Feature Articles: Food, Fitness and Holidays
Follow safety rules when preparing Easter eggs
Tammy Roberts, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, Bates County, University of Missouri Extension
If
you’re planning on dyeing and hunting Easter eggs this year, it’s important
to follow food safety rules to prevent illness.
- Keep fresh eggs refrigerated in the original carton until it's
time to cook them. Eggs are a high protein food and are prone to
rapid growth of the disease-causing bacteria salmonella.
- Hard-cooked eggs can spoil faster than fresh ones — eggs are
porous and bacteria can penetrate the shell. A protective coating
that is added when eggs are washed at the plant washes away during
boiling, which makes it easier for bacteria to enter the shell. Therefore,
it is important to refrigerate hard-cooked eggs within two hours
of cooking.
- Do not handle eggs excessively and wash your hands thoroughly
when you do handle them.
- Don't hide the same eggs you plan to eat. Plan to hide plastic
eggs and decorate hard-boiled eggs for eating only.
- Don't eat cracked eggs or eggs that have been out of the refrigerator longer than two hours.
A green ring around an egg yolk may look unappetizing, but don’t worry — the egg is still safe and will taste fine. The green ring is a result of sulfur and iron compounds reacting on the surface of the yolk. This can occur when eggs are overcooked or when there is a high amount of iron in the cooking water. The American Egg Board has a recommendation for cooking tender eggs with no green ring:
- In a saucepan, place the eggs in a single layer. Add enough water to cover the eggs by 1 inch. Cover and quickly bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat and leave the pan covered. Let sit for 15 minutes for large eggs, 13 minutes for medium eggs and 10 minutes for small eggs.
- Run cold water over eggs until they are completely cooled. Boiled eggs should be refrigerated and eaten within a week.
If you don’t want to worry about the safety of the egg, empty eggshells can be dyed and kept indefinitely.
- First, wash and dry the egg.
- Next, using a long needle, make a small hole at the small end of the egg and a larger hole at the large end of the egg. Stick the needle deep into the egg to break the yolk.
- Then, either shake the egg, large end down, over a bowl or use a baster to pull out the contents. The contents can be used in any thoroughly cooked recipe that calls for mixed yolks and whites.
- Carefully rinse the shell and stand it on end to dry before you begin decorating.
 |
Site Administrator: |
|
|
|
Last update: Monday, March 25, 2013
