|
|
You are here: main
 articles
On
the Safe Side |
Keep
Easter Eggs Safe
by Nancy Peterson
Egg sales surged from a 52-week average of 72.6 million
dozen to 105.4 million dozen during Easter week last year,
according to the American Egg Board.
Board representatives are hesitant to estimate the number
of eggs that will be used in holiday recipes and the number
that will be dyed for Easter baskets and egg hunts. In
many homes, though, eggs that have been dyed and used
as decorations may end up on the dinner table, too. And,
that, according to Karen Blakeslee, Kansas State University
Research and Extension rapid response coordinator, "is
a food safety concern."
"If an Easter or other hard-cooked egg has been left unrefrigerated
for two hours as a decoration or part of an egg hunt,
it should be discarded," she said.
"When cooked foods are allowed to stand at room temperature
for extended periods of time, potentially harmful bacteria
may grow. Thousands of people are sickened by foodborne
illness each year and many die unnecessarily," said Blakeslee,
who advised applying the two-hour rule to the cooking
and egg-dyeing process, too.
Hard-cooked eggs are easy to prepare and easy to keep
safe, said Blakeslee, who offered these basic directions:
- Place eggs in a saucepan and fill with cold water
to one inch above eggs.
- Cover the pan and bring the water to a boil fairly
quickly.
- Turn off the heat or remove the pan from the burner
and allow the eggs to stand (covered) for 12 minutes
for medium-sized eggs; 15 minutes for large eggs,
and 18 minutes for extra large eggs and 21 minutes
for jumbo eggs.
- Run cold water over the eggs or place them in ice
water to cool.
- When eggs have cooled, refrigerate promptly.
When stored in their shell, hard-cooked eggs can be refrigerated
for up to one week.
If, in cooking, an egg shell cracks, the egg should be
eaten, and not dyed.
To simplify the peeling process, tap a hard-cooked egg
lightly on the counter, then roll it between the hands
to loosen the shell.
Commercial egg dyes are plentiful during the Easter season
and many common household ingredients also can be used
as coloring agents (chart included).
The American
Egg Board recommends using water warmer than the eggs
in the dyeing process, returning newly colored eggs to
an egg carton and refrigerating them promptly.
|
Natural Dyes Give 'Natural Look'
Folk artists and crafts people often
choose natural dyes to create holiday decorations,
including Easter eggs. This list of color sources
is provided by the American Egg Board, which recommends
adding one tablespoon of white vinegar for each
cup of water. |
| Material |
Color |
| Fresh beets, cranberries,
radishes or frozen raspberries |
Pinkish red |
| Yellow onion skins |
Orange
|
Orange or lemon peels,
carrot tops, celery seed or ground cumin
|
Delicate yellow |
| Ground tumeric |
Yellow |
| Spinach leaves |
Pale green |
| Yellow Delicious Apple
peels |
Green-gold |
| Canned blueberries
or red cabbage leaves |
Blue |
| Strong brewed coffee |
Beige to Brown |
| Dill seeds |
Brown-gold |
| Chili powder |
Brown-orange |
| Purple or red grape
juice or beet juice |
Grey
|
For more information on Easter Egg safety, visit the K-State
Research and Extension Web Site: www.oznet.ksu.edu/extrapidresponse/
or American Egg Board Web Site: emaloberti@aeb.org
Nancy Peterson
nancyp@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research and Extension
For more information: Karen Blakeslee is at 785-532-1673
or kblakesl@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State
Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas
State University Agricultural Experiment Station and
Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to
generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being
of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and
private funds, the program has county Extension offices,
experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional
research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the
K-State campus in Manhattan.
|
|
|
|
