My Great-Grandmother Didn’t Drink Alcohol, But She Kept a Wine Bottle in Her Freezer—Here’s Why
When I was very young, I spent most of my time with my great-grandmother, my Mamaw Mae. She taught me a lot about cooking, gardening and basic household duties and most of those tips and tricks have stuck with me, especially now that I'm a mom.
I don't recall her ever drinking a glass of wine, but I do remember she always kept a wine bottle in her freezer and the reason was a genius hack that comes in handy when you're working in a hot kitchen.
I grew up in the Deep South, and summer months get extremely hot. My mamaw didn't have central air-conditioning in her home, but she did a lot of baking. You can imagine that the combination of Southern summer heat and a hot oven made her kitchen brutally hot, which can ruin a pie crust or biscuit dough quickly.
She would get up very early in the morning and roll out her dough before it got too hot in the house. To make sure the dough didn't melt and become gummy as she rolled it out, she would use the frozen wine bottle as her rolling pin. If you want to use this trick, too, there are some things to keep in mind.
Related: The Grandpa-Approved Trick to Perfectly Cooked, Silk-Free Corn
How to Use a Wine Bottle as a Rolling Pin
Be sure to select a wine bottle that is the right size. Working with a bottle that is too small or too big can make it harder for you to roll out the dough. Also make sure you remove the label so that you don't have to worry about it peeling off onto your dough or workspace. Before you put the bottle in the freezer, make sure it's empty and clean.
When you're ready to roll out your dough, you simply use the chilled wine bottle like you would use a rolling pin. Because the wine bottle is chilled, it will keep the dough cold as you roll it out.
If you're working with a large batch of dough that takes a while to roll, the wine bottle may start to warm up. If that happens, put the bottle back in the freezer for a few minutes to re-chill. You can also place parchment paper over the dough before you roll it out to avoid any condensation from the wine bottle getting your dough wet.
Once you're done, wash and dry the wine bottle thoroughly before returning it to the freezer.
This trick has worked well for me over the years and it's so simple. Thank you, Mamaw Mae!
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