The tried and true Wilton or Ateco piping sets are a great place to begin when venturing into going beyond the basic round and star tips. It can seem that there are too many choices to really learn about them all, but they do fall into nine basic categories, the last encompassing the new "Russian Tips".
This is a must-have nozzle in your piping nozzle collection, as it covers many jobs. Changing the angle and pressure allows for writing, swiss dots, line work, pearl borders and field-filling. These nozzles range in size from "00" (used for poking pilot holes in choux puffs) to a "R22L" (great for speed frosting cakes).
Star nozzles fall into three different categories: Open, Closed, and French. Open star nozzles are perfect for piping the classic cupcake swirls, Closed star nozzles for proper-looking stars, grooved shells and fleur-de-lys designs, and French for creating close-combed lines in any of the aforementioned shapes. Changing angle and pressure further adds to their versatility.
The fastest and easiest way to pipe flowers with just a squeeze of the piping bag, the larger the nozzle the larger the flower. The opening of the nozzle will dictate if it will be a thin or fat flower and the number of openings at the tip is equal to the number of petals the flower will have. The larger drop flower tips are often used to create the popular rose swirl on cupcakes as well.
Roses, roses, roses. These tear-drop shaped tips come in a variety of sizes but they all work the same. These tips are very specific in angle and pressure cadence to create a very realistic flower petal. These nozzles are also used to create simple swags and bows. The thinnest opening will be the furthest point away from the piping surface, with the bulbous end closest to the surface to create a fine edge on the petal.
Leaf nozzles have either a "V" or "M" shaped opening. The "V" shape is presented with the openings on either side of the point when piping, not with the v-shape seen. This positioning creates a simple shape with the point of the nozzle creating the center vein. This is also a good choice for mapping out stems or shaping sunflowers. Conversely, the "M" shape is a compounding tip and is used with the m-shape presenting. The icing moves in a ruffled- or smooth- edge dependant upon pressure with the vein extruded through the center of the "M". This tip is a good choice for creating ruffles up or along the sides of a cake, for creating seagrass, and for creating tropical foliage.
These are really popular in springtime for piping floral baskets, as the name suggests. The opening can be serrated on one side, both or both sides smooth and can be used with either side facing up to create a specific pattern. Combined with a plain round, there's a wide variety of basketweaves. There is a good range of sizes available for this style, with the largest being used as a very efficient means to speed frost.
These are the compound nozzles for covering a cake in ruffles, borders, and scalloped edges. The opening of these nozzles can look like a teardrop with serrations or a rounded edge. They are also often curved or in a keyhole shape.
The most popular product in this range is used to pipe hair, nests, and grass, having many small holes either in a circle or a straight line. The straight line variety is also used to create evenly spaced lines for lattice work.
These are very specific nozzles that pipe one specific design, such as a tulip or snowflake. This category of tips include the newly-popularized "Russian" tips which pipe a completed flower with each pressure and release. Most of these nozzles, as designed to work with a stiff buttercream as the shape is created with just the pressure and not the movement.