Back to basics: how to fill a piping bag

The single most important technique I’ve learnt since I started baking back in 2011 came from a chef at Lenotre in Cannes: in my first course about macarons, he explained us how to fill and use a piping bag.

The piping bag is widely used both to fill and decorate pastries. So yes, you will definitely need to use it for many of the recipes of this blog, but dont’worry: 1) it’s very easy, and 2) it automatically makes you look cool! 🙂

Nevertheless if you don’t know the simple professional technique to fill the bag with cream or frosting, chances are you are going to spill everything on your hands and all over the kitchen. 🙂

I use disposable plastic piping bags, which you can find in professional stores or online (mine come at 0.10€ per bag, pretty cheap), since they are the best choice for me: those made of fabric are hard to wash and not 100% hygienic in my opinion.

How to fill a piping bag without making a mess?

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Directions

As first thing, place the tip of your choice inside the bag and push it down

With the scissors, mark the point where you want to cut the bag.

Pull back the tip and then cut on the mark, so that the tip can partially come out without escaping from the bag

Push the tip down again so that it slightly comes out of the bag. From the outside, push your thumb inside the tip so that you temporarily "close" the bag (this way you are sure that when you fill it, nothing will start dripping from the tip)

Now hold the bag in the middle with your weak hand. Place your strong hand inside the bag and push the excess plastic down so to cover your other hand.

Keep holding the bag with one hand: this way you can fill the bag with your strong hand and at the same keep the bag wide open with your other hand (which is also "protected" from any dripping)

Fill the bag by taking the cream or frosting with a spatula (or spoon if you prefer). Do not overfill, since the bag might become difficult to use and the content might come out from the top when you pipe.

You can finally pull up the excess plastic and pull down the tip so that the bag is "open" again at the bottom and the content can flow down

To make sure nothing comes out from the top of the bag, you need to push the content down homogeneously. To do this, hold the bag from the top with your weak hand while placing the bag between the thumb and index of your strong hand which push the cream or frosting down

You might also need to fold the empty part of the bag as an accordion and repeat the action in step 9 to push the content down

You can now keep the bag between the thumb and index of your strong hand and then turn the bottom part of the bag repeatedly (like a candy), to make sure the content is pushed down and has no way to come out from the top. You will keep the bag this way to pipe by pushing the content out with your strong hand.

So, are you able now to fill a piping bag without getting dirty? 😛