I really liked the stainless steel canister. It kept my icing pretty cool and didn't let my hands heat it up and melt it down as quickly as a pastry bag... I can't wait to see how it does with cream cheese frosting. It was also (for me) cleaner than using a pastry bag -- probably because I am still a baking novice and I probably do very little the proper way it ought to be done. It didn't hold as much frosting as a large pastry bag, however... I think I frosted roughly 8 cupcakes per fill. But, since refilling was much easier than with a pastry bag, I didn't mind much.
I have to say, it was awkward at first. I am left-handed, which already makes cake decorating hard because I can't see what I'm writing. I found it hard to figure out which hand I wanted on top and which on the bottom -- neither really felt comfortable. It also took me a few tries to get comfortable with the plunger and using uniform pressure. For me, it seemed like I had to almost lift the plunger to stop the flow of icing, whereas with a bag it's so easy to just release your grip a bit. So that took some getting used to.
All in all, I like it and will use it. I doubt I will ever use it exclusively, because frankly, I like the control of the pastry bag in my hand and I don't need to choose whether to use it left- or right-handed! I'd recommend it for filling pastries and cupcakes, and for decorating cupcakes, cookies, and anything that doesn't require too much detail. And I imagine if you are right-handed, you might like it better? Has anyone else tried this or something similar? Feel free to comment and share your thoughts!
