when you bite into a choc dipped strawberry should the chocolate on the strawberry be hard and break off so that you have to hold your hand under the strawberry to catch the falling bits or should it be set yet soft and stay on the strawberry. Ive made them many times before and generally the chocolate has broken off and sometimes fallen. but i made some today that have set up but the choc is soft so that it doesn;t fall off. imtrying a new chocolate so it must be the chocolate. Which way doyou think it should be?

also any recommendations on chocolate thats available in local stores and then the better/best brand available on line? im needing white and chocolate for tuxedo dipped strawberries. but got plenty of time, thanks

Yes, it will crack.

If you want real chocolate, you need to look for couverture chocolate. It has a higher cocoa butter content. I use Guittard. Amazon has it, but there are others online that have it slightly cheaper. But you will need to learn to temper chocolate. There are many tutorials on the web. It takes some practice.

In grocery stores, I think the only real dipping chocolate is the Baker's in the little tubs.

There are also CC members that use the wafers and candy melts. They can tell you how to use them as an option. I don't know how they work on fruit.

If you want a chocolate that doesn't break and fall off when you bite into the strawberry then dip them in ganache. It will set up, but also allow you to bite them with out it the chocolate shattering.

Ditto to TexasSugar--ganache will give you a chocolate coating that won't break and fall off. Personally, I prefer the "hard" chocolate shell instead of ganache. (I have made about 200 or so chocolate dipped strawberries so far.)

I use Guittard A'Peels in Dark and White chocolate. The A'Peels do NOT require tempering, but have a wonderful, true chocolate taste.

Many people recommend Merckens. I use A'Peels because I can get them locally at a wholesaler AND because they taste fantastic & perform beautifully.

I'll chime in here with the cheap option...I use chocolate chips and add a generous spoonful of crisco to the melted chocolate before dipping the strawberries. The result is a chocolate that gets firm to the touch but doesn't crack and fall off of the strawberry. It's also not hard to bite into...I started making them that way for a family member who has trouble biting things, but then discovered everyone else liked the softer chocolate also.