Culinary expert Colleen Miner shares tips on working with rolling pins and discusses the various types of pins and how to use them.
- American-style rolling pins are about 10 to 15 inches long, have a metal dowel running through the center and handles on both ends of the pin. They are good for rolling dough for heavy breads because they are easy to grip.
- French rolling pins are about 18 to 20 inches long, have no handles and are great for rolling out any type of dough.
- Tapered French pins have ends that are narrower than the middle and work great for delicate dough. They are perfect for rolling out pie crusts because one end can be anchored and the other pivoted in a circle to make round pastries.
- Hardtack rolling pins are used for making Scandinavian flat breads and crackers. Once the dough has been rolled out, it is given a once-over with a hardtack, which embosses it with indentations that restrict oven rise and give the crackers a rough texture and easy-to-break finish.
- To prevent dough from sticking to a rolling pin, cover it with a clean knee-high nylon stocking and lightly dust with flour.
- Marble rolling pins can be put into the freezer for a few hours to chill, which makes pie crust and pastry dough less likely to stick. The colder the dough is when you're working with it, the better.
- A rolling pin is great for flattening a chicken breast. Start by placing the breast between two pieces of wax paper, then roll over it a few times.
- Rolling pins are perfect for crushing tortilla chips, potato chips, pretzels or nuts. Just place them in a plastic bag and roll over them.
- Another way to grind peppercorns or other whole spices is to place them in a small but strong plastic bag, then roll over them a few times.
- When rolling out a pie crust, thoroughly flour the work surface as well as the rolling pin. Next lay the chilled dough in the floured area and work from the inner part of the dough to the outer edges on all sides until you've formed a thin circle.
- A flaky crust comes from a high fat-to-flour content. The less flour added, the better, so roll out pie crusts between two sheets of wax paper instead of adding flour.
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