Live Healthy Live Well

We have waited patiently all winter long and spring is ALMOST here!  There is anticipation for the birds returning from the south to greet us with a song, a warm breeze through the green grass, and a positive feeling is in the air.  Along with spring comes the first holiday of the season – Easter.

If we were playing Family Feud and were asked to list our top five responses to things associated with Easter, eggs would definitely be one.  There are so many things we can do with eggs at Easter time.  They can be hard boiled or the center blown out.  They can be dyed, glittered, stenciled, and stickered.  They can be used as a decoration, put in baskets, or used in an Easter egg hunt. 

 What I am most interested in is egg safety at all stages of the Easter egg process.

We are going to buy a dozen eggs to get ready for decorating and want to be sure and keep them safe. How do we ensure egg safety during the holidays?  The USDA gives the following tips that should be used when purchasing and using eggs:

• Always buy eggs from a refrigerated case. Choose eggs with clean, un–cracked shells.
• Buy eggs before the “Sell-By” or “EXP” (expiration) date on the carton.
• Take eggs straight home from the grocery store and refrigerate them right away. Check to be sure your refrigerator is set at 40°F or below. Don’t take eggs out of the carton to put them in the refrigerator –– the carton protects them. Keep the eggs in the coldest part of the refrigerator – not on the door.
• Raw shell eggs in the carton can stay in your refrigerator for three to five weeks from the purchase date. Although the “Sell-By” date might pass during that time, the eggs are still safe to use. (The date is not required by federal law, but some states may require it.)
• Always wash your hands with warm water and soap before and after handling raw eggs. To avoid cross-contamination, you should also wash forks, knives, spoons and all counters and other surfaces that touch the eggs with hot water and soap.
• Don’t keep raw or cooked eggs out of the refrigerator for more than two hours.

So now we have our eggs.  While there are a variety of ways they can be prepared before being decorated, the focus today will be on hard boiling the eggs.  Here are the steps from Alabama Cooperative Extension:

1. Start with 6 raw eggs.  Make sure the eggs are clean and that none of them are cracked or broken.
2. Place a single layer of eggs in the bottom of a pot.
3. Fill the pot with water and make sure that the eggs have at least an inch of water above them.
4. Cover the pot with a lid and place on the stove top with the heat on High.  Let it boil for four minutes and then turn off the heat.
5. Take the pot off the stove.  With the lid still on, let the eggs sit for 15 – 17 minutes.
6. Place the pot in the sink, take off lid, and fill with cold water.  Let the eggs sit in the cold water until completely cool.
7. Take the eggs out of the water and dry them off.  They can now be decorated or peeled to eat.

Once all of the eggs are hardboiled, cooled, and dried, it is time for decorations.  Decorating eggs is a great time to bond with family and friends.  There are thousands of different ways to decorate eggs.  Personalize them for each person to make them feel special!

Now that the eggs are decorated, they are egg hunt ready.  If the eggs for the hunt are going to be eaten, keep the following points from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in mind:

• Consider hiding places carefully. Avoid areas where the eggs might come into contact with pets, wild animals, birds, reptiles, insects or lawn chemicals.
• Make sure all the hidden eggs are found and then refrigerate them. Discard cracked eggs.
• As long as the eggs are NOT out of refrigeration over two hours, they will be safe to eat. Do not eat eggs that have been out of refrigeration more than two hours. Refrigerate hard-cooked eggs in their shells and use them within 1 week.
• If you are planning to use colored eggs as decorations, (for centerpieces, etc.) where the eggs will be out of refrigeration for many hours or several days, discard them after they have served their decorative purpose.

Whatever you decide to do this Easter, make sure that you are using eggs safely.  If you are planning to eat the Easter eggs keep in mind that they should not be out of refrigeration for more than two hours.  Follow the above suggestions and you’ll have egg-xactly the Easter you were hoping for!

Written by:  Dana Brown, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Science, Ohio State University Extension, Morrow County, brown.4643@osu.edu

Reviewer:  Marilyn Rabe, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Science, Ohio State University Extension, Franklin County, rabe.9@osu.edu

Resources:

Egg Handling and Safety Tips for Easter: http://food.unl.edu/web/safety/egg-handling-safety

Safe Eggs for Easter:  http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/E/EFNEP-0215/EFNEP-0215.pdf

USDA Gives Hard Boiled Tips for Easter and Passover Food Safety: If You Find a Hidden Easter Egg Three Days Later, Throw It Out! Leave That Egg On The Passover Seder Plate:  http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news/NR_032105_01/index.asp