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I'm attempting to make this recipe for Greek Meatza which calls for baking ground beef in a pan on top of parchment paper.

I don't have access to parchment paper, so I'm wondering: can I substitute aluminum foil? If so, are there any adjustments I should make to the time or temperature for baking?

Thanks.

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  • I'm guessing that aluminum foil would have a very different "heating profile" (I'm not sure that's a real term) than parchment paper and probably wouldn't make a good substitute.
    – user194
    Jul 24, 2011 at 13:47
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    You should also realize that aluminum foil has unsavory chemical reactions when it gets in contact with tomato sauces... thus when I rub meat with a tomato paste before cooking, I put a layer of parchment paper between the foil and the meat.
    – Mike Pennington
    Dec 5, 2011 at 2:18

2 Answers 2

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Depends on what you're making. The principal differences are:

  • Parchment is much more non-stick than aluminum foil. I haven't tried non-stick aluminum myself, so no idea how that compares.
  • Parchment insulates (against heat transfer) more than aluminum.
  • Parchment is somewhat porous; it absorbs water.

Looking at that recipe quickly, it'd probably work fine. I'd suggest substituting aluminum foil sprayed with Pam (non-stick cooking spray). The bottom may brown a little quicker with the foil.

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I've never made Meatza, but making a naive assumption that it's comparable to meatloaf (with toppings), I actually have better success w/ the non-stick reynolds wrap then i do w/ parchment paper... @uncle Brad's point is really valid and to that point, I've never had a problem w/ the aluminum foil changing the temp profile...

But again, I havent actually done what you're asking w/ that dish...

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