EggSafetyTips

General Egg Safety Tips

Easter is a busy time for the egg industry. Hard-cooking and coloring eggs is a common activity in most households.

Proper food safety habits are always important when preparing, cooking, and coloring eggs.

Here are some general safety tips from the American Egg Board & Sauder Eggs:

Wash your hands well with warm water and soap before and after handling eggs at every step, including cooking, cooling, dyeing and decoration.
Refrigerate hard-cooked eggs whenever you are not working with them. Put them in their cartons if you won't be decorating them right after cooking. Refrigerate them again right after dyeing or decorating them. Hard-cooked eggs may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Make sure the eggs you color aren't cracked. If any crack during dyeing or decorating, throw them away. Also throw away any eggs that have been out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours.
Use food coloring or specially-made, food-grade egg dyes. Dissolve the dye in water that is warmer than the eggs. Be sure the label says non-toxic on any crayons, pens, paints, or other art materials you use. Or use edible decorations like herbs. (You can use any art materials you like if you are not going to eat the eggs).

For more ideas for decorating eggs, go the Kids & Family Page on the AEB website.

For cooking instructions for hard-cooked eggs, see the Recipe Page on the AEB website for basic preparation.