How to Hold a Piping Bag

The way your decorations curl and point and lie depends not only on the frosting's consistency but also on the way you hold the bag and the way you move it. Bag positions are described in terms of both angle and direction.

Ingredients & Tools
Instructions

Instructions

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Right Hand Piping
Piping Angle: Angle refers to the position of the bag relative to the work surface. There are two basic angle positions:
- 90 degree angle or straight up, perpendicular to the surface. Used when making stars or flat petal flowers.
- 45 degree angle or half way between vertical and horizontal. Used for writing and borders.
Piping Direction: The angle of the bag to the work surface is only half the story of the bag position. The other half is direction in which the back of the bag is pointed. Correct bag direction is easiest to learn when you think of the back of the bag as the hour hand of a clock. When you hold the bag with the tip in the center of the clock, you can sweep out a circle with the back end of the bag. Pretend the circle you formed in the air is a clock face. The hours on the clock face correspond to the direction you point the back end of the bag.
Note: Right-handers should always decorate from left to right.
Left Hand Piping
Piping Angle: Angle refers to the position of the bag relative to the work surface. There are two basic angle positions:
- 90 degree angle or straight up, perpendicular to the surface. Used when making stars or flat petal flowers.
- 45 degree angle or half way between vertical and horizontal. Used for writing and borders.
Piping Directions: The angle of the bag to the work surface is only half the story of the bag position. The other half is direction in which the back of the bag is pointed. Correct bag direction is easiest to learn when you think of the back of the bag as the hour hand of a clock. When you hold the bag with the tip in the center of the clock, you can sweep out a circle with the back end of the bag. Pretend the circle you formed in the air is a clock face. The hours on the clock face correspond to the direction you point the back end of the bag.
Note: Left-handers should always decorate from right to left. One exception is writing and printing; everyone decorates from left to right.