Amy Scattergood on using parchment paper
Use parchment when you bake: Measure out your dry ingredients onto a sheet of paper — which you then roll into a funnel — and pour them straight into your bowl. Then reuse the same sheet to roll out pie dough (use one sheet underneath and, depending on the consistency of the dough, another on top) or line cake tins or form logs of cookie dough. Your cakes won’t stick to the pans, nor will your doughs stick to the counter.
Cut out stencils with the paper, then dust powdered sugar or cocoa over the stencil onto the cake or cupcake below for birthday parties. Roast vegetables on a sheet of parchment so that they caramelize on the paper, not the pan. Skim grease with a torn bit of the paper, cut messy beets or mince hot chiles with a protective sheet of paper over your cutting board, or use it to line a steaming basket.
