Rolling pin appreciation thread!!

[Deja Q]

Rolling pins are used to smooth and flatten dough across a flat surface; typically a baking sheet.

Rolling pins can be made from wood or plastic.

Wood collects bacteria more quickly and can live in the wood.

Plastic repels bacteria.

Plastic costs more; often by a factor of 3x.

Plastic is also nonstick. Well, claimed to be nonstick - all over the case as a major selling poing. The dough I was trying to roll kept sticking to the damn thing. I tried to return the device to TARGET and they said all returns must be new, unused. I said "the product's selling point is claiming to be nonstick. I've proven that's mot true. Misadvertising is a no-no. I want my $15 back." They said "No, it's not new and unopened, and that's our policy".

Boycott Target - that's my policy. The consumer should have SOME rights too.

[wildhorses]

1. poor toad --

let the buyer beware...

sorry hypno :hug:

:hi:

[Deja Q]

4. Meh. I'll find a use for it.

Or buy dough that won't stick. Hmmm, stickless dough. :rofl:

[Heidi]

2. Man, am I out of the loop or what???? I've never even _heard_ of plastic rolling pins.

:blush:

I love to make pies, cookies, etc., and I swear by my wooden rolling pin. If the dough isn't too moist and your rolling surface and rolling pin have been dusted with flour, the dough shouldn't stick to the rolling pin. Regarding the bacteria issue, I wash my rolling pin after each use, and I'm not using it to roll out meat or anything like that, so I don't worry much about bacteria. (Plus, every pastry I roll is baked, so that's gotta kill some bacteria, right?)

I'm still gonna Google "plastic rolling pin." I'm due for a "care package" from my mom, so maybe she'll send me one. :) Thanks for the heads up! :hi:

[Deja Q]

3. It's essentially the same reason some health inspectors loathe wooden chopping boards.

:D

[Heidi]

7. I cut meat and other perishables on a chopping board,

so I have two or three big plastic chopping boards. But no meat ever touches my wooden rolling pin. Still, I'm gonna ask Mom to send me a plastic one. Can't have too many good kitchen utensils. :bounce:

[trof]

5. My daughter had a bad 'return' experience with Target too.

Her little boy had received a couple of duplicate toys from kids at his birthday party.
They both came from Target.

Since Jack has toys out the wazoo, she decided to exchange the toys for some clothing.

NO. CAN. DO.

"Exchanges MUST be for items in the same department. That's store policy."

She went to the manager and got the same senseless answer.
Target has lost one once loyal customer.

[Deja Q]

6. Wow, talk about draconian...

Target used to be too good on return policy. Now they're just the opposite - and beyond reason.

Given Target's prices are higher for the same goods (especially generic, store brand, or no-name stuff), I just try to avoid them outright.


Thank you for sharing that experience!

[trof]

12. I'd trade our Target for a Costco.

[Callalily]

8. Sorry to hear that

your new rolling pin is not working. I still use my mom's wood rolling pin. I've had no problems.

Maybe you should go with marble.

That would certainly ease your mind concerning bacteria.

Additionally . . . I'm very surprised that Target did not let you return the rolling pin. Here they take everything back. I was once at Guest Services and a women was returning a vacuum cleaner, used, b/c she said it was too difficult to push. Far more expensive return than your $15.00 rolling pin. Talk to a manager. I suspect you'll be getting your $15 bucks back then.

[Deja Q]

9. Marble? Who do you think I am, Bill Gates?

Wait, if I was Bill the rolling pin would have an integrated Zune running Windows Mobile 5... talk about multitasking! :rofl:

[Callalily]

10. Bill? Oh ummm . . . HypnoToad?

$9.99

http://www.fantes.com/rolling_pins.htm#marble

[Deja Q]

11. Dang. That's a good price for firm marble!

:D

$9.99 plus (hopefully less than $50) shipping and, um, handling...

[cynatnite]

19. I paid almost three times that for mine several years ago

:cry:

but still love it.

[cynatnite]

18. Mine is exactly like that one...

I got tired of the wooden ones. Didn't work the way I wanted. I've had my marble one for years and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Worth every penny!

[yellowdogintexas]

13. Tupperware has the ultimate plastic rolling pin. It is hollow

and has a little cap on the end which allows you to fill it with water, freeze it(or put ice in it) and then you have a cold roller for rolling out those pastries which handle better when chilled.

Your marble roller can also be prechilled, for the same reason.

