Glass Rolling Pin
Glass Rolling Pin

Glass Rolling Pin

Type: Food preparation
Material
glass
Purpose
The glass rolling pin had an advantage over a wooden rolling pin. The glass pin could be chilled or, in this case, could be filled with ice chips or cold water so that the dough would not stick to the cold pin as it was being rolled.
Creation Date
1875 – 1899
Date Details
According to 300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles (Franklin 272) many rolling pins of the last half of the nineteenth century were made of glass. Consequently, these three rolling pins could date back to the late 1800's. However, many of the clear glass rolling pins listed in 300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles, that similarly describe the rolling pins above in structure and form, are twentieth century items. A clear glass rolling pin identified in Kitchen Collectibles (Plante 94), which was a giveaway product, purchased filled with Columbus Baking Powder, also confirms a manufacturing date in the early 20th century. It should be noted that baking powder was not developed until after the Civil War and the first baking powder company was Royal Baking Powder, founded in Fort Wayne, which in 1890 moved to New York to become the largest producer of the product. As a result of this information, it is difficult to pinpoint a specific date for this rolling pin, but it is safe to say that it was likely to have been utilized in either the latter part of the 1800's or into the 20th century.
Kitchen Artifact ID
K152
Institutional Collection
Phillips House Museum