Easter Egg Safety

What would Easter be without hard-cooked eggs for egg dyeing and eating? For perfect hard-cooked eggs for Easter egg dyeing, keep in mind that the fresher the egg, the harder it is to peel. Try to buy your eggs a week or two in advance and refrigerate them.

Also keep in mind food safety when handling eggs at Easter during the cooking and Easter egg hunts. At Easter time, eggs are handled a great deal more than usual. Each handling occasion provides an opportunity for the eggs to come into contact with bacteria. So be sure to follow the tips below.

• Inspect eggs before purchasing them, making sure that they are not dirty or cracked. Discard them. Dangerous bacteria may enter a cracked egg.
• Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly before handling the eggs at every step including cooking, cooling, dyeing and hiding them.
• Store eggs in their original cartons in the refrigerator.
• Hard cooked eggs can be stored for up to a week if handled safely.

EASTER EGG HUNT: When hiding eggs, consider hiding places carefully. Avoid areas where the eggs might come into contact with pets, wild animals, birds, reptiles, insects or lawn chemicals. Do not keep eggs out of the refrigerator more than two hours total. This includes the time spent decorating them, hiding and finding them, and eating them. Refrigerate your eggs again after they've been hidden and found. Make sure you find all the eggs you've hidden to eliminate the chances of animals eating spoiled eggs.

HARD-COOKED EGGS:  Whether hard- or soft-cooked, this method is incorrectly called boiled eggs. Although the cooking water must come to a boil, eggs should not be boiled because high temperatures make them tough and rubbery. Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Add enough water to come at least one inch above the eggs. Cover and quickly bring just to a boil. Remove pan from heat and let eggs stand 15 minutes. Immediately run cold water over the eggs until cool. That will help eliminate that green ring that can occur if eggs are left in the hot water too long.

Information from the State of Nebraska Poultry and Egg Division

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