A rolling pin is an essential tool for a kitchen. Whether you are cooking or baking, you will find the need for it at one point in different recipes. But what if you do not have one with you in your kitchen? Would that mean that you will need to avoid the recipe altogether? Absolutely not!
If you have a rolling pin substitute, you can easily carry out that recipe without needing the tool itself. But what can you use as a rolling pin replacement? Well, that is precisely what we will talk about in this guide. So, if you want to know it all, you should stick till the end.
What Is Rolling Pin and What Are the Uses of It?
Before discussing a substitute for a rolling pin, we want to ensure that you have a fair idea of a rolling pin. You can get a rough idea if you think of it as a long cylinder. It comes in different weights and lengths. Also, they are made of different kinds of materials.
Usually, the homemade rolling pin is made of wood. The other ones available in the market are primarily made of thick plastic, hollow metal, marble, or other materials.
Despite the material, most of the rolling pins will have handles on both ends of the cylinder. Some of the rolling pin models have handles attached to the cylindrical pin. On the other hand, some pins have a rotating cylinder on the exterior. The cylinder turns as your roll.
Now, the list of the uses of a rolling pin is quite extensive. Most culinary tasks can take advantage of the tool. However, not all the cooks consider the rolling pins for carrying out those tasks.
That said, the primary job of this tool is to roll dough flat, at least that is what many of us think. Many of the pie, cookie, and other recipes will require you to flatten the baking dough to a specific thickness. And that is where the rolling pin steps in.
If you were to flatten a big piece of dough, a rolling pin should be your go-to choice. However, the rolling pins can also grind whole spices. You can even use these to tenderize meat! Also, it will be possible to use the pin as a mold for different baking projects.
Rolling Pin Alternative - Find Perfect Substitute Now in Your Kitchen!
Got no rolling pin in your kitchen? Have to flatten the dough to a particular thickness? Well, these alternatives to rolling pin have got your back:
1. Wine Bottle
One of the easiest ways to get yourself a DIY rolling pin would be to look at your cabinet. We are pretty sure that you will find an empty wine bottle there. Yes, you can use it as an alternative to a rolling pin when empty. You can even use it when it is half empty or full.
Want to know if it is a suitable replacement or not? If you look at the shape of the bottle, it closely resembles a kitchen tool. It even has a handle on one side! Nonetheless, if you want something slightly heavy, you can fill the bottle up with water. That will add some heft to it and make things easier for you.
However, do not just use the bottle without cleaning it. You need to wipe the exterior properly with soap and water to ensure that the body is clean. Then, pat the bottle dry with a paper towel and dust the surface with a bit of flour. Finally, use the bottle just like a rolling pin and flatten the dough.
2. Drinking Glass
Did you know that a long cylindrical drinking glass makes for a great rolling pin? Absolutely! However, you must choose a drinking glass with straight and smooth sides. Note that a plastic cup will not work that well. So, when we are talking about drinking glass, we are talking about glass.
Plastic cups will not work because they are not as heavy as drinking glasses. And you will have a hard time trying to flatten something with them. Nonetheless, clean the surface with warm water and dishwashing soap when you get yourself a tall glass. Then, dust it with some flour to prevent the batter from sticking to its surface.
After that, you need to gently push down the glass back and forth to work on your dough. However, you should note that it might break if you push too hard near the top of the glass. Usually, drinking glasses are thinner on that part. So, you should be a bit careful when working with a drinking glass.
3. Water Bottle
Like a wine bottle, you can use a reusable water bottle as a backup rolling pin. In this case, you can either use stainless steel or plastic bottles as a substitute. Now, you might wonder why the plastic bottle will not be capable of flattening the dough as they are thin. Here is the trick: you need to fill them up with water.
You could do the same with the stainless steel, even though they will be capable of handling the pressure. The water will make the bottle a bit heavy and make it easier to get your batter on the targeted thickness. You should clean the exterior and dry it up with some flour before anything else, no matter which one you use.
4. Soda Can
We are still looking for more beverage containers to be a proper alternative to rolling pins. If you look at the soda cans, you will notice that they are perfectly cylindrical. Yes, we know that soda cans are a little on the short side. But you can still work on hefty doughs with them. You need to do extra passes.
However, if you plan to use a soda can, it would be better to use it when it is full. An empty can will be pretty flimsy, and it will not be capable of holding its shape correctly if you use it empty.
If you are planning to drink the soda inside after using it as a rolling pin, you need to keep it upright for a few hours before opening it. After that, the carbonation will settle down, and you will not drench yourself with the soda.
5. PVC Pipe
At this point, we are going a little crazy with the alternatives. If you have a PVP or PVC pipe lying around at your home, you can use it to roll down your dough perfectly. If you have a large one lying around, you could measure it and cut it accordingly.
However, if you are to use a PVC pipe as a rolling pin, we recommend getting one that is still new. And even when you have a new pipe, clean it inside and outside thoroughly before making the surface touch food.
6. Tortilla Press
What if we told you that the tortilla press does a great job of flattening cookie doughs? Yes, it does! It is a great tool that you can use as a rolling pin replacement. However, if you were to replace the rolling pin with the tortilla press, you need to prepare the tool and use it properly.
First, line it with plastic wrap or dust the tortilla press with flour. Next, place a small ball of dough in the middle of the press and then close it slowly. You might not want to close the lid all the way through as the dough might be too thin for you to work with.
Instead, close the lid slightly and press down to the point where you think that the thickness is correct.
7. Glass Pie Dish
Make pie often? Then you should have a pie dish lying around. However, if you were to use the glass pie dish as an alternative to a rolling pin, we suggest getting the ones that are 9 inches or large. The smaller ones will not let you work with moderately large-sized doughs.
Nevertheless, when you get the glass pie dish, make sure to clean the bottom part of the plate and dry it up with some flour. Next, keep the dough on a flat surface and press it down with the pie dish. We recommend using a glass pie dish because the foil paper ones will not work.
8. Wooden Dowel
Another carpentry-related thing that will work perfectly as a replacement for the rolling pin is a wooden dowel. However, you should try to get a large dowel because the larger the dowel, the easier it will be for you to work with it. But you can surely get away by using a dowel that is just half inches thick.
Before using the dowel, you must wash the dowel properly and dry it with a paper towel. Ensure that there is no wood flaking on the dowel before using it. Also, to be extra safe regarding the food you are handling, you should cover the dough with a bit of plastic wrap.
9. Your Hands
Last but not least, you can use your hands as a rolling pin if you want to. You have to work a little hard to flatten the dough. So, if possible, search for the items that we discussed above before opting for this method.
Here’s how you do it-open your palm and press on it gently to press the dough. Do not use too much pressure because that will flatten the dough unevenly, which you do not want. Also, when you are working with the dough, ensure that your hands are well floured. If you do not keep your hands floured, the dough will stick with your hands, and you will not end up with a flattened dough.
Final Words
As you can see, if you know what items to consider, getting the right rolling pin substitute becomes a breeze. However, if you ask us to pick one rolling pin alternative among the ones we just talked about, our pick would be the wine bottle. Use wine bottle instead of a rolling pin; just without a handle and made of glass.
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