[Brook]

I'm curious what the relative merits of stainless steel and marble rolling pins are. If you have one kind, is there any benefit to getting the other kind? Any information would be welcome! Thanks.

[ShawtyCat]

Id get stainless steel cause Im in love with the stuff, plus I think it would be much lighter than the marble rolling pin. Other than that I have no idea what the difference using one or the other would make. Sorry I wasn't much of a help.

[Kimmie]

Many experts say to stay away from marble rolling pins. They are too heavy and crush the dough. I like the French wooden rolling pin; the one with no handles.

[Jock]

One benefit of a marble rolling pin is you can put it in the refigerator to cool and it will keep it's "cool" for quite a long time. The down side is, they are necessarilly small (usually not more than 10") because anything bigger would be too heavy to manage.

Jock

[LotusCakeStudio]

I'm with Kimmie; I like my wooden French rolling pin the best.

I bought a marble rolling pin several years ago and gave it a try. I thought it was horrible. Crushing the dough is an understatement. What happened to the dough reminded me of when I was a little girl and my FAT brother used to enjoy torturing me. Once while I was laying on the sofa watching TV, he came over and sat on my stomach. I thought I was going to die. And that's what my dough looked like under the evil marble rolling pin. I didn't even apply pressure; I had just layed it on the dough and I swear it gasped in pain. I still tried to roll the dough out anyway and it just didn't work b/c the marble was much too heavy. All glories to the French rolling pin!

Actually... all glories to a sheeter. I was trained using a sheeter before I used a rolling pin and boy lemme tell ya! I was so spoiled that I had a hard time rolling dough the "manual labor" way. If I had the money and the space, I would buy a small sheeter and make a lot more tarts and pies around here. It would be a dream for rolling out fondant too.

[Isa]

Can't believe I miss this thread!


I agree a French rolling pin is great. It's easier to control and the pressure you apply to it transfer directly to the dough you are rolling.

I also wanted a heavier rolling pin. The marble pin's handles were too small for the size of the pin. As for stainless steel, I didn't see any advantage to it. That left the non stick rolling pin.

[momoreg]

The tapered pins are great for rolling softer doughs, as are the French pins. I like the wooden ones with handles for larger amounts, or firmer doughs. The marble pins are sort of a gimmick, for people who think it'll make a difference with colder doughs. But if you work at a reasonable speed, it shouldn't make a difference. Metal pins (non-stick) are also a waste of money. Flour and/or paper is all you need to keep dough from sticking.

[angrychef]

I'm with momoreg. I do prefer maple wood with handles. The one I use is quite large and I use it for everything. Lining full sheet pans with sugar dough to small tartlet molds.

[Isa]

Momo is right, there are more important factor than the surface: Comfort. The rolling pin has to feel comfortable in your hand and have a good grip on the handles. Check out many rolling pin and choose the one that feels good in your hand. There are different kind of handles and weight. Try them in the store and choose one that feels good in your hand.


And who says you can have only one rolling pin...