I love my French rolling pin with tapered ends and have not returned to my more conventional rolling pin in the five years or so since I acquired it. It gives me more pinpoint control, as when a small piece of a pie crust needs to be smoothed out. The French rolling pin isn't quite as useful for pasta sheets, but otherwise, it is far and away the best rolling pin I've ever owned. It was about $25; I think they're pretty reasonably priced because no moving parts.
Hi Irina! We love our Five Two Adjustable Rolling Pin: https://food52.com/shop/products/7635-five-two-adjustable-teak-rolling-pin. We suggest washing with warm, soapy water (and refraining from soaking or running through the dishwasher). You can also use mineral oil or a wood conditioner on it occasionally to keep it in tip-top shape. And these directions really apply to any wooden pin, not just this one!
If you had to pick just one rolling pin for a home kitchen a simple wooden dowel will be the most useful. Professional pastry kitchens will have a variety of rolling pins based on task.
The one I have is 1 7/8" diameter by 20" long. I have no idea how much I paid for it but I do remember that I bought it at a local restaurant supply shop 15+ years ago and it was not pricey.
It does not need any special care. If some dough sticks to it, wipe it off with a clean towel and maybe sprinkle a little flour.
The wine bottle trick does work along with pretty much any decent cylindrical object (like a pickle jar).
The big problem with these stand-ins are the length of the useful surface. For a standard 750 mL Bordeaux-style bottle, the useful rolling length is about 8 inches. For a Burgundy bottle, it's probably 6 inches.
That shortened length forces the user to make multiple passes on the dough for larger dough. This works okay when the user is experienced. It is not a great solution for a new baker.
It is really difficult to get an even rolled dough thickness with such a narrow utensil.
Buy an $8 dowel at a restaurant supply store is a superior solution.
Using a wine bottle is fine at a rented ski cabin minimally stocked with kitchen utensils but this is definitely not a recommendation when a pro-grade rolling pin can be had for less than ten bucks.
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The one I have is 1 7/8" diameter by 20" long. I have no idea how much I paid for it but I do remember that I bought it at a local restaurant supply shop 15+ years ago and it was not pricey.
It does not need any special care. If some dough sticks to it, wipe it off with a clean towel and maybe sprinkle a little flour.
The big problem with these stand-ins are the length of the useful surface. For a standard 750 mL Bordeaux-style bottle, the useful rolling length is about 8 inches. For a Burgundy bottle, it's probably 6 inches.
That shortened length forces the user to make multiple passes on the dough for larger dough. This works okay when the user is experienced. It is not a great solution for a new baker.
It is really difficult to get an even rolled dough thickness with such a narrow utensil.
Buy an $8 dowel at a restaurant supply store is a superior solution.
Using a wine bottle is fine at a rented ski cabin minimally stocked with kitchen utensils but this is definitely not a recommendation when a pro-grade rolling pin can be had for less than ten bucks.