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?
The best type of wood for a French rolling pin
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A French rolling pin is a real thing. It is also a very convenient thing. I find that I have much better control over my rolling using one rather than the foolish little pins with the handles that get filthy and hurt my knuckles.
As for the 'French' part of the name. I don't know, having never lived in France, whether they actually refer to that style of rolling pin as French. However, I find it extremely unlikely. Probably some English speaker coined the phrase to differentiate that style of pin as one commonly used in France. Hopefully there is a French speaker who can provide more insight. (If you didn't insult them with your question.)
Get good metal
A decent pair of 23 to 30 cm (9 to 12") stainless steel tongs should weigh around 125 to 150 g (4.5 to 5.5 oz); if it weighs less than this it is not going to be strong enough to be truly useful, and will probably bend and break in short order
Longer tongs, say around 35 to 40 cm (13.5 to 15.5") are great if you operate a very hot grill frequently
If it has a locking mechanism (recommended) it should only lock when the tongs are pointed up and squeezed close. It should unlock when pointed down and squeezed. This is normally achieved with a pin just below the hinge pin that is engaged when tipped up. Locks that require fiddling or two hands to operate are a pain, and often fail over time
Go for plain metal, the plastic bits never last very long or stay hygienic, and you will be adding to the rubbish pile before long
I have various tongs like this that have lasted 20 years and are still great
Cheap Chinese tongs are often just chrome plated crap steel. They are bad in so many ways: hygiene, longevity, easy of use, etc
Examples
Good tongs 23 cm with internal locking pin. Cannot bend steel with hands.
Bad tongs with silicone ends that wear out quickly. The two handed locking mechanism that jams or breaks easily
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Best Answer
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.