Handling dough for pies and tarts, as well as biscuit, pizza, bread and cookie doughs, doesn’t require a lot of equipment; I once rolled out pie dough with a wine bottle at a friend’s sparsely-furnished summer rental. At home, though, I prefer more proper tools. The list of must-haves is short but browse any kitchen store and you’ll find dozens of pastry-related doodads. As a self-confessed gadget freak, I’ve bought my share and I’ve probably bought your share too. It wasn’t always money well spent. The essentials are really just something to roll with and to roll on.
Rolling pin: that’s a tapered, French pin in the photo, my favorite for pies and tarts and the one I’d have if I could only have one. Its weight is just right and the lack of handles means I can put my hands anywhere and get the pressure I need without my knuckles getting in the way. I also have a heavier straight wooden pin, again no handles, for heavier doughs such as puff pastry. I haven’t tried a silicone pin but I’m eager to. (Update: I got one in October, 2007 — the Silpin brand — and I love it! It works.)
Rolling surfaces: speaking of silicone, that’s a Roulpat in the top photo, a very large version of a Silpat. I also use it for some bread doughs and for fondant. While it’s not perfectly non-stick, especially with rich, buttery doughs, it is the best performer in my arsenal and is also non-slip on the counter. A much smaller and far less expensive silicone mat, in the lower photo, was a supermarket buy and is good for quick kneads of processed doughs and for handling scones and biscuits. It’s heavier and since it was only a few dollars, I’m not afraid to use biscuit cutters on it. I also have a large pastry board for aggressive cutting, such as strips for lattice crusts and rugalech or for cut-out cookies.
Non-essentials: On the far left in the photo is a pastry wheel with a crimped edge. They also come with a plain edge. They’re made for cutting lattice strips but a pizza wheel will do the job. So will a ruler and a sharp knife. In the middle is a non-stick pastry blender which I seldom use except for biscuits with shortening; if I’m making pie crust by hand I use my fingers. That’s a mini rolling pin on the right, for tartlettes and other small pastries. Essential? Puh, not in the least but it was inexpensive and cute. My ceramic pie weights, for blind baking, are in a friend’s kitchen this weekend. Dried beans or pennies work as well and if you’re on a cherry binge, save and wash the pits and use those.
When I lived in New York with almost no counter space, I was intrigued by an item in the King Arthur catalogue. It’s a large, round, food-safe flat plastic bag with a zipper almost the whole way around. It’s for pie doughs; put the dough into the floured bag and flatten it, zip it and roll away. It looked so handy but it was about $12, which was ridiculous. Well don’t you know when I moved to The Little Snowball I found that very item at an outlet mall for only $1. At that price a normal person would have bought one.
I bought two.
And they’re not even worth a buck apiece. Clumsy to use, hard to clean, oy what a headache. Eventually I got them clean and I use them when I travel, with liquid toiletries in one and dirty small things in the other. So if you see them, even at a dollar, walk on by. I’ve already bought your share.
