Sending something would be good experience for my daughter, to see how it's done, if you think it would work.

Laegwen, I would be happy to do the same for you too. Just let me know!

 

@Liesbet

Glad I could help, but I want to be honest - I absolutely enjoyed this "project". Baking paper is such a common product, I handle it several times a week. It was sad that I knew so little about it. Now I know a little more

And just today I learned another thing. We do have uncoated baking paper here, in every supermarket, Only it's not called that, it's called sandwich paper. If the identical product is called uncoated baking paper, it is all of a sudden at least triple the price. That's the idiot surcharge *lol*. So thanks a lot for offering to send me some, that's very sweet of you. But I already had it at home without knowing

 

@Wildflower

Glad you liked my little scientific excurse, and also thanks a lot for your offer of sending baking paper. But now that I am a specialist on this product, I know where to find or substitute any kind of baking paper I might need

Nice to get specialist rates, as the idiot surcharge gets higher every year! Lol

Sandwich paper? Now I am curious about how they name them in here in the US. Makes me wonder about other baking supplies and ingredients, and how they charge depending on how it is packaged. (Its a little off topic, but they sell "beading string" here for 3x the $ of "multi-strand fishing line", and all they do is put a sticker over the label! Talk about an idiot tax, lol.)

Does anyone here in the US know of sandwich paper?

They add the idiot surcharge whenever possible. Another example are edible ink markers. You can either buy a small pack with 6 markers especially labeled as food markers for appr. 8 € over here. Or you simply buy normal pens, made for small children who still suck on everything - 20 pens appr. 2 €. Both are filled with food color...

 

And sandwich paper should already be the English word for it. At least my dictionary claims so. The German word directly translated would be butterbread paper. The second possible translation is grease-proof paper. If I am not mistaken, any kind of parchment paper is suitable as baking paper, as they are all made with this special wood pulp grind thing. If they are very thin, they are not so heat resistent, though.