The 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.
Directions for hard cooking eggs
Hard cooking 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 are not using them. Do not leave eggs out of the refrigerator for more than two hours.
When decorating the eggs, be sureto use a food-safe dye and workwith chilled, hard-cooked eggs.
To hard-cook eggs:
Place a single layer of eggs in a saucepan.
Add cold water to come at least 1 inch above the eggs.
Cover and bring the water to a boil; turn off the heat.
Let the eggs stand covered in the hot water for 15 minutes for large eggs, 12 minutes for medium, and 18 minutes for extra large.
Immediately run cold water over the eggs; when they are cool, drain and refrigerate.
Eggs prepared this way 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.
Debbie Botzek-Linn, former Extension educator and Suzanne Driessen, Extension educator
Boiled eggs are eggs, typically from a chicken, cooked with their shells unbroken, usually by immersion in boiling water. Hard-boiled eggs are cooked so that the egg white and egg yolk both solidify, while soft-boiled eggs may leave the yolk, and sometimes the white, at least partially liquid and raw.
before dyeing them and keep them refrigerated when you are not using them. Do not leave eggs out of the refrigerator for more than two hours. When decorating the eggs, be sure to use a food-safe dye and work with chilled, hard-cooked eggs.
Is it better to dye eggs when they are hot or cold? Before dunking them in the dye, your eggs should be cold (or at least room temperature). Cold-dyeing helps the dye adhere to the shell and keeps the dye from over-saturating the shell with color.
Eggs can be decorated with magic markers, paint, glitter, or even sequins. And if you are dyeing the eggs, wash them in a mild detergent solution before decorating to give a light oil coating to help color adhere more evenly. But be sure to use a food-safe dye.
If the hard-boiled, colored Easter eggs have not been out of refrigeration for more than two hours, they will be safe to eat. Eggs should be used within one week. Lastly, for cooked egg dishes, they should reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, as measured by a food thermometer.
Let it sit until it cools to room temperature so your eggs don't crack. Let your eggs come to room temperature before dying! I like to cook mine and then let them cool so I can dye the same day. Avoid refrigerating them before you dye them.
In small bowl or cup, stir together 1/2 cup boiling water, vinegar, and food coloring. Immerse eggs in dye, turning occasionally to ensure even coating, until desired color, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon or tongs, remove eggs from dye and transfer to rack to drain. Refrigerate when dry.
Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower eggs into water one at a time. Cook 10 minutes, maintaining a gentle boil. Carefully transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and let cool until just slightly warm, about 2 minutes.
With water boiling, gently lower your eggs into the pot, a few at a time. (A small strainer, spider, or slotted spoon is ideal for the job.) Lower eggs to the bottom of the pot and roll them gently off the strainer, so they don't crack when they hit the pot floor.
While Sharpie markers are AP-certified non-toxic, we do not recommend using them on areas of items that may come in contact with food or the mouth. Sharpie has not been tested as an oven proof product and should not be used anywhere where a consumer could possibly ingest the ink.
One way to do this is by using a vinegar rinse, which effectively removes any oils and residual chemicals from the eggshell, ensuring a clean surface for the dye. To create your vinegar rinse, combine equal parts of 5% white vinegar and water - typically, 125 mL (1/2 cup) of each will suffice.
Mix 1 teaspoon of vinegar and 20 drops of food coloring (use more to intensify color) in 1 cup of boiling hot water in a heatproof bowl, cup, or jar deep enough to let you submerge an egg completely. Using tongs, submerge your egg into the dye.
The FDA recommends consuming hard-boiled eggs within a week, and two weeks is well past that deadline. Since spoiled hard-boiled eggs can make you sick, it's best to be safe and toss out any leftover hard-boiled eggs that have been in the fridge for more than one week.
“If the egg is discolored or has a greenish ring around the yolk, it's likely gone bad.” A bad hard-boiled egg may also have a sulfuric smell, adds Marcus. The bottom line on hard-boiled eggs: “If the egg is slimy, mushy or smells bad, toss it,” says Steele.
For maximum freshness, leave them in their shells until you are ready to eat or prepare. The shell will help to protect the egg from bacteria, and can help prevent them from absorbing odors from other foods in your refrigerator.
A green ring on a hard-cooked yolk is a result of overcooking and is caused by sulfur and iron compounds in the egg reacting on the yolk's surface. The green color can also be caused by a high amount of iron in the cooking water.
“If the egg is discolored or has a greenish ring around the yolk, it's likely gone bad.” A bad hard-boiled egg may also have a sulfuric smell, adds Marcus. The bottom line on hard-boiled eggs: “If the egg is slimy, mushy or smells bad, toss it,” says Steele.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “Cooked eggs, including hard-boiled eggs, and egg-containing foods, should not sit out for more than 2 hours.
If the shell is intact with no obvious signs of damage, contamination, or foul odor, a person should do a second visual check after cracking the egg open. They should discard eggs with any unusual discoloration inside, such as a pink, iridescent, or greenish egg white or yolk.
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