Last fall we did some pretty heavy baking for a wedding. We needed parchment for cookies and meringues, both of which would be a disaster on unlined cookie sheets. We went through baking parchment by the roll, and it was adding up in cost. Then we noticed these "quilon baking sheets" at the bulk restaurant supply store.
Baking Tools: Quilon Sheets
They were much cheaper than the ordinary parchment we usually bought, and the sheets were pre-cut for bulk baking. All we had to do was slice them in half and they fit our sheet pans perfectly.
But we became curious about this "quilon" and did a little more research. Even though it was fantastically convenient and inexpensive, it seemed as if "quilon" is related to Teflon, and that makes us slightly nervous. Turns out that Quilon is made by Dupont and it's been FDA-approved for coating baking materials. This isn't enough for some consumers; some feel that it should be avoided, just like Teflon.
We could go either way on it. If you're doing large-scale baking once in a while, it seems useful and the convenience in this case probably outweighs health risks. (Although really, who can know for sure?) After all, you're not ingesting the stuff directly.
For daily baking we would probably prefer to bake with parchment paper (which is treated with an acid to make it nonstick) or the more expensive option - silicone-treated parchment.
Do you use Quilon sheets in place of parchment? What do you think of them?
• Buy Quilon sheets in bulk, $35 for a case of 1000 sheets
Related: Good Product: Regency Professional (and Reusable) Parchment
Comments (3)
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I have a love for that stuff from my days in a professional kitchen, but it kind of creeps me out. I use it anyway, because one box lasts forever and I like the pre-cut sheets. (Also I have a hard time getting rolled parchment to stay flat.) I do find that it doesn't last as long as the thicker (more expensive) sheets from somewhere like King Arthur; you can use the nice stuff 4 or 5 times before it gets all crispy and weird.
view leenwebb's profile
We use it by the ton at school, but at home, I use either parchment or the silicone nonstick baking sheet, but that's mostly because it's either to store those than a box of full-sheet quilon.
view OneWallKitchen's profile
I use a Silpat because I can't stand to throw away the parchment paper, it feels so wasteful. If you were doing a lot of baking you could probably buy a few and just rotate.
view zhasmene's profile