I Need Advice On Covering Strawberries In Chocolate...
Decorating By nathanikka Updated 5 Sep 2006 , 7:41am by nikinimal
Can anyone help me. I have looked in the forums for some help and can't seem to find much. I just want to make sure I am doing it right... do I just melt the chocolate and dip them or is there something else I need to do after washing, prior to dipping???
That's all I do. I wash, dry, dip, set on wax papper and let them dry. I add a little crisco or veg oil to the chocolate before melting it.
First, what kind of chocolate do you have? DONT wash the strawberries because they are like a sponge and will soak up water. I work at a candy place and they never wash them just wipe them off. They need to be at room temp.
I use merkens chocolate it works better than cc chips.
dip them and let the chocolate run off and then place them on wax paper and place in fridge for a few minutes. DOnt do too many at one time or the choc wil start to dry and it wont shine.
Good luck
what is the reason for adding the crisco or veg oil? does it make a difference?
i just dipped some strawberries yesterday for a labor day cookout today. i have never dipped the day before (usually the day of). well, i learned that dipping them and leaving them in the refridgerator overnight causes issues. 
the strawberries started to break down from the sugar in the chocolate. they leaked some juice onto the wax paper and shrunk, thus pulling away from the chocolate 'shell'.
also when i took them out of the refridgerator, condensation formed on the chocolate. i left them out for a few hours but it didn't matter.
i learned some lessons today. 
i'm dipping some more for tomorrow... which i will dip in the morning.
When I make chocolate for dipping, I add a bit of paraffin wax. Gives it a nice sheen
Lazy_Susan
i agree...dont travel with them and if you can do them right before you need them ( an hour or 2 before hand). i have always washed my strawberries before hand and dried them with a towel, i have never had a problem. just make sure they are dry. also, once you set them down after they have been dipped, do not move them until the have been chilled. i always but them on wax paper or wrap on a cookie sheet.
dont get chocolate on the leaves either, makes it look really messy ( i always eat those!!) hope this helps!
you could take a fork to drizzle on a different color chocolate too for a little fancier look too. i just sway the fork back and forth quickly along a row of covered berries.
How long would the dipped strawberries last? I have a cake for pick up this Sunday that is supposed to have dipped strawberries on top- problem is I work 12 hours Sat & Sun (my real job)! I planned to dip the berries Sat night and place them on the cake then and keep the cake in the refrig until picked up Sun afternoon. Will they last?
Dip them Sat. night and keep them on a sheet pan. Place them on the cake right before pick up to prevent the weeping marring your icing.
Hi,
Please be careful using paraffin which is an old method, and not recommended to use in Europe.
I have heard that strawberries sweat and they should be coated just the same day closer to the event to keep them looking fresh.
When I dipped the strawberries picked from my garden they kept nice until the following day and it was sunny so the berries have not soaked water from the rain and I did not wash them.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%