December 11, 2010

Uses for a pastry bag

Other than the obvious icing flowers and cake borders, a pastry bag can be a useful tool in the kitchen.

It's the easiest way to make Lebkuchen and meringue cookies, like Haselnussbrötchen and amaretti. Drop a large round tip (Ateco 806 through 809) into a 14-inch pastry bag and spoon the batter or dough in. Once the batter/dough is in the bag, forming the cookies goes lickety split and they come out as perfect circles.

With a large star tip, a pastry bag can also substitute for a spritz press. It can't do trees (unless you buy this tip), but wreathes, S's and hearts are very doable.

A quick swirl of icing on top of a cupcake looks nearly professional, especially when made with a star tip (just be sure to use a star tip and not a plain tip with chocolate icing, or you'll wind up on Cake Wrecks). Again, it's fast and easy. Add sprinkles and every kid in the area will want to be your friend.

I like to clean my pastry bag twice: first by squeezing a drop of dishsoap into the bag and rubbing the bag back and forth in my hands to get out most of the fat. Then I turn it inside out and pop it in the top rack of the dishwasher; this is especially necessary when I've made an all-shortning icing.