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In some specialty stores and gourmet markets, a dozen chocolate dipped strawberries will cost you upwards of $50. No need to spend the money when you can make them at home for a quarter of the price.

Rinse the strawberries under cool running water and gently pat dry. The strawberries need to be completely dry before dipping, so spread them out and let them air-dry if necessary. Melt the dark chocolate.

Poke a skewer into the leafy end of the strawberry. Dip the berry into the chocolate, gently twirling it until 1/2 to 3/4 of the berry is evenly coated. Hold the strawberry over the pot to let any excess chocolate drip off, and then gently push the skewer down into the block of florist's foam to let the chocolate set.

Refrigerator: Two to Three Days. Chocolate covered strawberries can be kept in the refrigerator for several days when stored properly, though ideally, you'll want to enjoy them within 48 hours. Cover them in wax paper and store them in an airtight container so that the fruit won't go bad.

They're not the best but you can use chocolate chips for quick-and-dirty dipping, they're meant to survive in the oven, after all, so a few gentle zaps in the microwave won't do much damage. Chips don't contain enough cocoa butter to temper, so the melted chocolate will harden with a streaked or swirled appearance.

Best chocolates for melting: nestle toll house semi-sweet chocolate morsels, oasis supply mercken's chocolate wafers candy making supplies, wilton microwaveable real milk chocolate melting chocolates, chocomaker fondue dipping candy milk chocolate, merckens milk chocolate melts, ghirardelli chocolate melting wafers, hershey's kitchens baking chips.