The Ruoth 4B vs Ruoth 6B nozzle.
- Andrea Omolo
- Jan 28, 2023
- 5 min read
The 4B and 6B open-star icing nozzles are among the seven essential icing nozzles you should have in your kitchen. They are both frequently used by professional pastry chefs, cake decorators and enthusiastic home bakers to create a myriad of beautiful designs on cupcakes, macarons, large cakes and desserts. The Ruoth 4B and 6B piping nozzles are both easy to use and with practice, they can be used in a variety of ways – such as piping at an angle- to create different results.
Why choose Ruoth Piping nozzles?
Routh 4b and 6b are large piping tips and are open star tips with finely cut teeth. Piping nozzles are given numbers from 0-12 and this number denotes the shape and size of the nozzle. These two nozzles are very similar, with the 6B being larger. The size of the opening of the 4b piping tip is 12.3 mm, compared to 15.4 mm for the 6b piping tip. The length of the two nozzles varies a little too, with the 4b measuring 38.4mm and the 6b 38.5mm.
Ruoth icing nozzles are top quality as they are made from non-ferric commercial-grade rust-resistant steel. Routh icing nozzles are beautifully smooth too as they are produced using a seamless welding process. The nozzles can be used with plastic couplers and either disposable or reusable fabric icing bags and are both marked with their size. Keeping the Ruoth icing nozzles in pristine condition is easy, as the nozzles are dishwasher-safe.
How can I use the Ruoth 4B and 6B piping nozzles?
Both of these nozzles are very versatile as they can be used to pipe whipped cream, buttercream icing, fondant and Royal icing. The piping nozzles can be used to create stars, drop flowers, shells, and zig-zags. The 6B will produce a larger-sized design than the 4B and is ideal for decorating regular-sized cupcakes and larger cakes. The 4B is the ideal choice for decorating mini cupcakes and complementary designs – particularly for larger decorations produced with the 6B
For the best results, chill your cake (s) in the fridge for 30 minutes before icing.
How to create icing stars.
This is probably one of the most popular decorative designs of all! Stars can be piped onto large and small cakes as decoration or can be piped in different colours using a stencil and cocktail stick to mark out the outline of a teddy bear, crown, football trophy etc. The 4b and 6b are both good star nozzles.
If you are using a star design to decorate your cake (s) first cover the cake with a layer of icing and smooth using a warmed spatula. Half-fill your icing bag with the Ruoth 4B or 6B icing nozzle. Hold the tip directly over – and just touching- the cake and squeeze the bag gently- but do not lift the bag. Keep squeezing the icing bag until the star is the desired size. Release the pressure on the bag and lift the bag so that the centre of the star has a small point. If you are unhappy with the star it can be easily removed with the spatula.
The stars can be iced around the top and bottom edges of cakes of all sizes and can be iced on the sides of large cakes in straight or wavy rows in single or multi-colours. Stars of varying sizes and colours can be piped onto the top of the cake using both the 4B and 6B icing nozzles to create a very effective design.
How to pipe classic swirls
Classic swirls always look impressive on cupcakes and are fun to experiment with. You can pipe swirls on cupcakes using a 4B piping tip, or the 6B is the ideal choice for larger surfaces.
You can pipe swirls using different colours in either pastel or bold shades or two tones and the finished result always looks irresistible when topped with sprinkles.
A great chef’s tip is if you are piping with buttercream, mix in a teaspoon of water into the icing to make it a little softer and easier to work with.
Hold your piping bag about 10 cm vertically above the centre of the cupcake. Squeeze the icing p bag firmly to produce a star, raise the tip a little and ice a complete circle around the central star. Keep piping until the whole surface of the cupcake is covered. Release the pressure on your icing bag and draw the nozzle away from the cake. To give your swirl extra height, once you have completed icing the cupcake from the centre to the outer edges, angle the icing nozzle slightly inwards and pipe in a circular motion back to the centre. Release your pressure on the icing bag and pull the tip away.
How to create drop flower icing designs.
Pretty icing flowers can be made using your Ruoth 4B and 6B icing nozzles either individually or together to create a variety of flower sizes just like Mother Nature does! The technique used is a little different than for piping stars and does need a little practice. Fit your chosen icing nozzle onto a piping bag, half-filled with icing. Hold the bag up straight and place the nozzle just touching the cake and then turn your wrist inwards slightly. Squeeze the icing bag gently, turning your wrist outwards at the same time. When the flower is the correct size. Stop squeezing the bag and pull the icing tip away.
Drop flower icing looks particularly attractive when toning shades of colour are used for the flowers and the centre of each is piped with a tiny dot of yellow.
How to pipe icing shells.
The shell design is a particularly effective design that has been traditionally used to decorate the upper and lower edges of large cakes. It can also create a colourful and textured design to cover the top of the cake.
Begin by icing large shells in a circle around the outer edge of the cake and then pipe a second circle of shells with the outer edge of each shell carefully covering the point of a shell in the outer row. Continue piping the shell design until you come to the centre of the cake. Cover the remaining small space with a single shell – this technique looks amazing when each row of shells is in a different coloured icing.
Another clever icing design for the edge of a cake is to pipe reversed sea shells.
Create fun zig-zag icing designs.
Piping a zing-zag is the ideal way to cover an area on cupcakes or larger cakes. The icing bag is held at a 45º angle towards the right if you are right-handed, or to the left, if you use your left hand. Hold your icing bag so that the nozzle is just touching the cake at the starting point. Squeeze the bag gently and pipe zing-zags either up and down or side to side using a steady motion and amount of pressure. When you have finished, stop applying pressure and remove the icing tip swiftly. You can alter the thickness of the zing-zags by applying more or less pressure to the icing bag and by lifting the icing nozzle a little higher you can create taller stripes.
Both the Ruoth 4B and 6B piping nozzles are useful to have because although they produce the same designs, they are in different sizes and this is ideal for icing different-sized cakes and also using both sizes to complement each other. The good news is that you can learn the different icing techniques at your own pace and it helps to watch some of the many online ‘how to’ videos.
Buying your Ruoth icing nozzles is so easy.
Ruoth icing nozzles can be bought quickly and effortlessly directly from Ruoth or via Amazon. The icing nozzles can be purchased either individually or in the Ruoth 7 Essential Icing Pipe Nozzle Set which contains a 1M, 2D, 1A, 2A, 4B, and 6B icing nozzles. These will meet all your icing requirements! The piping nozzle set also makes a very special gift for someone or yourself, as the perfect addition to your kitchen equipment.
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