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A surprisingly simple dish that produces outstanding results and is guaranteed to impress that special someone.
Everything you need to know is right here:
Materials
Techniques
Presentation
Taking all the credit (Because saying "I did it all by myself..." versus "I got this from Instructables..." is like sleeping in the bed tonight instead on the sofa)
Everything you need to know is right here:
Materials
Techniques
Presentation
Taking all the credit (Because saying "I did it all by myself..." versus "I got this from Instructables..." is like sleeping in the bed tonight instead on the sofa)
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Signing UpStep 1The long and short of it all...
Here's a scary scenario:
So you are standing there, wondering what to get your better half for Valentine's Day when it is late night February 13. You ask yourself "What can I conjure up in just a few hours with only (checking the wallet) 20 dollars?" She's going to kill you.
A quick peruse through the Instructables website returned no sign of chocolate covered strawberries so I figured it was long overdue. Now I know that this dish has been covered everywhere on the web and I admit that many years ago this was where I learned myself, but over the years I have developed a few tricks to make the whole process so much easier.
This is a dish that absolutely everyone can do. Many of the required items you should already have on hand if you own a kitchen, and those items that you do not have are most likely to be the perishables. Before I begin I should also note that this dish is applicable to most any other holiday, but they taste so good that your significant other will beg you to make more sooner than you think!
So you are standing there, wondering what to get your better half for Valentine's Day when it is late night February 13. You ask yourself "What can I conjure up in just a few hours with only (checking the wallet) 20 dollars?" She's going to kill you.
A quick peruse through the Instructables website returned no sign of chocolate covered strawberries so I figured it was long overdue. Now I know that this dish has been covered everywhere on the web and I admit that many years ago this was where I learned myself, but over the years I have developed a few tricks to make the whole process so much easier.
This is a dish that absolutely everyone can do. Many of the required items you should already have on hand if you own a kitchen, and those items that you do not have are most likely to be the perishables. Before I begin I should also note that this dish is applicable to most any other holiday, but they taste so good that your significant other will beg you to make more sooner than you think!
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I am singing the hallelujah chorus! =)
The reason your chocolate is getting grainy is because you are leaving it on the stove too long! Once your chocolate is melted remove the pot from the stove and set it on a heat proof hot pad so as not to burn your counter. The hot water will keep your chocolate warm. You should never melt chocolate over boiling water either. Bring the water to a simmer and then remove the pot and add in the collendar, paper towels, bowl with chocolate and stir to melt. Better yet use a double boiler pan if you have one. They are very easy to make with a glass or metal bowl set on top of the simmering water. Just make sure that the bowl is the same size or bigger than the opening of the pan. Your bowl should never touch the hot water. You can always reheat the water if your chocolate starts to get too cold and starts to harden. An easy way to temper chocolate is to keep a small handful of chips or a square aside and after the chocolate has melted add in the extra chocolate to cool down the chocolate and bring it back into temper. I've been doing this for years and it works. I dip my baked Hazelnut spritz cookies in chocolate and then in chopped hazelnuts.
You actually threw the extra chocolate away?!! With a simple candy mold you could have made chocolates. Or just spread it out on a sheet of wax paper and let it cool down for a later use. Do not refrigerate or the chocolate will bloom. Just let it cool down and harden then break up into pieces to eat or leave in a solid slab, your choice.
Also I would have placed some plastic wrap or waxed paper on top of the styrofoam to catch the drips. Then you can reuse the drips by scraping them off and saving them in the bag that you used to melt the chocolate. I'm not one to waste chocolate.
BTW it is Cereal no serial. Spell checker would never have caught the mistake because the word is spelled properly, only it is the wrong word for the item.
Otherwise a very good instructable :D <3
By the way, your correction ("...it is Cereal no serial") had at least three grammatical errors in it. Ironic, right? :D
i love chocolate and strawberry~~~
don't overheat chocolate either- it just gets stiffer lol
a "double boiler" (use a stainless steel mixing bowl inside a saucepan of boiling water), works REAL GOOD for melting chocolate!
THESE MAKE A VERY ELEGANT GIFT-***JUST DON'T MAKE THEM FAR IN ADVANCE, THEY "SWEAT" WHEN LEFT IN THE FRIDGE TO LONG!***
GIVE THEM IN A HEART SHAPE BOX AT VALENTINE'S DAY, THEY COST A FORTUNE FROM A CANDY STORE!
oh, one question though.. are there specific kinds of chocolate we have to use? mine were all sticky even after overnight refrigeration.. :( and that made a mess when i put it in a box and all..~ hope to make more sometime soon..! ^^
I had a similar problem once; the chocolate had a shiny/wet finish to it, the chocolate itself had not hardened all the way and was a little tacky, and in some examples the chocolate shell had separated from the skin of the strawberry. I determined that failing to dry the strawberries well enough after rinsing will cause the shell to separate due to moisture underneath. I was still left with the tacky, shiny chocolate (it will have a matte look when fully cured). During this time I noticed that other items in the refrigerator were not as cold as they should be, and there was noticeable condensation throughout. I later discovered that I had a faulty seal in the refrigerator door which was preventing the interior from cooling down enough and also letting moisture from the surrounding air inside. Basically, water will ruin chocolate.
It's hard to fail with the store bought bags of chocolate chips commonly used in cookies. They are tasty by themselves by the handful, and they melt quickly due to their size. I'm curious, what chocolate did you use?
ah, thing is.. i DID make an effort to fully dry each and every single strawberry before coating them..! hahah!
i think i know what the problem was now.. i added some milk to the chocolate...? =/ am i not supposed to do that? ahha. well, i used a bar of van houton cooking chocolate bar.. it was too thick and dry after i melted it.. [smooth though] and i remember always adding milk when i have a chocolate fondue...
did you use purely chocolate? have you ever tried adding milk, like i did? haha.
Yes.
But awesome tutorial.
The interwebs needed a step by step for chocolate covered strawberries.