Parchment paper v. grease and flour

Q. When it says to grease and flour a baking sheet, can I always just use parchment?

A. The definitive answer is yes and no. Buttering and flouring is one way to be sure cakes won't stick to the pan. Use parchment, or the cheaper wax paper, to line the bottom of the pan, but you should still butter and flour the sides.

Just in case the buttering and flouring business seems confusing, here is how it works. Take a small piece of butter, grasp it with a paper towel and rub it all over the inside of your cake pan. Spoon in 2 heaping tablespoons of flour and tilt the pan this way and that to have it completely coat the pan. Dump out excess flour. The flour's the dead giveaway to where you missed on the butter; it won't stick.

An unsolicited personal opinion: Avoid cooking sprays. Between the chemicals and the terrible flavor of the fats used, better to use butter or mild extra-virgin olive oil.

• Lynne Rossetto Kasper hosts "The Splendid Table," American Public Media's national food show. Ask questions and find recipes and station listings at splendidtable.org or (800) 537-5252.