The Binder Clip Hack To Keep Parchment Paper From Slipping

You might think that flour and sugar are a baker's best friends, but one thing many pastry chefs can't live without is parchment paper. This food-safe coated paper resists grease and moisture, and creates a stick-proof barrier between your food and a cake or sheet pan to make for easy release.

Parchment is a magical tool in any kitchen, because you can use it a million different ways. Try a sheet underneath a pan of savory food like roasted vegetables to keep the edges from sticking — it works way better than cooking spray. You can also put down a sheet on the counter as a work-surface mat for rolling out pie dough, or roll it into a cone if you don't have a pastry bag on hand and use it for decorating. You can even cook fish in parchment by folding it into a little packet like French chefs do, which is called en papillote.

Even though it's very useful, parchment does have its drawbacks. One of the most common is that it's a little unruly to work with, especially if you're working with paper that comes from a roll (as opposed to flat sheets). If you find yourself struggling with keeping parchment in place when you're pouring a banana bread batter into the pan, try using a metal binder clip or two from your desk to keep things together.

Parchment paper is coated with silicone, which is what gives it its non-stick qualities, and also keeps it from burning in hot ovens. The coating isn't foolproof, however, as parchment paper's texture is a little rebellious.

If you're lining a loaf pan, for instance, it won't just sit flat in the pan, it'll curl up into its roll shape. Even more annoying, it'll stick to your batter as you pour it into the pan and shift all over the place, making a big mess and canceling out the point of the lining in the first place.

Thankfully professional bakers are way ahead of you on this, and figured out a while ago that those little metal binder clips that keep office reports tidy are oven safe as long as they have no plastic parts, and work great to keep parchment in place. All you need to do is cut your parchment to size with enough extra to fold over the edges of the pan, line your baking pan, and use a couple of clips to pin the paper to the sides. Pour your batter into the pan and pop the whole thing in the oven, clips and all, to bake. If the paper wants to pop up on the bottom, try crinkling it a little in your hands before you lay it down, or smear a little bit of butter into the pan to make it sticky.

If you don't have binder clips laying around, you can get a 12-pack for around $6, which is pretty cheap if you like to bake. And don't stop at the baking pan trick once you've added clips to your kitchen; they're oven safe you can use them for all kinds of recipes.

Take a few cues from Alton Brown and use them to keep your thermometer in place in a pot when you're cooking, or to keep your parchment packets closed while you're baking your fish French-style. Binder clips are also great for organizing your baking supplies and keeping bags of ingredients closed, like brown sugar and chocolate chips, plus you can clip opened bags of chips and cereal to keep them fresh. Try clipping the open end of a piping bag shut as well.

Try clipping some things together and then using the loops to hang them on a hook, which is great for drying a pair of dishwashing gloves (per TikTok). You can also use them to organize an array of open bags without taking up shelf space by clipping them to the underside of a wire rack — think of the pantry possibilities!