The easiest way to clean tips is to put them in a small glass bowl COVER with water add a few drops of liquid soap and put them in the microwave for 3-5 minutes. They come out spotlessly clean and shining bright.

Sue, I use Peggy Porschen’s or this recipe here.

Try this recipe the way you usually do your icing consistency, and if that doesn’t work, you just need to make your icing a little less runny.

I have a cookie decorating tutorial here with many of my favorite hints and tips.

Let me know how it goes and hope that helps!

To an amazing lady, I need help. I have been working with royal icing ( I also use fondant) to decorate my cookies, however I am having trouble writing. Even if I make a piping mixture consistency and a #2 tip, the icing is always too runny to write. I have just tried the icing recipe with the light corn starch but found that even though it was a lovely shiny consistency, I still cannot pipe with it. Marian, help, the delightful pictures you show above with the little girl, what mix did you use to pipe this outline, I am desperate.

Hi Heather,
I don’t like cleaning them – so true! I have tried the method you mentioned but found they didn’t always get 100% clean. Maybe because I didn’t leave them over night though! Thanks so much for sharing!!

I read that you hate cleaning your decorating tips. I got a hint to cleaning them. Put all your dirty tips in a plastic food storage container like gladware. Fill it with hot soapy water and shake back and forth for several minutes. Empty, rinse and do it again. Let it set over night and the next day, drain and rinse again. It has cleaned my tips each and every time.

I will be reading your blog now that I have found you. Thanks for the great ideas!

Super tips Anne, thank you!!

You’re a great coach! Thanks for sharing what you know, your cookies are beautiful.

I’ll also add, for those like me who have to fail to learn….make sure your tips are DRY before packing away. I use a hairdryer sometimes to finish them off. I had to toss some rusty tips once and swore to be more careful. For cutters…wash and put in the still warm oven to dry completely.

Thanks again!

these are great tips – never thought about the microfibre cloth – but great idea!

Thanks for the kind comments everyone!

Lisa, what AWESOME tips! Thanks so much!!

I have two tools that I think you will be happy to know about! I just love getting and passing tips along…

The first one is a blue plastic tray with a spout on it. It is used by scrapbookers when pouring embossing powder on their work. The spout has a cork that pops out to make pouring the waste back in the bottle nice and convenient. Works amazingly for sprinkles http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390059512692 I’ve seen them at Michael’s.

http://www.fantes.com/images/7283seafood.jpg This is the link for my favorite tool of all. It is originally made for eating crab meat, but it is perfect for spreading icing, popping bubbles, correcting mistakes, scooping food coloring, and removing icing from bottles. It is better than any toothpick I’ve used!

I hope that you pass the word along. You’ll be so happy with these products. And thanks for an amazing blog!