There's a lot of confusion about whether it's safe or not.
Bridget is a freelance writer for MarthaStewart.com. air fryer oven parchment paper
There's a roll of wax paper right there in your kitchen drawer. You use it for all sorts of kitchen tasks, like rolling out pastry dough so it doesn't stick and catching drips when you frost cakes or make chocolate-dipped strawberries. It not only prevents foods from sticking and makes clean up easy, but it also excels for wrapping foods that need protection but also need to breathe. But what about using it for baking? Can wax paper go in the oven? We'd like to give you a straight yes or no, but it's a little complicated. We talked to two experts to help sort it out—here's what they say.
Wax paper is tissue paper coated with a food-safe paraffin wax. A thin coat of wax is spread on each side of the paper and, according to the USDA, forced into the paper's pores. This helps prevent food from sticking to the paper and makes it moisture-resistant.
While wax paper is a helpful kitchen tool, generally you should not use it in the oven.
Wax paper should not be used in the oven because it is not heat resistant. It can melt or even cause a fire at high temperatures. This is what sets wax paper apart from parchment paper. Parchment paper is oven-safe to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
"At high oven temperatures, wax paper may smoke and catch fire as it is combustible,” says Kelly Magurany, senior manager of toxicology at the NSF. "Wax paper is typically used for baking preparation and refrigeration as it melts at high temperatures (over 120 degrees Fahrenheit)." She recommends reviewing the manufacturer's product label on your wax paper, as it will have specific use instructions—they do vary from brand to brand.
While it's safer to simply never put wax paper in the oven, you may see exceptions to this rule in some cooking instructions.
When it is covered by cake batter: According to the USDA and Reynolds (maker of products including wax paper, parchment paper, and, of course, aluminum foil), some types of wax paper can be used to line baking pans, but only if the batter fully covers the paper. (Wax paper should not be used where the paper will stick up beyond the cake batter or outside the pan.)
Microwave: Both the USDA and Reynolds say that wax paper is microwave-safe.
Wax paper is good for many prep tasks, says April Field, founder of The Curvy Italian, a jarred pasta sauce brand.
extra wide parchment paper There are several oven-safe alternatives to wax paper: