The Right Way To Fill A Pastry Bag

Though I bake a lot, I’ve always struggled with decorating, especially if there is any piping involve. No matter how I try, I end up with more icing on myself than the intended bake good. But those days are behind me, as baking maven Stella Parks has shown me the right way to fill those troublesome bags.

I highly recommend that you watch the whole video to master preparing and filling a pastry bag, but these are the basic steps:

1. Push a coupler down into your pastry bag, then snip off the tip, making a hole just large enough to accommodate the tip.
2. Twist and tuck the bag down inside the coupler to form a seal.
3. Fit the bag with your tip, and secure it with the coupler ring.
4. Drop the whole thing, tip down, into a drinking glass and fold the ends around the side so it stands up.
5. Scrape whatever icing you’re using into the open bag and twist to close.

You’re now ready to decorate all of the cookies and cakes, but you can store pre-filled bags tip-down until you’re ready to use them. (Step #2 will keep icing from leaking.)

How to Fill a Piping Bag [Serious Eats]