Practice icing..cheapest way?

Sigma Force

I'm not great at icing cupcakes etc. so need to practice but don't want to end up spending a fortune on unsalted butter, icing sugar etc.

Is there a cheaper ingredient you can use just to practice with that's also easy to pipe?

Eviledna

Cream? Or Ganache? I know neither are that cheap...are you talking tasty & edibile? Because you could use smooth peanut butter or cheapo chocolate spread from lidl/aldi either...

DreamC

Potato mash finely done to the desired thickness.

phormium

Agree with DreamC, packet of instant mash is even easier to use, make it up, let it go cold and practice away. Can just keep scooping it up and using it again and can get it to correct consistency with extra water or powder as needed.

Eviledna

Ooh that's a great idea...mashed potato!:)

phormium

It's ideal, I used to use it years ago when trying to teach people how to pipe.

Eviledna

Sorry to hijack, but on piping bags...

I've seen people use parchment cones but I've never managed to get them to work...do you use disposable piping bags, sandwich bags (always split on me) or the washable type?
Just can never convince myself they're clean...

Acoshla

Eviledna wrote: »

Sorry to hijack, but on piping bags...

I've seen people use parchment cones but I've never managed to get them to work...do you use disposable piping bags, sandwich bags (always split on me) or the washable type?
Just can never convince myself they're clean...

Hehe, funny you should mention this, I have just mastered the art of making piping bags out of parchment (I say mastered, I mean I made 3 in 2 days and all worked!) because I don't want to keep paying for the ones that I find great, the disposable ones on a roll.

phormium

I personally use disposable ones on a roll, but I wash and reuse them until they are beyond it. I use little parchment ones for small detail like piping dots or writing, I make them myself. I often use plastic bags for piping cream into things like profiteroles, plastic bags are not strong enough for any pressure really so ok for cream or meringue but nothing else. I used to use fabric type years ago before you could buy rolls of disposable ones but they are inclined to leak at seams and I never thought they were that hygienic either. The only thing they are handy for is piping hot mashed potato, like on a shepherds pie, the plastic are no good for hot things.

Eviledna

Where do you get the disposable ones on a roll? The wilton ones are flippin awful expensive.

phormium

I have a roll I got from Lakeland by mail order, have it for ages due to said reuse of the bags. I also picked up another roll, think it was €15 at the Cork Sugarcraft show, from a crowd in Cork, Cloverhill Foods.

phormium

Would prefer to visit them to buy rather than order over the phone

Re the disposable bags, I picked up several packets of plastic ones, not the big blue ones but a smaller size in a €2 shop, 3 packs for €5, great value, fine for smaller amounts of icing.

Acoshla

Sorry phormium I deleted my question because I realised it was off topic to the OP, didn't think you'd replied yet, my bad

Sigma Force

The piping bag is a good point. I've been using the material one and it's grand but as the others it just never seems clean I wonder can you pop them in the dishwasher or would it wreck it completley?

Have seen the disposable ones in Homevalue Hardware haven't gotten round to getting them yet though. Am not good at make 'n' do so I'd be a disaster with the parchment.

Will try the mash method thanks for the tip.

mw3guc

I make my piping bags with a double layer of parchment from a large roll - fold the end of the roll over to form a triangle then cut off, form, snip and insert the tube. Once you get the hang of making them, it's a cinch. Nothing beats the control you have with a parchment bag IMO. I've used the nylon bags and they're ok - I used to wash and boil them afterwards for hygiene reasons. I don't like the thick plastic lined version at all - I could never get a feel for what I was piping through the thickness.
When I'm making devilled eggs, however, I use very strong plastic sandwich bags from a roll. Yolks, mayo and flavourings are all dumped into the bag first, smooshed inside and then the end snipped for piping. No muss, no fuss and the bag is then binned.