Craig Thornburrow

What Kind of Icing Bags Do You Need to Buy?

Icing bags are important to the home baker, so what kind do you need to buy?

If you plan to decorate cakes, cookies or other baked goods, you are eventually going to need icing bags. The more that you bake, the better your bag will need to be. If you are just a casual, occasional baker, then you may make do with the lesser quality bags. Disposable bags are a great choice and may come in handy for days where you are changing colors and/or icing tips frequently. For bigger jobs that are using only one color, you can use a durable, reusable bag and just refill as you go.

For the first timer who is done making do with alternatives, the choice of bags can be daunting. If you are concerned, you might ask someone who is an expert in the field (such as a bakery worker) what they use. You might also consider taking a cake decorating class not only to get familiar with the equipment that you will need but also to learn some new techniques while you are at it. It is not required that you master everything, but if you can learn the basics, you will be very happy.

During the class, you will learn the best way to fill an icing bag. It is always best not to overfill them because it can cause them to leak and create a very large mess. You should also give a few test squeezes to make sure that the icing tip is in place correctly before you get started. Practice the basic moves, which include circles, shells and star shapes before you try to take on the more complex decorating methods.

What you are most comfortable will be what you should buy but that may take some experimentation. Some people think that the reusable bags are a little too stiff and too difficult to squeeze properly. Others may worry that the disposable bags are too thin and are too prone to breaking or leaking while they are working. That may mean that they have to stop, refill a bag and then get started once again.

There are a few tricks to using the icing bag the right way, including placing it in a tall but sturdy drinking glass to fill, pulling a cuff down over the glass and then pulling it back up once the bag has been filled. That way, you don’t have to worry that you are putting too much icing in your bag at one time. You should also consider the type of tips you will be using when you are decorating, making sure that yours will be compatible with the type of icing bags that you plan to use.

Article Tags: Icing Bags

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