I travel to King Arthur headquarters in Vermont about four times a year, and there’s one baking product I bring back from our store every time. It’s not our high-quality vanilla or fragrant cinnamon (though I make room for those on occasion too). It’s our lie-flat parchment paper , a product so indispensable that I don’t think I could bake without it.

Every time I use a sheet pan — to make cookies, layer cakes, roasted vegetables, toasted nuts, and more — I slip on a sheet of parchment paper. It’s a move so seamless that it’s instinctual. And therein lies the beauty of this parchment paper: Because it is already cut-to-size and flat as a pancake, I don’t even have to think about using it. And when it comes time to clean up? I just toss it in the trash and give the pan a quick swipe with a damp paper towel. I haven’t soaked or scrubbed my sheet pans in years.

Photography by John Sherman

Parchment paper protects your pan from any messy drips or spills.

Okay, you might be thinking.…