Pastry bags are useful for decorating cakes and creating decorative arrangements with semi-solid foods. They come in various materials and shapes, with different types of tips for different designs. Durable bags are more expensive but worth the investment. It’s possible to make a temporary bag using a plastic resealable bag.
A pastry bag is a great thing to have in the kitchen, particularly if you like to pipe icing on cakes or attempt more complicated decorations. You can also use a pastry bag to create decorative arrangements of any type of semi-solid food. Using the bag is simple enough, although it can take some time and a little artistry to create more complex designs.
The plain pastry bag can be made of fabric (often cotton), plastic, nylon, canvas, or plastic-lined cotton. These bags are meant to be used repeatedly and can be washed and stored for later use. Lightweight or disposable plastic bags can also be useful, particularly if you’re decorating or piping food on the go or don’t plan on decorating much. The shape of each bag is conical, with a small opening at the bottom of the cone and a large one at the top. Some bags have a coupler in the smaller hole that looks a bit like a screw, that you would put various decorating bits onto.
The choice of decorative tips, which are typically made of plastic or metal, varies widely. They come in star and flower shapes and in a variety of different aperture sizes. The basic tip has a round or only semi-oblong opening. If you have the type of bag that doesn’t have the coupler, you simply insert the tip into the smaller hole, from inside the bag, load your icing or other semi-solid food and you’re ready to pipe and decorate the bag’s contents for you. Heart.
While you can be extremely elaborate in your choice of piping bag suggestions, if you just want basic piping you may only be able to buy a few. Alternatively, you can purchase a set of tips that give you many different options. Having a good book on cake decorating, if you plan on making rosettes, flowers or other things is a great idea. For simpler piping, a simple, fairly broad tip will make wonderful whipped cream toppings on desserts, or decoratively fill éclairs or cream puffs, or add a little extra flare and style to the presentation of other semi-solid foods.
The price of the pastry bag and that of the decorative tips vary. Expect to pay a little more for the durable types and less for the disposables. If you find that you like plumbing and decorating, it’s well worth the money for durable bags. You’ll find the best selection of bags and tips online and in cake decorating stores. Other places to look are stores that carry a wide variety of kitchen gadgets, such as Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table, and many craft stores also carry cake decorating equipment.
It is possible to make your own temporary pastry bag, and some people actually find it much easier. Sometimes the tips outlast the bag and you find yourself needing a pastry bag, with no time to purchase one. The easiest method to make a pastry bag is to use a gallon-sized plastic resealable bag. Punch a hole in the bag in one of its bottom corners, just big enough to fit the decorative tip. This will easily allow you to pipe and decorate easily, although it usually only works for one use.
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