Are Dipped Strawberries A Bad Idea?
Decorating By Chef_Stef Updated 15 Jul 2006 , 2:05pm by cindy6250
I'm starting to think, yes...
I tried some late last night to see how long they hold up in the fridge dipped, and by this afternoon they look puky and unappetizing.
I have a cake of two 9" satellites and a floating stand with 6, 9, and 12, and she wants white chocolate dipped sb's around all of them. Ack. I'd have to buy them late the night before and dip them in the morning for that evening reception, and still they might not look nice by then.
I'm thinking I need to call her and tell her: This is a bad idea. I don't want them looking pathetic by the reception!
Any tips for this besides saying no?
They should hold up several hours. They ship s/b so they should be OK for a cake.
How did you handle them before you dipped them?
If you washed them, did you dry them very carefully"
did you let the chocolate cool some before you dipped them?
Were they over-ripe?
you might try again, before you give up.
They were super dry when I dipped them in cooled white chocolate (room temp-ish).
They came straight home from the store and were dipped within the hour.
I'm just wondering if it's realistic to try to dip them all the morning of the wedding so they'll stay fresh. I don't like having anything this time-consuming to do on the "day"....
They don't look really bad, just sort of... not that nice shiny bright red, dullish and ew...
Here's a good link for buying / handling strawberries....
http://missourifamilies.org/FEATURES/NUTRITIONARTICLES/harvesttohealth/strawberries.htm
No, they are not a bad idea. Was your chocolate a bit too hot ?
If it was, maybe the strawberries probably got "cooked" a little bit.
Same day dipping is always a good idea..
As long as they are not "moving or waving "hi" at you" 
, then that should be ok to eat. 
From my own experience I can tell you that if you dip the strawberries and let them sit overnight they start to form a syrup that tends to leak out of the chocolate and makes the cake look "moist". IF you can, do it the day of the event. You'll apre3ciate the look better.
I made the strawberries that look like they are dressed in a little tux and they held up for a few days.
Maybe you need to double dip them
I first used white chocolate to make it look like the shirt then after they sat up I dipped them again in milk chocolate.
So with the double coating maybe they hold up better.
Joanne
Guess I better get up early that day and have EVERYthing else done, cakes decorated ready to go etc.
Then I can dip all day and deliver.
Oh--to hull or not to hull? I'm thinking hull for sure, because I want them to sit upside down.
Also--for those who have dipped, how do you lay them to set up? I want them to not have a flat side where they sat on the chocolate while it sets. I hulled a few and set them upside down and they did ok...
Thanks again everyone!
Joanne,
What did you use to "paint" the tie and buttons on the strawberry? I'm making a tuxedo cake for my surgeon for his birthday and would like to make the strawberry tuxedos. Thanks!
Don't hull your strawberries, that's what's causing them to go bad faster. The juices get out that way. They look better with the greens on them. Also, it's better not to wash your strawberries and just wipe them off with a damp paper towel, that way the strawberries aren't taking in any extra moisture. As far double coating, that doesn't effect the amount of moisture released, so it won't make a difference, just add more work, if you're just dipping them in white chocolate, not doing tuxes.
As for the tuxes, you can use a parchment bag with a tip cut really small to draw the bow tie and buttons.
HTH
Just a couple of suggestions. I notice in your first post you said you put them in the fridge (if I was reading the correctly) From what I have read on CC you do NOT want to put them in the fridge after dipped or the moisture can effect the chocolate-either in the fridge, or when your strawberries are coming to room temperature.
Another thing is if you don't want that flat side on your strawberries you have a couple of different options. 1) make sure they are on a cooling rack so that the chocolate can drip off of them (sounds like it would work but not sure-everything sounds good in theory) 2) Put a toothpick in one end and put it into a piece of styrofoam or something sturdy so that no side of the strawberry is touching anything (again, in theory it sounds good )
I don't think it is a bad idea, you just need to plan for it. Maybe do a couple of test runs and see what works best for you.
Leily
I've used chocolate-dipped strawberries on my cakes several times and they've always looked good. Start out by choosing the reddest, roundest berries you can find. Leave them in the plastic container you purchased them in. Put a papertowel in the top of the container and wrap the whole container in the plastic bag this will reduce the moisture and keep the sb's fresh longer. When I make my cakes, I always dip them twice; once the night before and again the day of. If you're putting the sb's on a cake, dip them and place them immediately on the cake. If they're going in a basket, dip them and let the chocolate dry on wax paper. The sugar from the chocolate will draw the 'juice' from the strawberries. Double-dipping and keeping them cool/dry will help reduce this. There's a photo in my profile. Oh, leaving the hull on preserves the sb adds color and makes them easier to eat.
I've used chocolate-dipped strawberries on my cakes several times and they've always looked good. Start out by choosing the reddest, roundest berries you can find. Leave them in the plastic container you purchased them in. Put a papertowel in the top of the container and wrap the whole container in the plastic bag this will reduce the moisture and keep the sb's fresh longer. When I make my cakes, I always dip them twice; once the night before and again the day of. If you're putting the sb's on a cake, dip them and place them immediately on the cake. If they're going in a basket, dip them and let the chocolate dry on wax paper. The sugar from the chocolate will draw the 'juice' from the strawberries. Double-dipping and keeping them cool/dry will help reduce this. There's a photo in my profile. Oh, leaving the hull on preserves the sb adds color and makes them easier to eat.
I just caught this thread and wanted to say that I just dipped 70 berries and it was super easy. I did about 2 dozen with tuxedos and they rest with white squiggles. I did them all in about an hour. I was worried about leaving them out or putting in the fridge because of the heat, but decided that I would leave them out. The wedding is at 1 pm and I'm going to add them around the groom's cake.
Cindy
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%