Pastry Bag and Tips

Sometimes using a pastry bag allows for neater portioning and for making particular shapes. We suggest buying disposable ones. Both tips and bags are available in most cookware stores and online. We state the size of the tip needed in the recipe instructions.

It takes some practice to become proficient at using a pastry bag. First you cut enough off the tip of the bag to allow one-third of the chosen tip to poke through. Make sure it fits snugly in there. Now hold the bag in your non-dominant hand and fold about one-third of the bag down over the hand. Still holding the bag, fill it with your dominant hand. Avoid overfilling it. The more batter there is in the bag, the more force will be required to push the batter out. Better to put too little in than too much. Now, twisting the top of the bag closed to create pressure, push all of the batter to the tip and squeeze out any extra air in the bag. Place your dominant hand at the top of the bag to create pressure and use your nondominant hand to guide the tip. In general, keep the bag perpendicular to the surface you’re piping onto. We suggest looking online for a short educational video. Having the visual will really help.