Paper Towels Are The Key To Storing Chocolate Covered Strawberries In The Fridge

Chocolate-covered strawberries make for the perfect sweet treat — the freshness of the berries combined with the sweet, rich chocolate is an irresistible combination. Not only are they delicious, but they're super easy and fun to make at home. However, if you've made your own chocolate-covered strawberries before, or simply ended up with leftovers from a gift, then you may have come across one annoying problem: The strawberries produce condensation while being stored in the fridge.

While a little bit of sweat may not hurt the taste of the treat, it's still something to avoid to preserve the presentation of the dessert. Luckily, there's an easy way to minimize the condensation: Line the bottom of a tray or baking sheet with paper towels to soak up the excess moisture, then place the strawberries on top. To go the extra mile, you can sprinkle some baking soda over the paper towels, which will help further with absorbing the extra moisture.

As for what to store them in, this is one instance in which an airtight container won't help with preserving; an airtight container can actually trap in extra moisture and condensation, leading to more sweating and even spoiling. Instead, keep the strawberries on a tray covered in plastic wrap. When it comes time to enjoy the chocolate-covered strawberries, you should notice significantly less sweating after using the paper towel method.

After dipping your strawberries in melted chocolate, you need to pop them in the refrigerator for about an hour — and you can ensure that the chocolate-covered strawberries harden as fast as possible by putting them on a baking sheet that has been chilling in the freezer ahead of time. But after they've hardened in the fridge, the best place to store them to avoid sweating is actually at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap.

However, the method of storing them at room temperature only works if you're going to enjoy them within 24 hours after making them. For many, the sweet treat will be tempting to wait anyway, so storing them at room temperature shouldn't be a problem. But if you need to make them more than 24 hours ahead of time, then you're going to need to resort to storing them in the fridge, which is where the tip of lining the tray or baking sheet with paper towels comes to your rescue.