Let's Roll! - Every Kitchen Needs a Rolling PIn
Every kitchen needs a rolling pin. Wooden, marble or metal; your mother's, grandmother's or even mother-in-law's; a hand-me-down, a gift or a whimsical splurge; new, used or vintage; French, American or even Indy-made. It is more than a tool - it's a story.
The use of rolling pins to flatten dough dates back at least to 800 BC in Italy.
Early rolling pins were made of clay, stone, branches or glass. The best types of wood for rolling pins were (and are) hardwoods like ash, cherry, maple or walnut.
A traditional AMERICAN ROLLING PIN is a heavy wooden cylinder, typically 12 inches long, with handles. The cylinder may be fixed or rotate.
A FRENCH ROLLING PIN, or rod, is a solid wooden dowel with no handles that can be slender and tapered or straight. Your hands naturally are placed in the center, which can provide more control and equal pressure. These are typically 20 inches long. French rolling pins are great fro soft dough, springy dough, but not for stiff dough.
MARBLE ROLLING PINS are heavy and can be chilled before rolling, making them ideal for chilled dough like puff pastry and cookies. These are typically 12 inches long.
A CHAKLA BELAN is an Indian rolling pin and round board combination and to roll dough used in Indian cuisine. The belan is the pin while the chakla is the board.
Other rolling pins
- Your grandmother's rolling pin, full of memories and stories.
- PASTA CUTTER ROLLING PINS, used to cut homemade pasta.
- Vintage CAST-IRON ROLLING PINS, used by candy makers.
- TIN or ALUMINUM PINS, easy to chill, which keeps dough from sticking.
- STAINLESS STEEL ROLLING PINS, which are heavy, can be chilled and are easy to clean.
- A GLASS WINE BOTTLE, for those times you don't have any other options.
Oh ... and use them to massage away aching muscles!
Want a beautiful rolling pin?
Try these artful crafters:
JK ADAMS: JKAdams.com
ROLLING PIN MAKER: RollingPinMaker.com
VERMONT ROLLING PINS: VermontRollingPins.com
WHETSTONE WOODENWARE: WhetstoneWoodenWare.com
