Julia M. Usher posted:Originally Posted by Wildflower:I was hopeless and frustrated when I tried switching to paper cones, but heartbroken to see so many plastic bags going into landfills. Remember, when purchasing cheap bags from around the world we not only pay the price of clogging our landfills and endangering wildlife, but also for the pollution of manufacturing and shipping them here, often from places without the environmental regulations and worker protections we have.
After wasting most of a roll of parchment and giving up in irritation, I watched Julia's video and tried again. Amazingly, I figured it out. A true feeling of triumph! Lol! (I was having trouble making the hole small enough and keeping it tight enough. Turns out I was doing the "shimmy" wrong, not pulling the corners tight in the right direction. Plus, I switched to folding the excess to the inside and it is keeping my outside seam snugly in place. I can't help but wonder if that is the same issue that gives other decorators trouble?)
Because I was used to decorating larger desserts such as cakes with pastry bags, I had no conception of how much icing is needed to decorate a cookie. I always made far more of each color than needed, for fear of running out and not being able to match the shade again. Once I realized that it only takes a small amount of icing to cover quite a few cookies, I benefited greatly by switching to paper cones. They are so much lighter and more maneuverable in tight areas, and really easy on the hands. As Julia has mentioned, they also offer very tiny customizable holes, along with the side benefit of flexing a bit to let lumps pass through instead of clogging the tip. She really is a secret mastermind.
While I still use plastic bags in certain situations, I hate having to clean up afterwards. (Lazy me, I have even been known to put a paper cone inside of a piping bag in order to avoid having to wash it. Sort of the eco-friendly version of the cling-wrapped pod some brilliant decorator shared online.) Besides, it's kind of fun to actually feel good about throwing something out instead of cleaning it! I wish more people would give it a try, if only because it is better for the environment.A woman after my own heart! I couldn't agree more about the virtue of parchment cones! (Obviously.)
I gotta learn parchment cones better. I've tried before but have been frustrated. I cry a little each time I throw out those press n' seal icing "pods" that I use inside my Wilton bags (that I've literally never thrown away because save the turtles! LOL). Watching Julia's video again now.