When I first started cookie decorating I would pack my cute little cookies in cellophane and tape the end closed or twine tie them. While there isn’t anything wrong with this method, I noticed that my cookies would go hard a day or two afterwards if they weren’t put in an airtight container. To get around this with my customers, I would label the box and tell them how to keep them fresh but let’s be honest. People miss the majority of what they’re told. (no shame. I do it too lol) but that means if I deliver their cookies on Thursday night, their event is on Sunday and they’ve left them on the counter for three days? Those puppies are gonna be rocks.
While I never had any complaints, I still wanted to find a better method to prevent hard cookies. I had heard about heat sealing and thought it might work but then I’d have to buy this giant thing and did I really wanna spend money on it? I also kept thinking, where am I gonna store this thing once I have it? I finally decided to be like Nike and just do it when I signed up to do my first festival back in September. I needed to make 75 cookies in advance and I didn’t want them to become stale by the time the fair came around.
Let me tell you something: My heat sealer is one of the best purchases I have ever made.
I found my particular heat sealer on amazon For 30$ which was what I thought, an AWESOME price as other ones from companies like ULINE were 80$+. Definitely worth the price.
At first when it came in, I thought it was broken. This was because my particular model does not have an on/off switch. I then realized once it’s plugged in, it’s on. When you press the lever, the little button on the end lights up with indication that it’s ready to go. (so don't forget to unplug it when you're done using it - I have fears I'm gonna burn my house down)
I also learned quickly that using a heat sealer itself is easy, you set the dial, press down the lever over your cellophane and that’s pretty much it. The challenging part is figuring out the temperature and the time you have to keep the arm down as they relate to the plastic of the bag.
What I mean is the baggies you buy at your local craft store (michaels....hobby lobby...etc) are super thin in comparison to the ones I get from Yoli, my vendor. I hadn’t paid attention to this before and later realized this matters not only in heat sealing but also for the freshness of your cookies. Essentially, the thicker the bag, the less air escapes over time. In parallel, the thicker the bag, the higher or longer you need to apply heat to seal it.
So if you’re melting your bags apart when you seal them, lower the temperature down and hold the arm for less time.
To me, the perfect temperature is anywhere between 2.5 and 3.5 on the dial depending on the bags. This will give you nice clean lines. In all reality, like everything there’s a learning curve to it but once you do it a few times, it gets easier.
AAAAND that’s basically it. I’ve posted the video below that walks you through what heat sealing is, it’s benefits, and how you can use it. (be nice it was my very FIRST youtube video and apparently I can't talk lol)
Otherwise, let me know if you have any questions/comments and as always, send me pics or tag them heat sealed cookies on instagram (@loveandbaking2018 #LnBCookier)
Purchase Links:
Cellophane Bags - I use the 4x7 and 5x7 bags
How To Video!
-Ashley