If you get through piping bags by the box, these are the ones to reach for: 550mm of clear, 80 micron low density polyethylene, flexible enough to warm and soften in the hand and strong enough to take a full load of tempered chocolate without giving way at the seam.

They are made in Spain by SOC Chef, who have had the film migration tested against water based, acidic and fatty foods, and they come plain and untinted with no printing and no perforations, so nothing transfers into what you are piping and you can see your mixture the whole way down the bag. At 300mm across the opening they take a generous batch, and at 14p a bag they are cheap enough to cut, use and bin between colours rather than stopping to wash anything out.

How to Use Professional Piping Bags

Sit your nozzle in the point of the bag, then trim the tip a few millimetres at a time until it grips the collar without slipping. Turn a cuff back over your hand, fill no more than two thirds full so you have film left to twist, then bring the cuff up, twist the top closed and drive the mixture with the twist rather than squeezing the belly of the bag.

The film softens a little with the warmth of your hands, which is what makes it comfortable to work with over a long session, so let ganache and tempered chocolate come down to working temperature before they go in rather than filling straight from the pan. SOC Chef test the material against 10 per cent ethanol, 3 per cent acetic acid and a 95 per cent ethanol and isooctane mix, which between them stand in for alcoholic, acidic and fatty foods, so a boozy ganache or a high cocoa butter filling is well within what the bag is built for.

Important to Know Before You Start

These are single use and are not designed to be washed out and refilled, so cut the tip to suit the job and start a fresh bag for the next colour. Store the box somewhere dry and at room temperature, and keep it closed between jobs so the bags stay clean.

What to Pipe with Your SOC Chef Piping Bags

They suit high volume work where you are changing colour or flavour constantly and want a fresh bag each time, from chocolate and ganache through to cream, icing and batters. A few jobs they suit particularly well:

• Filling praline and truffle shells on a production run
• Piping ganache, caramel and nut fillings into bars and moulds
• Buttercream and cream cheese frosting on batches of cupcakes
• Choux paste, eclairs and profiteroles
• Macaron shells where a fresh bag per colour saves washing up
• Royal icing detail and lettering
• Filling doughnuts and layering desserts in glasses
• Portioning mousse, gelato and parfait bases

If you would prefer a heavier bag that comes in a dispenser box, at much the same size, take a look at our Schneider Disposable Pastry Piping Bags.