Don't Toss Empty Condiment Bottles When You Could Use Them For Your Next Cake

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If you're even a casual home baker, you know how fun it is to get creative decorating desserts. We're in a real golden age of edible extravagance, meaning you can run wild with vintage frills, plant-inspired embellishments, or whimsical patterns on cakes. The only thing standing in your way, really, is that finicky piping bag. First you have to nail the process of filling a the pastry bag, and then you have to be able to maneuver it. It can be tricky to squeeze it hard enough that the frosting or icing flows out but not so hard that the metal tip pops off — let alone doing this gracefully enough to create detailed designs. Luckily, there's an easier way that's both free and eco-friendly.

The next time you squeeze the last drops of sriracha or barbecue sauce from a bottle, don't toss it. That tapered top is perfect for decorating cakes, and the bottle is a firmer, easier vessel to squeeze and manipulate mess-free than a pastry bag. We love repurposing various kitchen items — it keeps waste out of landfills and also helps us avoid unnecessary spending. This hack in particular is a win-win: Enjoy your favorite condiments, then sustainably reuse their bottles, and allow those bottles to help you harness your inner pastry chef and decorate cakes like a pro. All you have to do is thoroughly clean the condiment bottle, then fill it with frosting, icing, syrup, sauce, et cetera — and start creating.

Some of the best, most essential sauces and condiments for your pantry come in squeeze bottles that lend themselves well to cake- or cookie-decorating, from ketchup and mustard to aiolis and hot sauces. Keep different kinds for different uses. For example, the wider squeeze bottle of Hellman's Real Mayonnaise is great for crafting scalloping or larger designs with thicker buttercream, while the Huy Fong sriracha hot sauce bottle's narrow top is ideal for more intricate details with glossier icing. If you're following chef-approved cake-decorating tips, you know sometimes you want shaped tips for textured designs, but there's a lot you can accomplish with a simple range of differently sized tips on condiment bottles. 

For example, making a decadent chocolate mousse cake? Use a wider-tipped squeeze bottle to plop chocolate kiss-like drops around the top's perimeter, then use a fine-tipped bottle to connect those drops with narrow swirls. Make a pink lemonade sheet cake using a wide tip to create a border and thin tip to write a message. To nail a flawless drip icing effect on your cake, alternate between wider and narrower tips. You can also use these same repurposed condiment bottles to drizzle sauces on plates when you serve cakes — or tarts, cupcakes, potted puddings, etc. From raspberry syrup criss-crossing under a classic New York-style cheesecake to vanilla sauce swirling around a lemon-lavender panna cotta, your guests will be wowed by your gourmet restaurant skills, all thanks to recycled condiment bottles.