Skills: The Rolling Pin
Apart from the being the rampaging chefs weapon of choice this tool needs a balanced and skilled hand to wield it properly, using the rolling pin with dexterity and confidence is a skill that many chefs are suprisingly lacking in. Don't let pastry be your downfall, practice this skill until you get it right

I've seen tiny rolling pins on sale in various high street shops and when rummaging through a friends kitchen drawer I have also stumbled across this odd artefact. A small rolling pin is good for nothing, even if you think it looks cute and happens to fit perfectly inside your kitchen drawer its still a waste of space. A rolling pin needs to be longer than your forearm, if it isn't, you need to resign yourself to rolling mini-pastries for the rest of your life.

The roll:
Place your pastry on a lightly floured work surface (preferably a cold surface)
To roll a circle you must start with one. Use the rolling pin to knock the dough into your starting circle. Use your fingers to maintain a good circumference.
Begin rolling.
Always roll in the same direction. Be firm.
To maintain the pastry in a circular shape roll once (I roll from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock) then rotate the pastry by a small degree.
Roll again, then rotate.
As you roll and rotate the circle will appear lopsided but by the time you have completed one full rotation it will have formed a perfect circle.
Each time you lift the pastry for each rotation be firm and don't be too scared that it might break; pastry is tougher than you think!
From time to time dust the dough and work surface with flour to prevent sticking.
If the pastry becomes too wide to easily turn, roll the pastry over the rolling pin, rotate the pin, then unroll the pastry. Repeat.

The bash:
The very weight of the rolling pin gives it a whole new lease of life for odd jobs around the kitchen....so apart from keeping belligerent chefs in line its also a great tool for crushing nuts (that's cashew nuts, peanuts, walnuts....those kind of nuts.)
Place the offending nuts in (stop smirking) in a tea towel, wrap the towel around the nuts and place on the corner of a solid work surface. (The corner is stronger and makes less noise when struck)
Hammer the tea towel repeatedly until the nuts have been evenly crushed

Maintenance: Wooden rolling pins shouldn't be washed as the extra moisture can warp the pin out of aligment and once wet the rolling pin can damage a perfect pastry. To clean the rolling pin wipe down with a tea towel, to sanitise use a spray on cleaner, then wipe clean. If your rolling pin is to go into storage wipe with a little oil