The major health risks of unbleached and PFAS-free parchment paper products and why Grandma’s alternative method is the best approach after all.
I’ve made a major upgrade over the past few years to my baking routine, and I wanted to share this important change with all of you!
I no longer use parchment paper or baking cups of any size or brand in my baking routine at all.
Those of you who have been reading this blog for a long time will remember that I used to use it to cover my aluminum bakeware to protect the food from heavy metal exposure.
Little did I know at the time that I was swapping one set of toxins for another!
When I suggest ditching ALL brands of parchment paper, this includes unbleached brands such as “If You Care” which consistently receives high accolades for safety and has many “green” certifications such as compostable and biodegradable as well as the coveted EU Ecolabel. (1)
I’ve warned before that “green” products are not necessarily healthy.
Unbleached parchment paper of all sizes and varieties is a prime example!
Unbleached Parchment Paper Isn’t Safe (even if PFAS-free)
While bleached parchment paper is quite obviously best avoided due to the potential for chlorine residues from the bleaching process, the danger from unbleached varieties is more stealthy.
While marketed as “chlorine-free”, unbleached baking paper is actually coated with silicone.
What exactly is silicone anyway? Is it the same thing as silicon, the natural element with the chemical symbol Si and atomic number 14?
They are far from the same thing, as it turns out!
Synthetic Rubber
According to Scientific American, silicone is a synthetic rubber. Its chemical name is siloxane.
Silicone [siloxane], a synthetic rubber made of bonded silicon (a natural element abundant in sand and rock) and oxygen, is increasingly filling this niche. The flexible yet strong material, which has proven popular in muffin pans, cupcake liners, spatulas and other utensils, can go from freezer to oven (up to 428 degrees Fahrenheit), is non-stick and stain-resistant, and unlike conventional cookware, comes in a range of bright and cheery colors. (2)
Sounds so safe, doesn’t it?
Manufacturers know that conflating an artificial material with a natural one by making their names virtually identical makes it so easy to confuse the public!
While manufacturers insist that silicone is safe and inert, I beg to differ.
Silicone Leaches into Food
Studies have shown that silicone can migrate into food at normal cooking and baking temperatures.
Even though silicone elastomers demonstrate a high degree of thermal stability and excellent resistance to aging, high temperatures lead to depolymerization of the elastomer, with subsequent volatilization and migration [into food] of certain substances. (3)
Inflammatory Effects
In addition, medical devices that contain silicone implanted in the body have shown deleterious health effects.
Thus, it would seem that silicone that is ingested may very well pose health risks. This would include an inflammatory response at minimum. (4)
In fact, it seems to me that the FDA has completely dropped the ball on investigating whether siloxanes are as “inert” as claimed especially when it comes to their widespread use in silicone baking molds and kitchenware.
No follow-up studies have ever been done since 1979 to assess this important question with regard to the implications for long-term health. (5)
Endocrine Disruption, Tumors, Cancer
While the FDA hasn’t done much to ensure silicone is safe, the EU has.
The European Union classifies siloxanes as a Class 1 endocrine disruptor. (6)
In addition, silicone, aka siloxanes, can cause uterine tumors and reproductive issues, possibly even leading to infertility. (7)
The final nail in the coffin is that siloxanes are also a carcinogen and can cause liver damage. (8)
Unbleached parchment paper coated with siloxane doesn’t sound so inert and safe anymore, does it?
No wonder they picked the euphemism “silicone” for this toxic substance!
How to Ditch Parchment Paper for GOOD
Since ditching unbleached parchment paper several years ago, I’ve been baking the old-fashioned way.
Just like my Grandma did! Turns out (for the umpteenth time), that she really DID know best!
I grease and flour muffin cups, pizza pans, and cookie sheets before adding the dough and placing it in the oven.
I am also now using stainless steel baking sheets and pans (this brand).
UPDATE: I recently found this safe brand of uncoated cooking parchment which works great for cookies and bread as well as steaming or broiling meat and veggies!
“Grease and Flour” Approach
There is no magic to greasing and flouring a baking surface.
Simply slather a thin film of healthy, high smokepoint fat on the surface of the pan(s) that will contact the food.
Then, sprinkle a bit of flour over the top. You can use your fingers to do this (a pinch of flour at a time). That’s what I do.
Or, you can use a small strainer.
The flour does not need to totally cover the greased portion of the pan, and you don’t need to mix it into the oil.
That’s all there is to it!
I use expeller-pressed “no taste” coconut oil and a dusting of homemade gluten-free sprouted flour blend for this task.
The good news is that this method works spectacularly well.
Your cupcakes will pop out of those muffin pans just as easily as a toxic unbleached baking cup.
Cookies will slide off the cookie sheet with a spatula quickly and 100% intact.
The downside is…
More Time, Bigger Mess
The extra step to grease and flour baking pans and cookie sheets definitely takes more time.
In addition, it can be a bit messy at first until you get the hang of it.
Soaking or even elbow grease is sometimes necessary to get those muffin tins and cookie sheets clean too.
Even still, I feel so much better doing it this way.
I’ve taken great care to source the ingredients properly, it would be such a shame to wreck the dish with a toxic silicone residue from a greenwashed “chlorine and PFAS-free” product!
What About Unheated Uses?
While the danger of using unbleached, silicone-coated parchment paper for baking is cut and dry, what about uses at room or refrigerated temperature?
The health issues from using unbleached parchment paper are markedly less for this scenario.
