Are you in the middle of a piping tool dilemma? Unsure whether you should be buying piping bags, icing bottles, piping tips, or couplers? Below is a guide that I created detailing the uses of different piping tools as per my personal experience. Keep in mind that selecting the best option will significantly be based on what you are trying to achieve.
All About Piping Bags
There are several types of piping bags available in the market, they are a combination of thin, thick, reusable, disposable, bags that need piping tips, and tip-less.
Thin, Disposable, Tip-Less Piping Bags
Advantages:
- Thin, disposable, tip-less piping bags are versatile.
- It is easy to tie a knot at the end of the bag. However, you are always welcome to use a clip..
- Easy clean-up.
- Can be used for with or without piping tips and couplers.
- Inexpensive
Disadvantages:
- Due to the thin material, the bag can easily be punctured or torn.
Advantages:
- These bags can withstand more pressure because of the thicker material.
- Thick disposable bags are great for use with couplers.
- Easy clean-up
- Can be used for flooding cookies even without a piping tip.
- Inexpensive
Disadvantages:
These bags cannot be used as tip-less if you are trying to pipe more intricate details which means that you always need a piping tip.
Advantages:
- Reusable bags are eco-friendly.
Disadvantages:
- These bags are already pre-cut, which means that they can only be used with piping tips and couplers.
- Washing the bags after use.
- More costly than the disposable bags.
All About Piping Bottles
Piping bottles or squeeze bottles are used by some Cookiers in both piping and flooding. Wilton and Sweet Sugarbelle are the two brands that I know that carry cookie icing bottles. The Wilton bottles come with a plastic tip while the Sweet Sugarbelle ones have couplers and metal tips. Additionally, you can also consider trying the $1 sauce bottles (as shown in the first photo below). The important aspects that I considered before purchasing them were: ease of squeezing and an air tight seal.
All About Piping Tips
Piping tips come in different sizes, shapes, and materials. Selecting a tip will depend on the type of project that you are working on. Example, for flooding a cookie, you can use the bigger round tips like Wilton #3 or Wilton #4, for flowers, you can go for Wilton #101, and so on. Remember that these are reusable so it is a good idea to initially purchase one type at a time.
All About Couplers
A coupler is a tool that allows you to change a bag’s piping tip without the need to transfer the icing. All you have to do is to unscrew the coupler, replace the tip, and then put the screw back on. With that said, you DO NOT need a coupler all the time.
I hope this post helped you in your piping tool dilemma. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below and I will try my best to answer them.
Happy Baking!
Kathleen
