Most packages list the interior volume of the plastic bag. This can make it easy to determine whether a bag is big enough for the recipe. A thicker resealable bag, like a freezer bag, is a good choice if you have a thicker frosting that will require a lot pressure to be applied to the bag. You can use a non-sealable plastic bag if that’s all you have available, but you’ll need to twist it at the top once you fill it to close it. These bags also tend to explode when you squeeze them, so they’re not great for thicker frostings.
One of the advantages of using a plastic bag is that the sauce or icing won’t leak out of the bottom while you’re adding it. You can make a nozzle for your bag by cutting out a flexible strip of matboard or aluminum and wrapping it into a cone before cutting the points out with scissors. Insert the nozzle from the inside before filling your bag if you want one. The pattern that comes out may not be perfect though. [3] X Research source
You can push the air out before sealing it if you want. It’ll make it easier to dispense the icing or sauce but it will also come out quicker.
The size of the cut that you make will determine the amount of sauce or frosting that dispenses as you squeeze your bag. The bigger you make the hole when you cut the bag, the more icing or sauce that will come out. Lift your bag up with the opening pointing upwards so that your sauce or frosting doesn’t spill out.
If you want to stop dispersing the sauce or frosting, all you need to do is stop squeezing the bag and tilt the opening of the bag upwards.
You can buy parchment paper from a pharmacy, grocery store, general goods store, or some corner stores. The advantage of using parchment paper is that it’s extremely cheap and easy to cut. It also comes in rolls, so you can pull out any length to adjust the size of the bag.
The size of the opening will determine how much sauce or frosting comes out of the bag when you’re using it.
You can make multiple piping bags ahead of time if you need to use multiple bags while you’re baking or cooking.
You can’t really add a nozzle to the tip of your paper pastry bag. It’s kind of unwieldy as it is, and the seal won’t be airtight around the nozzle.
Discard your bag after you’ve used it. You can’t really store it for a long period of time without anything leaking out.