Butcher paper vs. parchment paper : What is the main difference

You can use both butcher paper and parchment paper to wrap up your food materials, brisket, or use them for BBQ parties as both are made of paper pulp. Despite this similarity, both these papers are different from each other. To construct butcher paper, the makers use sulfide acid and caustic soda along with the paper pulp, whereas in parchment paper, sulfuric acid and silicone are being used with paper pulp.

Things you need to know about butcher paper

Are butcher paper and parchment paper the same

If you ask such questions, my answer will be yes and no! This is indeed a weird answer, but as there are similarities between butcher paper and parchment paper as well as dissimilarities, I have given such a weird answer.

Similarities

Construction

 Both these are papers are made of paper pulp.

Handling temperature

 Both these papers are capable of absorbing a level temperature, which makes them suitable for grilling and smoking.

Availability

 You can get these papers rolled up or like a sheet for wrapping meats or other food gradients.

Dissimilarities

Construction and chemical used

 Although both these papers are made using paper pulp, butcher paper is thicker than parchment paper. Butcher paper uses sulfide and caustic soda on the paper pulp and the other hand, parchment paper uses sulfuric acid and silicone on the paper pulp.

The difference in colors

 You will get a color variation in butcher paper, unlike the parchment paper. Parchment papers come in a single color, whereas butcher paper comes in white, pink, green, black, etc. colors. This also helps you to use the paper for various uses depending on the type of food.

Purpose of using

 Although both these papers can deal with almost the same temperature, butcher paper is not an ideal choice for grilling as it has every possible chance of catching the fire. Again, you are not allowed to use butcher paper for baking in the oven.

Resistant to tear

 Anyone can easily tear parchment paper as it is not a-resistant as butcher paper.

Resistant to moisture

 The non-stickiness and not being resistant to moisture keeps butcher paper one step down than parchment paper in the term of using it in the kitchen on daily basis.

Several uses of butcher paper

Butcher paper comes in various colors, which makes it appropriate for various uses.

Wrap raw meat and fish

 The best use of butcher paper is for wrapping the raw pieces of meat and fish. Pink butcher is the first and suitable choice in this field. It will work as a guard to your fresh meats inside, but also provides enough breathability. By covering the pieces of meat and fish, it keeps them away from any sort of contamination.

Maintain the freshness of meat

 You can use butcher paper, specifically peach treated butcher paper to maintain the original freshness of the pieces of meat you have wrapped inside. Peach treated butcher paper is almost the same as pink butcher paper, but it allows more than enough oxygen to enter inside, helping the meat pieces retain their original color and tenderness.

Wrap other foods

 Except for wrapping up meat and fish, you can use the paper for wrapping other foods as well. White butcher paper is specialized for this work as it constructed maintaining food-grade qualities and the FDA has approved this paper for using different food wraps.

Use for display or serve

 If you owe a butcher shop or BBQ restaurant, you might want your customers to look at the meat pieces or grills first and then pay for it. You can do this work with butcher paper as well and for this, you should use steak paper.

Preserve food for an extended period

 Coated butcher papers are great for preserving the food for a longer period in freezing condition and maintaining the freshness. You can use these papers even for persevering food for one year or more.

Why do you need parchment paper?

Parchment paper is a thin but strong paper that is made of using paper pulp and comes with the ability to handle higher temperatures. This type of paper is excellent for grilling or smoking purposes because of its non-stickiness. You should use parchment if you want a kind of wrapping paper that can keep the tenderness and freshness of the food even higher temperature.

For covering food

 You can cover up your recently made food to keep it fresh for a long period through a rolled up piece of parchment paper.

For grilling

 Parchment paper can handle temperatures up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it a perfect choice for grilling. So if you are worried about the next BBQ, you can purchase parchment paper.

Baking purposes

 Parchment papers are food-grade papers, which allow baking without any hesitation. You can use this paper to cover transfer your baked cookies from the dish, to cover them up for saving from contamination or even serve them to the customers in the restaurant.

How to wrap the brisket in butcher paper

Butcher paper size

There are different sizes of butcher papers available in the market at present and most of them are made for multi-use. The most common sizes of these papers are 18 inches, 24 inches and sometimes 30 inches. Meanwhile, when you roll out the paper, you might find the length ranging from 100 feet to 200 feet. You need to select the size depending on the versatility you need to have in your performance.

Concluding words

I think you are now well aware of the differences between butcher paper and parchment paper. In simple words, you should use butcher paper for covering fresh meat and fish pieces. And use parchment paper for grilling or baking purposes as it is non-sticky and heat resistant.