Regarding sticking, I have found the sticking is due to the moisture content of the dough..if it sticks to the rolling surface it will stick to the rolling pin.

Now if you have a marble or wooden one you can also use it as an emergency toe cramp reliever. put it on the floor, put the arch of your foot on the rolling pin and roll it under your foot, letting the rolling pin bear your weight. It works too. Anything of that approximate diameter that will support your weight will work, actually but my college roommate had a cheap wooden rolling pin for that purpose which we kept in our dorm room. Old fashioned Coca-Cola bottles, the really heavy ones we used to turn in for deposits, work quite well for this. Instant relief from the horrid foot cramp

[havocmom]

20. Dough can be sticky if the atmosphere is more humid than usual too

A bit of flour helps.

Marble rolling pins are great for dough best kept cool. Wooden ones are good for yeast doughs better kept from getting chilled.

One of each works. Right tool for any give job ;)

Had one of the Tupperware ones and thought it would be good for pie crusts (best kept very cold) but when I froze it, moisture from the air condensed on it. NOT GOOD.

[patricia92243]

14. My rolling pin is 70 years old! My Dad made it before I was born. He worked in a factory that made

furniture and stuff. I also have the board that is used to roll out the dough. I still use both but have turned the board into a chopping board. I use it to chop veggies and another one to chop meat - helps on the germ problem.

If your dough is sticking to the rolling pin, dust it AND the top of the dough with flour.

[Joe Fields]

15. I know what you mean. I bought an uncle from Target once.

Tried to return him because he was used...They wouldn't take him back, and now I'm stuck with him.

[BrotherBuzz]

24. Do like we did. Just store him in the closet....

and haul him out and hose him off for special occasions. ;)

[yardwork]

16. Sticky dough sticks to every kind of rolling pin.

If your dough is sticking, toss a little more flour on it. Personally, I think that the heavier the rolling pin, the less likely the dough is to stick. I would think that plastic would be the worst, because it's light (unless you get one of those hollow ones that you can fill with ice water).

[jmowreader]

17. I have a marble one.

The ONLY way the fucking thing works is if you keep it in the refrigerator. Otherwise it's like your piecrust recipe contains Gorilla Glue or something.

[BrotherBuzz]

21. My Pops made the biscuits every Saturday mornings and used a glass milk bottle in lieu of a pin...

because we didn't have one. Times got better and acquired the standard wooden pin, yet, after tasting Pops biscuits, I have to say they tasted better made with the milk bottle. Lots of things were better back then. Times have been better.

[Rosemary2205]

22. I have a 90 yr old marble one.

the barrel is white marble and the handles are black marble. Family heirloom and it's FABULOUS.

[krispos42]

23. Keeps the offspring in line, too

[TreasonousBastard]

25. Coupla small points...

lots of tests have been done over the years, and wood is naturally antibacterial, so often safer than plastic, but not always-- scrub everything.

Plastic is much worse than wood when it gets small scratches-- like on a cutting board. Bacteria can't easily be washed away and the board has to be sterilized somehow.

Having used several dozen rolling pins over the years, I found the traditional French one to be the most useful. One with tapered ends seems to be even more useful. Cheaply availalbe at restaurant supply stores, or even more cheaply available at lumber yards where they are called 1 1/2 or 2 inch maple dowels.

Last time I returned something that didn't work to Target, they gave me the return with no problem. It is possible that slamming a rolling pin coated with stale dough on the counter caused gag reflexes in the clerk that ended badly for you.

[neweurope]

26. It is NOT TRUE that wood collects more bacteria.

Quite the contrary! Wood has substances which kill bacteria. American scientists have made tests - oh, about 20 years ago... They found if they left unwashed wooden cutting boards over night most of the bacteria had died the next morning. While the microscopic cuts in plastic boards hoarded plenty of bacteria. Ever since I don't use plastic any more; I have wooden spoons, cutting boards, rolling pin etc. etc. Which also looks MUCH better than that cheap plastic - and wood just grows, we don't need oil to produce it.


-------------------------

Remember Fallujah
Bush to The Hague!

[Tektonik]

27. this post is true

It's been found time and again that in the long run wood is much safer than plastic. Wood breathes and has pores which will end up drying up any bacteria caught in the wood, or hell it'll get nuked by your dishwasher or w/e washing method you use.

Plastic is probably cleaner when the board is new, but when the board gets nicked up, those nicks can collect bacteria that are much harder to actually clean up than anything you'd do to a wood surface since plastic doesn't breath at all.