Should one oil unfinished wooden rolling pins, as one would oil (with
mineral oil) a wooden spoon or cutting board, for example? If you
look at the description of the unfinished Vic Firth rolling pins on
Amazon, they say that "over time, flour penetrates the wood's
pores--making the pin less sticky than finished pins." I'm not sure I
buy it, plus it seems a bit unsanitary. Opinions?

TIA,

Randall

"Randall Nortman" wrote in message
.net...
Should one oil unfinished wooden rolling pins, as one would oil (with
mineral oil) a wooden spoon or cutting board, for example? If you
look at the description of the unfinished Vic Firth rolling pins on
Amazon, they say that "over time, flour penetrates the wood's
pores--making the pin less sticky than finished pins." I'm not sure I
buy it, plus it seems a bit unsanitary. Opinions?


I have never oiled any of my rolling pins.

On Mon, 05 Dec 2005 21:49:01 GMT, Randall Nortman
wrote:

Should one oil unfinished wooden rolling pins, as one would oil (with
mineral oil) a wooden spoon or cutting board, for example? If you
look at the description of the unfinished Vic Firth rolling pins on
Amazon, they say that "over time, flour penetrates the wood's
pores--making the pin less sticky than finished pins." I'm not sure I
buy it, plus it seems a bit unsanitary. Opinions?

Definitely do NOT oil wood rolling pins. Flour and dough will stick
to it forever. Do rub with flour several times before initial use.
The pin will get better as you use it. Most pins are made out of
maple, which has very small pores. Do not, unless absolutely
necessary, wash your pin. After use, rub it with flour to get off any
residue form wet dough.

Unsanitary? Maybe, but if you haven't died yet from eating any rolled
out goods in restaurants or bakeries. you will survive.
------------
There are no atheists in foxholes
or in Fenway Park in an extra inning
game.
____

Cape Cod Bob

Delete the two "spam"s for email

"Randall Nortman" wrote in message
If you
look at the description of the unfinished Vic Firth rolling pins on
Amazon, they say that "over time, flour penetrates the wood's
pores--making the pin less sticky than finished pins." I'm not sure I
buy it, plus it seems a bit unsanitary. Opinions?

Do you think they are just kidding you? Ask your grandmother if she ever
oiled her rolling pin. Go ahead, she can use a laugh.

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
...
"Randall Nortman" wrote in message
If you
look at the description of the unfinished Vic Firth rolling pins on
Amazon, they say that "over time, flour penetrates the wood's
pores--making the pin less sticky than finished pins." I'm not sure I
buy it, plus it seems a bit unsanitary. Opinions?

Do you think they are just kidding you? Ask your grandmother if she ever
oiled her rolling pin. Go ahead, she can use a laugh.

If I have anything really sticky on my rolling pin, I will run a scraper
(bench knife) up and down the length of it. Before I stick it in the
drawer, I do wipe it well with a kitchen towel to keep any remaining flour
that still may be on it out of the drawer. I have several wooden rolling
pins. There is one that I have that is heavy and it has some rolling
handles. It looks like it has some sort of coating/shellach or something,
but actually I don't think it does.
Dee Dee
Great-grand-mother

On 2005-12-06, Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"Randall Nortman" wrote in message
If you
look at the description of the unfinished Vic Firth rolling pins on
Amazon, they say that "over time, flour penetrates the wood's
pores--making the pin less sticky than finished pins." I'm not sure I
buy it, plus it seems a bit unsanitary. Opinions?

Do you think they are just kidding you? Ask your grandmother if she ever
oiled her rolling pin. Go ahead, she can use a laugh.

Unfortunately asking my grandmother is no longer an option, but I do
recall that my mother used one of those cloth rolling pin covers over
a wooden rolling pin, and never washed the cover. It looked rather
gross, but then again I am still alive, as somebody else pointed out
earlier in this thread. I suppose that bare wood will not trap nearly
as much stuff as cotton, so it probably would not be quite so
gross-looking.

I actually was not as skeptical about the general idea of not washing
the rolling pin as I was skeptical that the pin would improve over
time as it "seasons", any more than a good sanding would do to smoooth
the surface. I'm just not sure that much flour would remain in the
pores over time, but I will give it a try and see for myself.

I am also curious, though, what oiling the pin would really do, since
the wooden spoon I use to mix doughs and batters seems to be much more
non-stick when it has been recently oiled. But I'm not curious enough
to risk ruining a good rolling pin to find out. (I also suspect the
results are very different for lean bread dough vs. buttery pastry
dough.)

Thanks to all for the reality check,

Randall

On Tue 06 Dec 2005 07:03:38a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Randall
Nortman?

On 2005-12-06, Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"Randall Nortman" wrote in message
If you
look at the description of the unfinished Vic Firth rolling pins on
Amazon, they say that "over time, flour penetrates the wood's
pores--making the pin less sticky than finished pins." I'm not sure I
buy it, plus it seems a bit unsanitary. Opinions?

Do you think they are just kidding you? Ask your grandmother if she
ever oiled her rolling pin. Go ahead, she can use a laugh.

Unfortunately asking my grandmother is no longer an option, but I do
recall that my mother used one of those cloth rolling pin covers over
a wooden rolling pin, and never washed the cover. It looked rather
gross, but then again I am still alive, as somebody else pointed out
earlier in this thread. I suppose that bare wood will not trap nearly
as much stuff as cotton, so it probably would not be quite so
gross-looking.

