Spring is a great time for eggs

March 15, 2005 (Reviewed December 19, 2007)
Debbie Botzek-Linn
University of Minnesota, Regional Extension Educator, Food Science
Ext Regl Ctr St. Cloud
Email: botze001@umn.edu
Phone: 320-203-6056

Spring time brings the use of colorfully dyed eggs for decorations, games and good eating. If your family enjoys dyeing eggs, keep in mind that eggs are a perishable food and need to be handled accordingly.

Shells are the egg's first line of defense, so work with eggs carefully to prevent cracking. Eggs with cracked shells should not be decorated or eaten.

Because raw eggs may have Salmonella or other bacteria, wash your hands with warm water and soap before handling eggs and at every step of egg preparation. This includes cooking, cooling, dyeing and even when hiding them for games.

Hard cooking the eggs should kill Salmonella bacteria, but will not keep them from spoiling or getting re-contaminated. Refrigerate hard-cooked eggs before dyeing them, and keep them refrigerated when you're not using them. Don't leave eggs out of the refrigerator for more than two hours.

When cooking, place a single layer of eggs in a saucepan. Add cold water to come at least one inch above the eggs. Cover and bring water to a boil; turn off the heat. Let the eggs stand, covered, in the hot water 15 minutes for large eggs (12 minutes for medium eggs and 18 minutes for extra large). Immediately run cold water over the eggs; when they're cool, drain and refrigerate them.

Eggs prepared this way often have less of a green tinge around the yolk, fewer cracks and are easier to peel. Another tip for reducing egg peeling frustration is to age eggs in the refrigerator for a week to 10 days prior to hard cooking.

When decorating the eggs, be sure to use a food-safe dye and work with chilled, hard-cooked eggs. Consider coloring one set of eggs for decorating or the egg hunt and another set for eating.

Hard cooked eggs should be used within one week of cooking and can be enjoyed as tasty egg salad, deviled eggs, a salad garnish, a quick lunch or an evening snack.

Peer reviewed by Suzanne Driessen, University of Minnesota Regional Extension Educator, Food Science, December 18, 2007.