Start by gently rinsing the strawberries and dry them on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Strawberries must be completely dry before dipping them as any water will cause the chocolate to seize up.

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper.

In a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening over low heat, and stir frequently. Remove from heat. You can also place the chocolate chips and shortening in a microwavable safe bowl in microwave in 30 second intervals until melted.

Dip the lower half of each strawberry one at a time into the chocolate mixture and allow excess melted chocolate to drip back into the saucepan or microwavable safe bowl. You can hold them by the green leaves or stems in to melted chocolate.

Place each strawberry on the parchment/waxed paper. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 30 minutes or until chocolate is firm.

Store the strawberries in a plastic or glass container covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve, so chocolate does not soften. If you used oil, the chocolate will soften more quickly at room temperature.