I'm looking at getting a French rolling pin but I want to make sure that I get a good one. I've seen them made from various woods such as oak, cherry, maple, and bamboo. I'd imagine that a harder less porous wood would work better but I'm not certain what wood would work best. So, what's the best wood for a french rolling pin?
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I'd imagine that there's not just one good wood for a rolling pin, and at some point, you can make an aesthetic choice.– Cascabel ♦Commented Aug 9, 2011 at 6:33
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@Jefromi - You're correct, there are probably multiple good woods for a rolling pin. By asking for suggestions I'm trying to avoid doing something silly like getting a wood I thought would be good, but causes problems, like oak, which I learned is probably too heavily grained.– PridkettCommented Aug 9, 2011 at 19:16
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2 Answers
I am not a wood expert, but I have done a fair bit of carpentry as well as cookery. I agree that the key is having nice hard wood with fine grain; you don't want to damage a delicate dough or provide places to stick. Bamboo "wood" is usually a composite material, with the thickness built with layers glued together and then carved/lathed down to shape; so, I imagine it would have little lines that might open over time with use. Oak seems too heavily grained for this application. My french pin is maple. It came from a wood turner who does primarily pens and pencils. He makes pens from a variety of wood but the rolling pins are all maple.
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I think the principle is the same as with cutting boards: fine grains and hard woods, preventing scratching, splitting, and splintering. So, maple seems like a good suggestion.– BobMcGeeCommented Aug 14, 2011 at 5:25
Any fine grained hardwood will do and if it is a solid block that is better than glued up but many are glue ups as well. I would not use walnut personally but maple and white oak--not red-- or ash or hickory are good choices. Poplar if you want to have a slightly less hard wood to turn would work as well.
