Winware French Wood Rolling Pin, Tapered

This rolling pin is made of natural wood. It can't be washed in a dish washer. As a matter of fact, it can't be "washed" at all, at least not in the sense that kitchen implements are washed.It should generally just be dusted off after use and kept in some type of bag for storage. It will tend to absorb the oils in shortening, if used on pastry, so that may mean that it needs a wipe down with something akin to Murphy's oil soap, glycerin soap, or light salad oil every few uses (to clean off some of that oil). Follow that with a plain damp rag to remove any residue. Whatever you do, don't immerse it in water because that will raise the grain of the wood and cause splinters. As a matter of fact, the oil it absorbs conditions the wood. So the only concern is to keep it from going rancid by removing most of what is exposed to air, or displacing it with an oil that will keep (and is flavorless and edible).It is made from a rather porous wood and will need a generous dusting of flour before and during use. The porous surface will really hold on to the flour. That should be enough protection for most situations. If you feel a need for disinfecting it, wipe it down with a rag dipped in a 10% bleach solution and wrung until just damp. You can wipe it down with a plain water dipped rag afterward, but it will need a slight conditioning with salad oil or light mineral oil to counteract the effects of the exposure to water.Most of the complaints about splinters and the extremely rough surface of the pin sound like it has been wet somewhere along the way. If one works to keep the pin dry and protected, it should give several years of service before needing replacement.I found that the pin holds on to flour nicely and rolls out pastry dough smoothly without clinging to it or tearing it. I can clean it by brushing off the residue with a kitchen brush and save it wrapped in paper towels and placed inside a plastic or canvas bag. I will probably disinfect it about twice a year; but for now it stores pretty well as is. It has good heft and is easy to work with; however, like all pins of this design, it is pretty long, which means you need lots of room to work with it.The key here is to remember that wood and water don't mix. If that fact is observed, I don't see any reason for this rolling pin to give trouble.The combination of price point and performance earned it five stars from this satisfied user.

In my family we've been using the same rolling pins for 100 years, and I was devastated to have lost mine in a move..so it's not one of those things I buy often, and beware I can't compare it to anything new and fancy, like the teflon pins.The surface feels slightly rough (I see a common complaint) but this is because it's rounded..so of course the wood grain is cut as it angles in..it's a natural surface, not highly sanded or polished, which I like because it holds a dusting of flour, and I don't want to roll out food with something that's been varnished. I grew up with a wooden rolling pin so dusting the pin to prevent sticking just seems normal to me, and things rolled out perfectly.I have never used the french style before, but I love it! I find it easy to flatten things out quickly with less strain than a cylindrical shaped pin. I was worried my rollings would be too thin in the middle because of the shape but this has not been a problem. I have used it to make tortillas and dog cookies so far.I really should give 5 stars, but I'm aware that there are new and improved versions of the rolling pin out there. It's basic, if you've used a natural wooden rolling pin before and know what to expect I think you'll like it. If you've been using something else and aren't accustomed to flouring the pin..things could get sticky!

I hate pins that have handles, and this pin is wide enough to do cinnamon rolls properly. No real problems with pastry sticking (just flour it a little) and a lot easier than a wine bottle (which is what I used before). It isn't overly heavy, which is good for me. I would rather use my body weight than have a crazy heavy roller. Also it fits well in the back of the cabinet out of the way. It's definitely made my rolling easier, and has made it so I don't have to rethink what I want to make because the recipe requires rolling the dough.tl;dr- Good pin. Worth the money.

For $12 you can't really go wrong with this. I wish it was finished a bit better as it's rough in places, but again for the price, I can deal with that. I rubbed it down with the rough side of sponge and applied some food safe wood oil I use for my cutting board. Looks great and is smoother now!

This rolling pin isn't as smooth as I'd like it to be, but a little bit of sand paper will help. When I first got the pin I could feel rough spots, but I'd buy it again for the shape and size that it is.

After reading previous purchasers reviews of this product I decided to try and save a few bucks, brave the rapids and give this a shot. I'm disappointed but not surprised it turned out the be a less than stellar purchase. The rolling pin I received was slightly gritty as several of the previous reviewers pointed out. That, in and of itself, wasn't the main problem as I could have easily run some fine sandpaper over the pin and been satisfied. The big problem was that the rolling pin I received had an intense vinegar smell that only intensified when I tried to wash it. Back it goes. Oh well - it was worth a shot. 99 times out of 100 Amazon comes through - so I have no real complaints. Return was a breeze too - I got a instant amazon gift card credit. So, five stars for service but the rolling pin only gets one.

I was shocked at how big this pin is. i've used it once, it does the job. I think ill buy the stainless steel one too.

this is the only kind of pin to use in the kitchen to roll out sheets like for pizza or pie. since you tend to press more on one side or the other, this pin makes up for the excess lateral pressure helping make an even thickness.