Ina Garten and I, a pro baker, prefer the same type of rolling pin (just $10)

For some people, satisfaction means checking off an item on a to-do list or reaching inbox: zero. But you know what feels gratifying to me? Discovering Ina Garten and I, a former professional baker, have the same feelings about rolling pins. I know, I know, it sounds niche — but we are approaching pie (and soon, cookie) season, and having the right tool makes prepping dough a heck of a lot easier. Sure, you could use the traditional handled variety, but our preference? A tapered style, like the $10 Karryoung French Rolling Pin.

In her book Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That?, Garten says, "I prefer a French rolling pin because I can really feel the dough while I'm rolling it out." I'm inclined to agree; when you use a rolling pin with handles, you're (literally) more removed from the roller itself, which can make it more difficult to gauge things like the thickness of your dough.

With that in mind, a tapered design like that of the Karryoung French Rolling Pin allows for better maneuverability, allowing you to shift the weight of your hands and the position of the roller as necessary. I find it easier (and more effective) to roll dough starting from the center and pushing out — since French rolling pins are thicker in the middle, more pressure is applied to the center of the dough, which can help prevent the edges from becoming too thin.

Another plus? French rolling pins are made of one piece of wood (solid rubberwood, in the case of the Karryoung), making them easier to clean — rolling pins with handles have more crannies that bits of food can get trapped in. Tapered rolling pins are also more lightweight than bulkier handled rollers, generally speaking, meaning less arm fatigue.

Even if you don't bake a lot of pies, a good rolling pin comes in handy for making cookie dough, homemade pasta, cinnamon rolls, flatbreads ... one reviewer even said they use it for tenderizing meat!

Speaking of reviewers, more than 9,000 Amazon customers give this baking essential a solid five stars.

"I've had many different kinds of rolling pins, and this is my favorite," raved one shopper. "It's lightweight, but it gets the job done. It just glides across the dough when I'm baking pies. The handle rolling pins never felt right to me because I have small hands, and it just seemed like I was working so hard to roll out dough."

"I wasn't sure if I would like this type of rolling pin, but wow! It is the best I have ever used!" exclaimed a convert. "I have a spinal issue that causes pain when I use both arms. But this pin allows me to use my hand strength more and gives me a more precise way of starting at the center and rolling out toward the sides. I love it so much, I am going to attempt croissants at some point!"

"I have several rolling pins, but my problem [is] the ones I have are too big for my cabinet space," explained a buyer. "I live in an apartment that hasn't any room to do anything in. This rolling pin is perfect for me. I use it a lot. Easy to handle, easy to clean and just the right size to put in my kitchen drawer."

According to one user, there might be a bit of a learning curve if you've only ever used rolling pins with handles: "[It] requires getting accustomed to ... because I was more used to a rolling pin that moves in the middle." That said, they added, "Very sturdy-feeling, yet elegant ... We used it for holiday/Christmas cooking, as we made a ton of cookies, and it works wonderfully."

"It is different, but I adjusted quickly," echoed a final fan. "My only concern would be storage. I could see where you could easily nick it, putting indentions in your dough, if you just store it in a drawer — but I also purchased a silicone work surface, so [I] just roll it up in there, which protects both."

Once you've rolled out your dough, wrapping it up will be a lot easier with another Ina Garten fave:

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The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.