I actually was not as skeptical about the general idea of not washing
the rolling pin as I was skeptical that the pin would improve over
time as it "seasons", any more than a good sanding would do to smoooth
the surface. I'm just not sure that much flour would remain in the
pores over time, but I will give it a try and see for myself.

I am also curious, though, what oiling the pin would really do, since
the wooden spoon I use to mix doughs and batters seems to be much more
non-stick when it has been recently oiled. But I'm not curious enough
to risk ruining a good rolling pin to find out. (I also suspect the
results are very different for lean bread dough vs. buttery pastry
dough.)

Well, for one thing, oiling the pin periodically does help preserve the
wood, just as it does with a cutting board.

I am using a birdseye maple rolling pin that my parents bought in 1937 and
it's as beautiful as it was the day it was bought. My mom was a frequent
pie and pastry baker, so the pin had a lot of use over the years. It was
never used with a cloth cover. Normally, after use, it just gets a good
dry rub with a towel and put back in the drawer. If pastry has been
sticky, it gets a very quick washing in soapy water, rinsed, dried, and
left out for a while before storage. A couple of times a year I give it a
good rubbing with vegetable oil, allow it to sit a few hours, then rub dry
with a cloth. The pin never sticks and I know I'll never have to replace
it in my lifetime.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

On Mon 05 Dec 2005 04:43:15p, Cape Cod Bob wrote in rec.food.equipment:

On Mon, 05 Dec 2005 21:49:01 GMT, Randall Nortman
wrote:

Should one oil unfinished wooden rolling pins, as one would oil (with
mineral oil) a wooden spoon or cutting board, for example? If you
look at the description of the unfinished Vic Firth rolling pins on
Amazon, they say that "over time, flour penetrates the wood's
pores--making the pin less sticky than finished pins." I'm not sure I
buy it, plus it seems a bit unsanitary. Opinions?

Definitely do NOT oil wood rolling pins. Flour and dough will stick
to it forever. Do rub with flour several times before initial use.
The pin will get better as you use it. Most pins are made out of
maple, which has very small pores. Do not, unless absolutely
necessary, wash your pin. After use, rub it with flour to get off any
residue form wet dough.

Hogwash!

Unsanitary? Maybe, but if you haven't died yet from eating any rolled
out goods in restaurants or bakeries. you will survive.
------------
There are no atheists in foxholes
or in Fenway Park in an extra inning
game.
____

Cape Cod Bob

Delete the two "spam"s for email




--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

On 6 Dec 2005 15:43:55 +0100, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:

... Normally, after use, it just gets a good
dry rub with a towel and put back in the drawer. If pastry has been
sticky, it gets a very quick washing in soapy water, rinsed, dried, and
left out for a while before storage. A couple of times a year I give it a
good rubbing with vegetable oil, allow it to sit a few hours, then rub dry
with a cloth.

Any particular reason why that wouldn't be better done with mineral
oil?

-- Larry

On Tue 06 Dec 2005 02:40:40p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it pltrgyst?

On 6 Dec 2005 15:43:55 +0100, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:

... Normally, after use, it just gets a good
dry rub with a towel and put back in the drawer. If pastry has been
sticky, it gets a very quick washing in soapy water, rinsed, dried, and
left out for a while before storage. A couple of times a year I give it a
good rubbing with vegetable oil, allow it to sit a few hours, then rub dry
with a cloth.

Any particular reason why that wouldn't be better done with mineral
oil?

Yes, I rarely if ever have mineral oil in the house. Certainly no reason you
couldn't use it.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

On 2005-12-06, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
[...]
I am using a birdseye maple rolling pin that my parents bought in 1937 and
it's as beautiful as it was the day it was bought. My mom was a frequent
pie and pastry baker, so the pin had a lot of use over the years. It was
never used with a cloth cover. Normally, after use, it just gets a good
dry rub with a towel and put back in the drawer. If pastry has been
sticky, it gets a very quick washing in soapy water, rinsed, dried, and
left out for a while before storage. A couple of times a year I give it a
good rubbing with vegetable oil, allow it to sit a few hours, then rub dry
with a cloth. The pin never sticks and I know I'll never have to replace
it in my lifetime.

Out of curiosity -- do you use this oiled rolling pin just for pastry
doughs, or also for bread doughs (like pizza crust, pitas, etc.)?

On Wed 07 Dec 2005 06:13:40p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Randall
Nortman?

On 2005-12-06, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
[...]
I am using a birdseye maple rolling pin that my parents bought in 1937
and
it's as beautiful as it was the day it was bought. My mom was a
frequent
pie and pastry baker, so the pin had a lot of use over the years. It
was
never used with a cloth cover. Normally, after use, it just gets a good
dry rub with a towel and put back in the drawer. If pastry has been
sticky, it gets a very quick washing in soapy water, rinsed, dried, and
left out for a while before storage. A couple of times a year I give it
a
good rubbing with vegetable oil, allow it to sit a few hours, then rub
dry
with a cloth. The pin never sticks and I know I'll never have to
replace
it in my lifetime.

Out of curiosity -- do you use this oiled rolling pin just for pastry
doughs, or also for bread doughs (like pizza crust, pitas, etc.)?


I use it for pie pastry, other pastries, and many bread doughs. I don't
roll pizza dough, as I pull and press it into shape. I don't make pita
bread.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!