"Dee Randall" > wrote in message
...
> Last night I was watching a Julia Child show (I think recorded from the
day
> before) where a woman baker was baking/demonstrating some kind of
> tart/bread/pie with loads and loads of butter in it.
>
> As she was putting it in the oven on a baking sheet, Julia asked her if
she
> would put it on parchment paper and the baker said, NO! - that the
parchment
> paper would actually draw the butter out of the item and one would find
> loads of butter on the bottom of the parchment paper and that is not what
> she wanted.
>
> Even though I've seen parchment paper loaded with butter after baking,
I've
> not *heard* this before, that parchment paper actually draws out the
> butter.
>
> Dee

Don't believe everything you see on TV. The food network is particularly
notorious for cavalierly dispensing false information. I'm sure most of the
misinformation is passed along innocently and there is no mechanism for
discussion that would allow for a correction. One has to wonder just how
the parchment would draw the butter out of an item. I would speculate that
you simply see the butter easier on the parchment than you would on a baking
sheet. That might lead to a conclusion that here was a cause and effect
relationship where none existed.

<snip>I would speculate that
> you simply see the butter easier on the parchment than you would on a
baking
> sheet. That might lead to a conclusion that here was a cause and effect
> relationship where none existed.

I thought the same as you that ",,, you simply see the butter easier..." but
then ---

Dee

"Vox Humana" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Dee Randall" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Last night I was watching a Julia Child show (I think recorded from the
> day
> > before) where a woman baker was baking/demonstrating some kind of
> > tart/bread/pie with loads and loads of butter in it.
> >
> > As she was putting it in the oven on a baking sheet, Julia asked her if
> she
> > would put it on parchment paper and the baker said, NO! - that the
> parchment
> > paper would actually draw the butter out of the item and one would find
> > loads of butter on the bottom of the parchment paper and that is not
what
> > she wanted.
> >
> > Even though I've seen parchment paper loaded with butter after baking,
> I've
> > not *heard* this before, that parchment paper actually draws out the
> > butter.
> >
> > Dee
>
> Don't believe everything you see on TV. The food network is particularly
> notorious for cavalierly dispensing false information. I'm sure most of
the
> misinformation is passed along innocently and there is no mechanism for
> discussion that would allow for a correction. One has to wonder just how
> the parchment would draw the butter out of an item. I would speculate
that
> you simply see the butter easier on the parchment than you would on a
baking
> sheet. That might lead to a conclusion that here was a cause and effect
> relationship where none existed.
>
>

"Vox Humana" > wrote in
:

>
> "Dee Randall" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Last night I was watching a Julia Child show (I think recorded from
>> the
> day
>> before) where a woman baker was baking/demonstrating some kind of
>> tart/bread/pie with loads and loads of butter in it.
>>
>> As she was putting it in the oven on a baking sheet, Julia asked her
>> if
> she
>> would put it on parchment paper and the baker said, NO! - that the
> parchment
>> paper would actually draw the butter out of the item and one would
>> find loads of butter on the bottom of the parchment paper and that is
>> not what she wanted.
>>
>> Even though I've seen parchment paper loaded with butter after
>> baking,
> I've
>> not *heard* this before, that parchment paper actually draws out the
>> butter.
>>
>> Dee
>
> Don't believe everything you see on TV. The food network is
> particularly notorious for cavalierly dispensing false information.
> I'm sure most of the misinformation is passed along innocently and
> there is no mechanism for discussion that would allow for a
> correction. One has to wonder just how the parchment would draw the
> butter out of an item. I would speculate that you simply see the
> butter easier on the parchment than you would on a baking sheet. That
> might lead to a conclusion that here was a cause and effect
> relationship where none existed.
>
>

Yes, what you said, Vox. Parchment is "greaseproof" and therefore repels
fats. It makes it all the more obvious to the eye when the butter or
other fats "pool" on the surface.

Wayne

"Vox Humana" > wrote in message
...
>

>
> Don't believe everything you see on TV. The food network is particularly
> notorious for cavalierly dispensing false information. I'm sure most of
the
> misinformation is passed along innocently and there is no mechanism for
> discussion that would allow for a correction. One has to wonder just how
> the parchment would draw the butter out of an item. I would speculate
that
> you simply see the butter easier on the parchment than you would on a
baking
> sheet. That might lead to a conclusion that here was a cause and effect
> relationship where none existed.
>
>

FWIW, I remember an equipment review done by Cook's Illustrated or Fine
Cooking. They said cookies with high butter contents should not be baked on
insulated cookie sheets. Something about the insulation causes the butter
to melt prematurely leading to leakage. Using parchment paper on cookie
sheets, from what I understand, can work similarly (though not as extremely)
to using insulated cookie sheets. Perhaps that is why the woman on the food
network said what she did--maybe she didn't mean that parchment paper "draws
out" the butter, but that it may cause the butter to melt prematurely and
leak out of the cookie.

I actually like butter leakage for certain cookies--like crispy oatmeal
cookies. You get a really delicious crispy outer ring of butter and sugar.
Yum!

rona

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