Lew, I have always used mineral oil on my cutting boards and pins. I saw where one guy was using shellac

 

What are your thoughts on Shellac and other finishes for rolling pins? 

When I was making and selling rolling pins and cutting boards, the only thing that I would use was straight Mineral Oil. Mineral oil is the cheapest and easiest finish for wood items that will be used for food preparation. It is also the most likely finish that would actually be used by the consumer as it is easy to do, but the reality is that most people (apart from woodworkers) will never do a thing to maintain their cutting boards or rolling pins. I ran across a number of folks (woodworkers mostly) that used a combination of Mineral Oil and Wax melted together, but for the client it would be more of a challenge to keep up with the oil/wax blend on a regular basis. I have seen commercially made rolling pins that had a spray on clear coat finish, but not sure if it was Shellac or something else food safe. The problem with a clear coat finish is that it will crack and flake off over time. As long as the finish is food safe it is no problem from the consumer end food-wise. But it does look pretty ugly when you see it all flaking off and getting into your pie crust. I personally wold stick with mineral oil. With every cutting board and rolling pin I sold or gave as a gift I always included very clear and concise written instructions for maintaining them. Once it left my hands and went into their hands it was all up to them from that point on.

Thank you, I'll stick with mineral oil.

What Allen said...

Ron,

Per America's test kitchen, on a rolling pin you want a rough/fuzzy surface say 120 grit and no film finish so that flour sticks to the pin and the dough doesn't. If you have a smooth or film finish flour won't cling to your pins and your dough will. Thus as stated above only mineral oil should be used.

Now that is a really big point, what good is a roller if the dough sticks? Make a lot o sense.