What is the best way to stuff a manicotti?”
I know that some chefs – most notably Alton Brown – claim that pastry bags are unnecessary, but for my money a good pastry bag can’t be beat! Almost any cooking or kitchen supply store will have them, and you’ll want to get some nice tips, too. All that said, here’s how to do it – 1) cook your manicotti tubes al dente 2) let them cool to a temperature you can comfortably handle 3) pick a medium tip with a smooth end – you won’t be doing any decorating with the tip, so you don’t need to use one, for example, with slits 4) put a couple of tablespoons of filling in the bag – pinch the bag off just before the tip, and work the filling “down” to the pinch 5) pick up a manicotti tube and gently push the tip in one end, as far as you can without tearing the tube 6) release the “pinch” and gently squeeze the bag so that the filling enters the tip and then the manicotti 7) gently work the filling to the end of the tube and then block the filling with your fingers (you don’t want it plopping out