However, after careful thought, I’ve chosen not to use it at all. The research coming out about the dangers of siloxanes is just too concerning!
The potential for residue in the food is still present even at room temperature or in the refrigerator/freezer.
Silicone is not something I want in my body even in the tiniest amounts given that it is a persistent toxin in the environment.
Since there are safer products to wrap and store food, I felt most comfortable ditching any and all forms of unbleached parchment paper.
Have you realized the dangers of parchment paper to your long-term health? What steps have you taken to eliminate it from your baking routine?
(1) If You Care Certifications
(2) Silicone Tally: How Hazardous Is the New Post-Teflon Rubberized Cookware
(3) Heat stability and migration from silicone baking molds
(4, 5) Is Silicone a Plastic?
(6, 7) The Dirty Dozen: Siloxanes
(8) What are Siloxanes: Chemical Free Living
Hi, Sarah. Would you be concerned about a “silica-based” (that’s how the blog I’m reading describes it — maybe it’s actually silicone?) nonstick coating on the inside components of a toaster oven? I’m having trouble finding anything that doesn’t use a nonstick coating. I would of course not put my food directly on the oven’s surface, so I am just wondering whether the coating might offgas into the air due to the oven’s heat. Thanks!
As long as the food doesn’t touch it, that should be ok.
Thank you for the awesome article and the great reference material!
What do you think of Graniteware pans?
Okay, me again. I had emailed IfYouCare to ask if by chance they had any parchment paper without silicon(e). Here is the reply if helpful to those that use the sandwhich bags and cupcake liners….They are okay.
Kyra Tilson
You
Hi Mary,
Our parchment papers are covered with a very fine mist of totally food safe silicone, derived from the element Silicon so it is even completely compostable. That being said, our sandwich bags and cupcake liners are uncoated!
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Best,
Kyra
“Food grade silicone” is spin. Silicone is not “food safe” even in a “fine mist”. It is a hormone disruptor among other chronic disease triggers and a persistent environmental pollutant.
These products are not okay and are not safe. Please see the studies I posted in the References section that indicate the tremendous toxicity of silicone to the human body.
Companies are really good at word salad answers that don’t tell the real truth about their products.
Hi Sarah,
It is my understanding that the “If You Care” unbleached parchment paper is coated with silicon not silicone, at least that’s what they state on packaging. Are they misrepresenting their product?
Jeanne
It’s silicone…synthetic rubber. Nothing natural about it. Check the image in the post and look on their website.
What would you use for making fruit roll ups in the dehydrator? I was using parchment paper for the puréed fruit and then would slice and roll in the paper.
Also, like someone else said, I make homemade sourdough and use a strip of parchment as a “sling” to gently lower the loaf into the hot preheated Dutch oven. Wondering what alternative I could use. Hmm
I’ve used spatulas to lower mine into the dutch oven. Not sure if the links work, but I use Jovial Einkorn and I just love all her videos and tips. She is using 2 different dutch ovens. Check out around the 7:53m and 9:35m mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlq1VLXH8gc
I’ve got the same problem. I’ve tried my sourdough loaf in the Dutch oven and sourdough bagels on a cookie sheet. I soaked the Baar paper and I actually tried to spray avocado oil on top before I baked my bagels. Stuck horribly. It’s so frustrating trying to clean up your process only to have it not work. If anyone has had success, please share!
Try wetting it with water instead of oil and see if that helps. The directions suggest this on the package.
Thank you for letting us know of the downside of using unbleached parchment paper. I was afraid it wasn’t the best thing to be using, especially since my current roll looks glossy. I like to be able to cook a whole package of bacon and not to have to wash the pan. But forewarned is forearmed and is better than going in in ignorance.
To follow up my reply to those asking about coffee filters. I don’t drink coffee, but my husband does and he uses a glass Chemex pour over. I suspected the filters were okay, but emailed to ask. I received a speedy reply and it appears they not only don’t use silicone, but seem to use pretty clean filters over all. See the response below.
Hello Mary,
Thank you for your email and question. Our filters are not coated in silicone. Our Filters are compostable and please feel free to compost them. The filters are created from soft southern pine that is never exposed to any pesticides. They are about 20-30% thicker than other filters on the market and this may make them take a little longer to compost but they will breakdown. They are also never exposed to any glues, bleach, chlorine, or gluten containing ingredients. The filters also remove even the finest sediment particles as well as any undesirable oils and fats.
The whitening process is food grade hydrogen peroxide oxygen cleaning process, similar to the ingredients in teeth whitening products and the filters are not bleached or chlorinated in any way. This is the only difference between the natural and white filters. Both go into a hot water bath for cleaning and manufacturing process. If you have any other questions, please let us know.
Best,
Chemex Customer Service Team
1102 Sheridan St.
Chicopee, MA 01022
413-331-4460
413-331-4462 Fax
7:30am- 3:30pm EST
991cce9432d80279d902ea886c7122cd.w1280.h1280
http://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com
Great news! Thank you for sharing.
I’m surprised you don’t mention stoneware. I use stoneware (either rada or pampered chef) loaf pans for my sourdough bread and stoneware cookie sheet for all other. What’s your thots on stoneware?
That’s a great option! I’ve never used stoneware myself, but I’ve looked at Pampered Chef before many years ago and thought it was wonderful!
Stainless steel French press is coffee option , or cuisinart maker with a stainless steel basket .
What about wax paper? My mother used to use that even when baking.
It catches fire in the oven. Too flammable.