My #1 tip for filling a piping bag is – don’t substitute a ziptop bag for one. The end.
Ok, there's more to it than that, but please remember that tip. And if you DO use a ziptop bag, don't tell me. These tips are for whether you're using royal icing or buttercream frosting.
Why not use a baggie as a piping bag?
Baggies and ziptop bags are unwieldy, they explode, and they’re not the right shape or size. Here's what will happen: you'll be piping a detail onto one cookie on a tray. The ziptop bag will violently explode, and icing will land on all of the other cookies on the tray. And your hands. And your floor. Promise me that you won’t use those. Ok? Ok.
Types of piping bags
- Reusable plastic bags. These seem like a great idea in theory, but they tend to hold onto fat, leaving the insides greasy. This is a disaster for royal icing. They're very, very difficult to clean well.
- Tipless bags. Thin and textured on the outside, disposable tipless bags are meant to be used without tips (you cut the tip off with scissors.) They are currently all the rage in the cookie decorating community. I tend to only use them when I'm doing a quick detail on just a few cookies or flooding just a few and don't want to get out my squeeze bottles. I must use a lot of pressure when I decorate cookies because these tend to pop and spring leaks on me.
- Disposable piping bags. These are my favorite and what I'm featuring in this post. They're thicker than the tipless and never, ever pop. I like using icing tips rather than cutting a bag tip and hoping for the right size.
How to fill a piping bag
Let’s get to the business of filling a piping bag. These steps are for when you’re using a coupler and icing tips, or just an icing tip, or no tip at all.
What is an icing coupler?
If you’ve never used a coupler before, it’s a great little tool that allows you to switch icing tips without using a new piping bag. The coupler is in two pieces and is threaded like a nut and bolt. One piece goes into the piping bag, and the other screws on OVER the piping bag to secure it - and an icing tip - into place.
First, slide the large part of the coupler into the piping bag.
Cut the bag just past the end of the coupler. Some piping bag instructions will tell you to cut the bag at the threads. I find this leads to leaking bags. Leaking is not good when it comes to icing. Actually, is it ever good? Diapers, pipes, national security secrets. Leaks = no bueno.
Next, place the icing tip over the bag and onto the coupler. For outlining a cookie, I like to use a #2 tip. If you're just starting out with decorating cookies, maybe try a #3. This will result in a thicker line but is a good place to start.
If you’re not using a tip at all, that’s pretty easy. Just snip the end of the bag.
Now that the bag is prepared, fold down the top to make a cuff.
Hold the bag with your non-dominant hand inside the cuff.
With your dominant hand, spoon the icing or frosting into the bag. (It’s really tricky taking a picture of this step.) You can also use a tall glass to hold the cuffed bag if this feels uncomfortable. I find pint glasses are great for beer AND holding piping bags.
This is important: Fill the bag no more than 2/3rds full.
Unfold the cuff, push the icing all the way down, and twist the bag where the icing ends.
If you’ll be working with the icing for a while, consider using bag ties or twist ties. I like to put one at the top of the icing and one near the top of the bag. That one at the top keeps dried bits of icing from escaping. It’s especially helpful when working with royal icing.
Voila! Happy piping!
