Kitchen Tool You REALLY have to have!!!!

Welcome back to my weekly blog! I hope you had a great summer. I have eaten and experimented my way through summer so that I could bring you some exciting tips, yummy treats, and help keep you inspired to cook!

This week I am going to highlight a kitchen tool that gets very little recognition but can save you a lot of time (and help you have a lot of FUN) in the kitchen. The pastry bag!

I was very resistant to purchasing it.  I really didn’t think I would use it enough to justify spending $17.90. Wow, was I wrong! Not only did it save me time, but it also helped to add that little extra “something” to simple recipes. And you don’t need ANY cooking experience to utilize this kitchen tool! (Be sure to scroll down and look at the pictures below).

So WHAT does it do? It is probably best known for cake or cupcake decorating, but it is much more than that!! A reusable “bag” (see picture) and set of four tips are what make it fun. Each tip is pictured and below are some ideas of what they can be used for.

Small round tip:

Piping

Dots

Filling mini tartlets

Large round tip:

Filling tartlets

Filling manicotti or large shells

Small star tip:

Same uses as above, but decorative

Frosting cupcakes

Whipping Cream on waffles, cakes, etc.

Large star tip:

Same uses as above

If you have never used a pastry bag before, buy yourself a container (or two) of Cool Whip and go for it! Use your Silpat to practice on, it cleans up easily, just rinse with hot water and some dish soap! Cool Whip is great for topping fresh fruit, cobbler, cupcakes, waffles, etc. You can add food coloring too and make different colors!

As we get closer to the holidays you will see me use this tool more to decorate, pies, cookies, casseroles, and more!

This item is on page 47 of the NEW Demarle At Home Catalog, Pastry Bag, item # TA 000111 for $8.95 and Set of Four Pastry Bag Tips, item # TA000111-A. They are both hand wash in hot soapy water and for that price are a GREAT value. I LOVE my pastry bag (and so do my kids) and as the catalog says it “will last for many years to come”!