The Best Way to Line a Square Tin for Baking and Candymaking
Many of my recipes include an important prep step: Lining an 8×8-inch square metal tin with parchment. This technique comes in handy for many applications, like fudge, marshmallows, jelly candy, cereal treats, and caramels. The parchment prevents sticky, gooey ingredients from sticking to the tin, while the criss-cross pattern creates “handles,” allowing you to transfer the cooled and set slab to a plate or cutting board with ease. Here’s how to do it properly.
To prepare a square tin for baking or candymaking, start by cutting two sheets of parchment to the width of your tin:
Next, spray the bottom and sides of the tin with plenty of nonstick spray:
Place one of the parchment strips across the bottom.
Spritz with more nonstick spray, then place the second parchment strip over the first in a criss-cross pattern.
Check to make sure you’ve allowed at least a 1-inch parchment overhang on all sides. This overhang will serve as “handles” that will allow you to carefully lift the finished product from the tin for slicing.
For sticky substances like marshmallow or caramel, spritz the parchment with even more nonstick spray before adding your ingredients to the tin:
Recipes That Utilize This Tin Lining Technique
Clotted Cream Fudge
Festive Cranberry Jelly Candy
Rosemary Sea Salt Caramels
Mint Buttercream Brownies
Fruity Pebbles Rice Krispie Treats
Blueberry Marshmallows
Rebecca Frey is a freelance recipe developer, food writer, photographer, stylist, and pastry chef. She earned the Diplôme de Pâtisserie (French Pastry Techniques Diploma) from Le Cordon Bleu London in 2020 and an MSc in Culinary Innovation from Birkbeck, University of London in 2022, where she focused her dissertation research on Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. She also holds a Professional Chocolatier’s Certificate from Ecole Chocolat. Rebecca has developed recipes for websites including Serious Eats, The Spruce Eats, Wine Enthusiast, and others. Follow her on Instagram @bastecutfold.
