I fill my sink with piping hot water and soap and as I use items and don't need them anymore I toss them into the sink..bags,tips,spatulas and all.
I always put my icing bags and tips in the dishwasher...
the shortening is a big pain to get off just by hand washing, so the dishwasher saves me a lot of trouble 
Jodi
Hi, I am a newbie but I saw a hint on CC a while ago to use Dawn dish detergent and that works well for me.
thecook - you can't put your metal tips in the microwave!
Super hot water and grease cutting dish detergent are the best method I have, as I do not have a dishwasher.
One good tip is to use the "icing plugs." You put your icing in plastic wrap and then put inside your bag. That way you can throw out the saran wrap and your bag will be clean.
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=588591&sid=54b399b2130a41b704d472bc90615c1c
This is also good when you don't have a lot of bags and you need to change colors, or when you don't want to keep on refilling the bag. Just put your plug in and keep on going.
thecook - you can't put your metal tips in the microwave!
You can if it's covered. I was actually taught this tip in a class and it works really, really well.
I put metal in my microwave all the time. It just can't be exposed. The water counts, I guess... cause it works. I've been doing it for 6 years now.
But bottom line - I have my hot water heater (gas) as high as it will go. Before anyone blows a gasket - no children in my house, so that's not an issue.
Another thing I just discovered, invest in a kitchen scale. I measured one cup of shortening and weighed it. Now when I make frosting, I place Saran on the scale and use the weight to measure. No more cleaning the measuring cups or getting my hands all greasy. I also use the plugs mentioned above. I make a big batch of frosting, weigh my plugs into 2 cup increments and freeze. This means I make on big mess instead of multiple future messes I've also started weighing my batter in the pans so I can make less mess that way and I get the same amount of batter in each pan. Best $30 ive ever spent!
thecook - you can't put your metal tips in the microwave!
You can if it's covered. I was actually taught this tip in a class and it works really, really well.
I put metal in my microwave all the time. It just can't be exposed. The water counts, I guess... cause it works. I've been doing it for 6 years now.
Agree, this is the only way i clean my tips after using them for buttercream. (and have been now since i read this tip on CC about 5-6 years ago) As long as the metal is covered 100% there are not any issues b/c the energy is absorbed by the water.
You can get the same effect by boiling your tips on the stove too. But i like the microwave b/c the steam makes any "stuck" on food easy to clean off the microwave walls.
Lots of hot water and soap.
Lay wax paper or parchment paper on your counter to lay your dirty utensils on .... spoons that you used to dip crisco; measuring cups; etc .... so that when you're ready to clean up, you just wad up the paper and your counter is clean
wipe up as you go. always. Add p.sugar to the mixing bowl .... wipe counter. add egg whites to the mix .... wipe counter.
I use disposable piping bags. When done, I cut off the tip/coupler and throw the bag away. zero clean up.
When mixing small amounts of color, I use paper cups and plastic spoons (as a caterer, i always had TONS of these on hand!). zero clean up. The cost was minimal compared to the labor cost saved (yes, YOUR time is worth money!)
If making more than one flavor of cake, I'd always mix the white cake first, then the red velvet, then the chocolate. By doing this, I could just keep using the same mixing bowl without having to wash it. If I mixed the chocolate first, then I'd have to wash the bowl before mixing the white cake mix. Small minutes add up.
I use a couple of things to help with clean up.
When I start, I put all the trash in one side of the sink (C&H bags, cake mix boxes, empty sour cream containers, paper towels etc.) and all my mixing bowls, spoons, etc. in the other side of the sink. Then I just gather up all the trash and throw away in one swoop. I then wash all my bowls, spoons etc. because I have to wash as I go in a small kitchen.
1. I get the bulk of the icing out of the tips with a toothpick before placing in a cup of hot soapy water before I put them in dishwasher. My niece got me a small plastic box with big holes that works great for the tips/couplers in the dishwasher--the tips don't "nest" inside each other. I have no idea where she got the box, sorry...
2. Icing plugs/bullets are fabulous for different colors. I keep my white BC in a large container, but put any BC that has been colored into plugs. I don't put my white BC into plugs because I may want to add or create different colors or mix leftover white BC into a new batch of fresh white BC.
