Tipless Icing Bags

These days, I simply buy the cheapest generic sandwich bags and snip a tiny hole in the corner for piping, writing or flooding unless I'm using a decorative tip (such as a star or leaf tip for specific design shapes.) But I don't see why you couldn't use a Wilton or other piping bag without a tip if you have a bunch of them. Without using tips, you can get a tinier hole that gives the ability to make the smallest strings and dots.

I think that as long as you get your icing consistency right, you don't need to use tips for piping, writing and flooding.

i should say I haven't bought or used the tipless bags you are talking about...but they appear to be a lighter weight plastic than the Wilton type. So, they might be easier to squeeze. 

I think they are seamless too, though I don't really know. I've always gone tipless using parchment cones, which are lightweight, seamless, and allow you to cut the tiniest of holes. They have the added benefit of being biodegradable too.

The bag itself is lighter weight (thinner) than normal plastic pastry bags, and the "point" is sharper allowing to get better control and a smaller point. If you search ebay for "Master" pastry bags they are very inexpensive to try for yourself. and....They are good for those of us that can't master making a parchment cone! lol

These are great as a quick disposable bag. I like how little you can cut off of the tip and you can tie them in a knot at the end. I have had quite a few bags explode while I was using them with thick icing, so just a note of caution. I have used them with couplers and tips also.

Yes, search Master Disposable Piping Bags from China on Ebay and you should find them.

Thank you everyone! I am definitely interested enough to give them a go. I found them on Truly Mad Plastics for something like $4/100 bags. I think that's something I could get used to throwing away, unlike my Wilton ones which I wash after each use because they are so expensive!

It's popular here in Japan to use cello cones. They work very well!

It took me a few times to get used to them, but I'm a convert!  Aside from not having to clean tips , you can cut a tiny hole yet still vary the size of your icing line based on the amount of pressure you use. I also refrigerate my leftover icing, and it thaws quickly on the counter and then I just massage the bag until its ready. The tip crusts over and you just push the dry part out and you're ready to go. Although they're way thinner than the Wilton bags, they still have a seam, so you need to flatten it with the seam in the middle of the point (instead of to the side) and then cut in order to get a good opening. I bought the small and medium sizes and am glad I have both. 

Parchment cones do all of the above with no seams - and they're cheaper. People really should try them if they haven't. 

  And yes, parchment cones have the same capabilities!  I do like parchment cones, but I like that I can fill the bags super full and that I can tie the ends so my little girls can decorate without me worrying about the frosting squeezing out of the top.  I haven't used cones in such a long time that I forget about them. 

I rarely get any backflow out of the top because of the way I fold down the bags. But, everyone has his/her preferences - I definitely prefer working with less icing in each cone, as it reduces hand fatigue (for me; less icing to push against) and gives me greater control.

Helpful, thank you! I was wondering about getting a clean opening with the seam. I ordered some on ebay and am excited to test them out.

And Julia - I wish that I could embrace the parchment cone! I love that they are affordable, can make them any size, easier on the hands etc. But I have yet to master them and actually find them quite intimidating haha.

That's a great point--even with the small number of cookies I make, hand fatigue is definitely becoming an issue with me.  I've noticed that the tipless bags are really taxing on my hands, more so than the disposable Wiltons with a tip.  The first time I used them my hand hurt for days. The grip is different with a cone.  I'll probably NEED to consider cones at some point for that reason alone. 

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 buy the disposable plastic bags and then reuse them dozens of times.  I have been using the same ones for years!  I place all my icing in the plastic wrap pouches and slide them inside the bags - still some waste but not nearly as much and MUCH cheaper!!