Let Your Icing Flow- How to Unclog Icing Tips
Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow!
I sometimes get in such a zone decorating that I leave my icing tip exposed to the air. We all know what that does! It clogs the end of the tip and you can squeeze until your veins pop but no icing will come out. I have squeezed so hard that I busted the icing bag! What a mess! It was the newer Wilton bags that spring leaks if you look at them wrong but more on that later!
I am squeezing in this picture but NOTHING is coming out!! So I will squeeze harder…
See my vein!!! Hey LOOK! I have squeezed hard enough to make a blue eye on a cookie but I have developed Carpal tunnel syndrome in the processes!
This is why I am over the sink! BTW- my water is not this hot but it did steam up my lense and I thought it looked cool and I could make a good point! (how is that for a run on sentence?)
Anyway, you don’t have to change your tip or even take it off and wash it. You just have to hold it under hot water for a minute and it will unclog!
Now, I am not smart enough to think of this on my own! I was the one sitting at the kitchen table with the box of tips changing them every time one got clogged. Or, I would take it off, run to the sink and wash it before the icing oozed out of my bag onto my table and shake it off as I ran back to put it back on the bag! Yes, I have done this once or twice!
Jen Whitlock taught me to run hot water over the tip! She is an awesome decorator and I am not just talking cookies! She makes cakes also! If you want your socks knocked off just click here or here! See!! She is incredible! I am in total awe of her! She is also super smart and this little tip is only the tip of the iceberg of what she has taught me! Did I mention that I am blessed because I have such amazing friends?? Well, it is true!
It doesn’t just work on blue icing, it works with green icing,
and this funky flesh tone icing! Be sure to dry your tips and the bag to remove all the water before you start decorating again. You might need to squeeze some icing onto a paper towel to get all the water out of the tip so it won’t mess up your cookie. Water and royal icing do not play well together so keep them away from each other!
Well, there you have it! You don’t have to change the tips while decorating if they get clogged. Thanks to Jen we can just run a little hot water over them to get them flowing again! THANKS JEN!
If you are looking for more tips and tricks, you may enjoy the “Beginners Guide to Cookie Decorating”.
Happy Creating,
You crack me up — I love that it works with ALL colors of icing!!!
Hehehehehe!
This is great, I am one of those that takes the tip off and runs to the sink to rinse it out and run back hoping the icing hasn’t just oozed all over everything! LOL
I will now try out this method….seems so logical now that’s it been pointed out. LOL
Thank you for sharing!
That is exactly how I felt!! It was like the light bulb finally went off! lol
Literally, just placing the tip under hot running water? Must explore this phenomenon further!
Seeing is believing my friend!!!!
Yeah Jen. Yeah Lisa. I have great friends. They are brilliant and they share. 🙂
Love ya! ♥♥♥
“And it doesn’t just work with blue icing” Ha ha ha ha ha ha! I ADORE you! Do you have to do anything special so that you don’t get water droplets or super thinned down icing on your cookies after doing this?
I just added that part to the post! I am getting OLD! LOL
Just wipe all the water off the bag and tip once the tip is unclogged. Then give the bag a good squeeze. It will get the excess water out of the tip and you will be ready to create!
PS-I adore you more!!!! 😉
Thanks! Water spots are LITERALLY my biggest cookie fear.
Brilliant (as always)!
I have brilliant friends:)
HI my email didavies 64 @googlemail.com trying to pipe last few times is driving me mad so hard to pipe through pipeing tube Wherr am i going wrong could i be using too much icing sugar not enight butter Thanks DSDavies
Hi Diane,
Email me at lisa@thebearfootbaker.com and maybe I can help you with your piping. 😉
Great tip, To think I could have saved money not buying backup PME tips for when they get clogged, I usually run to the sink and swap out a new tip and start soaking the clogged tip and pray the icing doesn’t leak out! Thanks!
You might have to start a new exercise program because you won’t have to “run” to the sink anymore:) You can use the PME’s for beautiful colors now:)
Thanks for the great tip! It’s funny, I’ve been springing leaks like crazy lately with my Wilton bags. I didn’t realize they made a change, but that explains all the icing messes I’ve been cleaning up lately!
HAHAHAHAHA, I loled at this one. It takes a rocket scientist, right? I mean REALLY, IT TAKES A ROCKET SCIENTIST!!! You make me snort laugh, even from thousands of miles away!
It did take a ROCKET SCIENTIST! LOL Glad you are snorting today:)
Question, why don’t you use a tool to get the clog out? Is it bad to do it that way? This usually works for me, I have a tool that can even unclog the tiny 00 tips.
I don’t want to take any chances damaging the tip of my PME’s because they aren’t cheap so I don’t stick anything in them. If you have a tool that works then keep doing it. The warm or hot water is what works for me.
You are so right!! my tips are starting to look weird, I didn’t think about that being the cause (I started off using toothpics until I got a chunk of wood in my icing. not good!!!!) Lovely photography too… do you have photography tips you can share?? my pics always look like my old countertops. not pretty 😉
I actually LOL’d too. You described the running-to-the-sink race that I do perfectly! Thanks for the tip Lisa and Jen, I will surely give it a try!
Thanks for the advice on unclogging tips! I’m a tip changer and sink runner too. I can’t wait to keep it simple with water!
I am a tip unclogger but I don’t have a cool tool, so I think I’ve damaged my tips trying to unclog with my trusty toothpick 🙁 Sounds like I need smart friends cuz I ain’t. Thank you for sharing this time savvy, PME tip saving idea. Mind boggling that it works with every color! 😀
I promise! It works with every COLOR!!! I hope you haven’t damaged your PME’s! I would cry!!!! I have told my dear hubby if anything were to happen to the house like a fire, I am saving my KitchenAid and my PME’s!!! lol He totally understands!!
Wow, that is a DUH moment…why didn’t I think of that?? Thanks for sharing. That will definitely be helping me!
-Michelle
I didn’t think of it either!! lol I have wonderful and smart friends!! But know that I know, I use it all the time!
Brilliant!!! How clever, thanks for the tip….on the tips, lol… I will share it in FB!!! Thanks Bea
You are welcome! Thank you for sharing on FB!
Thanks for the idea! It worked like magic with both white and green icing!
See!!! It works with all icing colors!! Thanks for making me laugh this morning!!!:)
Brilliant – I cannot tell you how much time I have spent with toothpicks, needles, (and other more lethal objects) trying to unclog tips. Loving your post. 🙂
OH my! Please step away from all things lethal while decorating! I don’t want you to pop that Wilton bag with a needle! That would be tragic!LOL
Thanks so much for sharing this brilliant idea! I have been changing the tips and then washing out the clogged ones later. This will save so much trouble! Yay! Can’t wait to try it out.
Oh my just found your site through pinterest…and I must say it all looks like such fun and so stinkin delish. Thank you for taking the time to post all your tips and suggestions.
Hi Shirley!
So glad you are here! Let me know if you have any questions about anything.
Bear hugs!
I love you bae cute
Thank you!!