Cooking eggs can often be challenging, especially omelettes. Omelettes are classic on many foods, such as breakfast meats or french fries. Even stirred into leftovers, they make a quick meal. Eggs are usually a must-have in many home kitchens.
However, frying eggs always causes sticking problems, except when using a non-stick skillet. Perhaps the only way to have a perfectly simple one is at a restaurant. And due to cleanup issues, making fried eggs at home feels like too much of a hassle. Many people feel the same way. Omelettes will always bond to the pan and it’s quite difficult to clean them up. Even common fats like butter or oil cannot be avoided.
The easy cracking of the yolks also always causes us difficulties. This can happen by flipping the egg too soon, or accidentally poking the yolk with a spatula. This increases your cleaning efforts. Putting a fried egg on a plate feels like a tricky balancing act.
Parchment paper can actually help, something that is often kept in kitchen cupboards. For the most part, it is sometimes laid out on a baking sheet. But this paper roll hides a secret, which is a simple and useful tip.
Let’s take a look at tips for frying eggs on parchment paper. Imagine you want a fried egg, maybe fully cooked or medium rare. The fear of cleanup comes to mind. Now forget that feeling, all you need is a small sheet of baking paper. Plain parchment paper will work too. Heat a pan over medium heat and place the small piece of paper in it.
Coat the paper with a little butter and let it melt and sizzle briefly. Just like normal. Then, crack an egg onto the butter. The egg will fall onto the paper. It may feel different and maybe weird at first. Trust that this works. Then cover the pan with a lid, this helps the egg side to cook fully. It also avoids high temperatures, which can cause sticking, and now you need to be patient.
Watch the cooking process of the eggs carefully. Let the whites turn pure white and the yolks begin to harden slightly. You can cook to your liking. Once cooked, remove the lid. Now comes the easy part. Slide the egg off the paper and place it easily on a plate.
It was very simple indeed. The omelette does a great job, it doesn’t stick to the pan by itself. With the eggs safely on a plate, simply remove the paper from the pan and throw it in the trash. The pan stays basically clean with a quick rinse, no need to scrub hard.
This avoids broken yolks across the pan. Instead, your pan looks so clean it appears barely used. Using parchment paper may mean that the edges of the eggs won’t be too crispy. This can happen when compared to cooking directly on hot metal. But a little less crispy might be worth avoiding the hassle. Frying eggs and pans that require major cleaning makes for a bad experience. For many, it’s a fair trade-off. It saves a lot of energy.
So, the next time you’re craving an omelette, try this method. Parchment paper has many other uses in the kitchen.
Before discussing more uses, make sure you have the right type. Parchment paper is pretty much the same as wax paper at the store and they look somewhat similar. It is important that you know the key differences. Wax paper is coated with a layer of wax and wax and heat do not mix well. So never put wax paper in the oven or on the stove, and an air fryer is not a safe place to put it. The wax can melt into the food, which is bad. The wax paper itself can catch fire. Be careful of this possibility.
Ginger-Garlic Fish in Parchment
Equipment
- 4 Parchment paper sheets Approx. 12-inches long
- 1 Baking Sheet To hold the packets
- 4 Shallow Dishes Optional, for assembling packets
- 1 Small Bowl For mixing sauce
Ingredients
Main
- Parchment paper
- 4 6 to 7-ounce portions sea bass
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bunch scallions cut into 3-inch pieces on an angle
- 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms stemmed and sliced
- 3 to 4- inch knob ginger peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 large cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons tamari sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Rip off 4 pieces of parchment to form packets each about 12-inches long. Season fish with salt and pepper. Place a piece of parchment in a shallow dish then in the center of the paper stack 1/4 of the scallions and shiitakes, layer with slices of ginger and garlic and top with fish. Combine the honey, vinegar and tamari and pour 1/4 of the sauce over fish. Fold over the top of the parchment then roll the sides in to form a sealed pouch. Repeat with remaining parchment and ingredients. Arrange the pouches on a baking sheet and roast in hot oven 12 to 14 minutes.
Notes
Parchment is treated differently. It is resistant to moisture, grease and heat. It can safely withstand high temperatures, ranging from 420 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes it safe to use in most ovens and stovetop cooking is no problem. Just avoid using the grill elements directly. A roll of parchment paper is usually slightly more expensive. But it is very useful and heat safe.
Parchment paper comes in different forms. Rolls are a common choice and are sometimes sold in pre-cut sheets. It comes in white and brown; white paper is bleached and brown looks more natural. It can give a rustic look, which is great for baked goods displays. The color does not change the purpose of the paper core.
Lining cake tins is its classic use, and other baking pans can be used as well. This method works by placing a sheet in the bottom of the baking dish. This creates a non-stick surface so the cake won’t stick to it. The cake is easier to remove from the baking dish.
Kitchens can be messy sometimes, that’s life. But paper has always helped control that mess in a simple and useful way. Now it’s easy to add convenience to your entire cooking process. Forget about clutter, sticky stuff and endless scrubbing. Instead, start whisking away the clutter quickly and easily now.
Related posts:
11 Simple (and Delicious) Ways to Cook Eggs
Here’s How To Use Parchment Paper To Make Mess-Free Fried Eggs
Unlocking the Power of Parchment Paper: Your Kitchen Sidekick