3. The plastic wrap in a kitchen scale for shortening
4. My newest innovation: Reynolds Freezer Wrap!!!! It comes in a huge roll and is 18" wide. I rip off a large sheet of the paper and place on any areas where I'll be working and tape down the edges. Everything else goes on top of the paper. WOW! What a difference--especially with chocolate! You just rip up the paper and throw away. 90% of wiping down is DONE.
Lay wax paper or parchment paper on your counter to lay your dirty utensils on .... spoons that you used to dip crisco; measuring cups; etc .... so that when you're ready to clean up, you just wad up the paper and your counter is clean
Along this same lines, the bakery i used to work in we would line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay all of our utensils on it (along with all of the different colored icings already bagged up) so we could easily move them around if needed. It kept the mess contained a little more.
I put saran wrap under my kitchen aid, so when anything spills out, it gets on the saran wrap, not my counter, and I can just ball it up and throw it away.
I also lay an old sheet down on the floor, so the crumbs fall on the sheet, not on the floor. Then when I'm done I ball it up and take it outside to shake the heck out of it!!
The plugs work GREAT! I use them all the time now. To clean tips and couplers. In the dishwasher get a baby bottle nipple washer it is a little box with an open grid design and a latch lid. You put it in the top of your dishwasher.
I would be careful about putting the bags, especially Wilton, in the dishwasher too many times the heat will weaken the seam and you could end up with a big mess.
I put everything except my icing bags in the dishwasher. I have a special covered basket in my dishwasher for the tips (it's the first thing I looked for when I had to purchase a new dishwasher).
I wash my icing bags in hot water and the original Dawn detergent. You have to look for it sometimes but Walmarts usually have it on the bottom shelf for less than a dollar. It seems to cut grease better than any other detergent I've used.
I put the greasy things in a sink of soapy water, swish, let out the water and then make a fresh batch of soapy water. That second wash gets rid of all the grease.
ATCakes, I didn't know the name of the white box I use in my dishwasher, but you gave it a name--
"Dishwasher basket", for baby nipples & stuff. I went to Amazon and found a lot of them. The one I have is actually this one:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HDOLXW/?tag=cakecentral-20
I had to put wire around the ends because the gaps are too large and stuff fell out (just like the 2 reviews on this particular basket). Now that I know what to look for, I'll probably get another basket that works better. Thanks, ATCakes!
wipe up as you go. always. Add p.sugar to the mixing bowl .... wipe counter. add egg whites to the mix .... wipe counter.
Every time you wash your hands, dry them on a paper towel and stick the paper towel in the pocket of your apron. When it's time to wipe the counter, pull out the damp paper towel, wipe and toss. Not just convenient, but ensures you're not spreading the same mess all over the place by reusing the same rag.
Diane, that's a great idea to put the bowl on the scale. Honestly I'm still getting used to weighing. I'll definitely do that next time.
Diane, that's a great idea to put the bowl on the scale. Honestly I'm still getting used to weighing. I'll definitely do that next time.
Yes, I do it this way all the time. I've also weighed my most used bowls so I can subtract the amount from an unknown quantity in the bowl.
Yep my scale has a zero feature so it will be super easy to do. I love my kitchen scale! The things that make us happy in life
If you are reusing your piping bags, make sure you squeeze as much icing as possible into the garbage can before washing. Eventually all that shortening and butter in the buttercream will clog up your pipes!
This is my fear. I also have a septic system with a leach bed and aerator, so if something get's clogged, it's all out of my pocket. I used a paper towel, dirty wax paper, or whatever's handy to scrape out as much as I can into the trash can before dumping it in a sink of hot, soapy water.
If you are reusing your piping bags, make sure you squeeze as much icing as possible into the garbage can before washing. Eventually all that shortening and butter in the buttercream will clog up your pipes!
I also wipe out all my icing bowls with a paper towel. I keep the amount of fat going down my drains to a minimum to prevent having them clog up!
If you are reusing your piping bags, make sure you squeeze as much icing as possible into the garbage can before washing. Eventually all that shortening and butter in the buttercream will clog up your pipes!
This is SO true. I wipe all excess shortening and icing off of my tools with paper towels before putting them in the dishwasher or sink.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%