Hi!

So Im on a very tight budget, and cant afford to use the disposable bags one and the toss the. Also I find it more messy to take out the coupler then to wash it lol.

So I usually wash them by hand, but I just got a dishwasher, and was wondering if I could wash them in there, and if so how to place them

This is one of the coolest ideas I've seen for filling and reusing bags.

http://www.karenscookies.net/Cookie-Decorating-Video-Color-Mixing-Bag-Filling_ep_74-1.html

She uses saran wrap to fill her bags so you can reuse them over and over. HTH!

I always wash mine by hand. I wouldn't try putting them in the dishwasher. They are so light they would probably end up in the bottom. I never throw them away til they get holes in them.

ok thanks!

ok thanks! do you also keep the couplers in?? Now i soak them, any tips on how to make it easier/ faster?

Beckup - Thanks so much for sharing. This is amazing. I love it!!!

I will use the plastic wrap idea when I use two colors but isn't that a bit of a waste? The disposables are washable and you'd use less plastic by just washing them (the bags), JMHO.

I was the outside first then inside out and give them a good scrubbing with hot water. I let them air dry and use a dry cloth towel to dry any spots. I usually take my couplers out but you probably could leave it in. I use the little nipple brush from a baby bottle brush to clean my couplers, it gets in all of those little lines well. I soak them and my tips in super hot water but just for a bit to loosen the icing up. I would not put them in the dishwasher, they might get beat up too much or like Margie said, wind up on the bottom. If you use the heat drying option on your washer, they could melt/catch on fire. Burning plastic is a disgusting smell!

I felt the same way about the saran wrap idea being too much of a waste until I saw that video. She shows how quick and easy it can be. I hate cleaning bags and I really hate wasting a perfectly good bag by throwing it away after one use. The thought of all that shortening and butter clogging my drains makes using the saran wrap method soooooo worth it to me!

I will have to try that!

Have you tried the parchment bags? They are the cheaper of the bags.

Personally I buy the 100 box of Wilton plastic bags when ever I have a coupon and nothing else to buy. I stock up on them. I currently have two boxes waiting to be used.

I know some of my students have washed and reused them, but they tend to get little pin holes in the bags. I haven't tried the plug idea, never really understood the need of it myself.

Run HOT water through the bag first. Strip the bag of tip, and coupler. Turn bag insideout, let soak in hot water.

Mike

are you REALLY saving?

once you consider the cost of:
water
soap
electricity/gas to heat the water
wear/tear on water heater
wear/tear on pipes (that grease accumulates!!! and can cause major problems)
your time it takes to wash them

are you really saving considering the cost of a disposable bag? I highly doubt it.

Personally for disposable prefer parchment. Couplers do work with them and much easier to get out of paper than plastic.

I think the tubes of icing inside a bag is a great idea, however, I think it also wastes time. You can have a bag out and filled by the time it takes to do one of the plugs she shows but, if you want to use disposables to me that is the way to go. The one thing I will say is that we should not be letting very much of our icing go down the drain at all. It will clog it up, maybe not right away but it will do it. I take a paper towel and squeeze the leftover icing onto it, if there isn't enough to save. I dispose of my old icing the same way or onto a package of some sort that is going into the trash. I try not to let very much grease go into the drain if I can help it. I guess using the feather weight or disposable bags would be a matter of preference of how much time we may want to use in preparation.
evelyn

If you're buying disposables in a 12-pack, you may be paying more than you need to. I buy them in teh 100-pack box. They are only about 20 cents each this way. 20 cents. Each. You blow more than that on a can of generic soda.

They last forever (imagine how many I went thru in a shop). Someone above is correct ... used over too many times (like THREE) will cause the seams to weaken. Nothing worse than having a bag explode and you get red icing all over your cake!

If you don't want to throw them away, invest in the regular bags. They hold up much longer.

To wash, turn them inside out. Yes, take that coupler out. Bit of icing can get jammed up in the cracks and crevices and that's how bacteria loves to start growing.

Country Kitchen also has them. http://countrykitchensa.com/catalog/SearchResults.aspx (If the search results don't show up, type in "clear disposable bags" in the search field.)

100 bags on a roll, 12" bags: $17.30 plus shipping. (17 cents each)
They also have a cheaper version for $13.80 for the box of 100. (14 cents each)

Type in "pastry bags" in the search field, and up comes the 18" disposable bags: $24.40 for a box of 100. (24 cents each)

ok thanks guys!