How to Choose and Use Decorating Bags

Push the coupler base up into the bag so that you can cut an opening at the mark.

Decorating bags hold the icing and decorating tip so you can create a variety of decorations. In this class, you'll be using three types of bags: Featherweight, Disposable and Parchment.

 Featherweight Bags are reusable, made of flexible, coated polyester. They are strong, lightweight and dishwasher safe, in sizes from 8 in. to 18 in.

Disposable Bags are made to use and toss—no fuss, no muss. Made of strong, flexible plastic, they're easy to handle. Available in 12, 24, 50 and 100 count boxes.

Parchment Triangles are easy to fold into a convenient "throw-away" bag. Made of grease-resistant vegetable parchment paper, available in 12 in. and 15 in. sizes.

The Coupler, and How It Works

Using a two-part device called a coupler lets you interchange several decorating tips without changing the bag.

The two parts of the coupler are the base and the ring. The base fits inside the bag, then you put the decorating tip of your choice over the portion of the coupler that sticks out of the bag. When you screw the ring on, you've locked the decorating tip onto the coupler and bag.

Step 1: Marking the Bag

Remove ring from coupler base. Drop the coupler base, narrow end first, into the bag and push it down as far as you can.

For Featherweight Bags: Using a pen or pencil, mark the spot on the outside where the bottom screw thread (closest to tip) is outlined against the bag material.

For Disposable Bags: Mark a spot on the outside that is 1/4 inch BELOW the bottom screw thread.

Step 2: Cutting the Bag

Step 3: Position Coupler Base and Tip

Push the coupler base down through the opening. One thread should be showing. Place a decorating tip over the part of the base extending from the bag.

Step 4: Lock Tip in Place

Put the ring over the tip and twist it on, locking the tip in place.

Filling the decorating bag

Step 1: Holding the bag

While holding the bag with one hand, fold down the top with the other hand to form a generous cuff over your hand as shown.

Step 2: Filling the bag

With an angled spatula, fill the bag with approximately 1/2 cup of icing.Note: It is important not to overfill the bag; otherwise, excess icing may squeeze out the wrong end.

Step 3: Pull spatula out

Remove icing from the spatula by squeezing the bag with your thumb and fingers against the spatula and pulling spatula out.

Step 4: Close the bag

Close the bag by unfolding the cuff and twisting the bag closed. This forces the icing down into the bag."Burping" the bag: Make sure you release any air trapped in bag by squeezing some of the icing out of the tip into the bowl. This is called "burping" the bag.

Holding The Bag

The angle of the bag to the work surface is only half the story of the bag position. The other half is direction in which the back of the bag is pointed. Correct bag direction is easiest to learn when you think of the back of the bag as the hour hand of a clock. When you hold the bag with the tip in the center of the clock, you can sweep out a circle with the back end of the bag. Pretend the circle you formed in the air is a clock face. The hours on the clock face correspond to the direction you point the back end of the bag.