Easter Eggs

Egg handling at Easter or at any time during the year provides many opportunities for eggs to become contaminated with bacteria.  Here are some tips on how to safely handle eggs at Easter – and all through the year.

• Keep fresh eggs refrigerated until time to cook.  Eggs are a potentially hazardous food and need to be kept at 40F or below.
• The American Egg Board (AEB) recommends this method for boiling the perfect Easter egg:  Place eggs in a single layer in a sauce pan.  Add enough tap water to come at least 1 inch above the eggs.  A tablespoon of vinegar can be added to allow better dye coverage after cooking.  Cover pan and quickly bring just to a boil.  Turn off heat.  If necessary, remove pan from burner to prevent further boiling.  Let eggs stand, covered, in the hot water for 15 minutes.  Immediately run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water until completely cooled.  Refrigerate all hard cooked eggs.
• Whatever the style of preparation, eggs should always be cooked well.  The FDA recommends cooking eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm, not runny.  This way any Salmonella or other harmful bacteria that may be in the eggs will be destroyed.
• Do not handle eggs excessively, and wash your hands thoroughly when you do handle them, whether in cooking, cooling, dying or hiding.  The shell of an egg is very porous and will permit bacteria to penetrate.  Most commercial egg producers lightly coat their eggs with a thin spray of mineral oil to close the pores against contamination.  Cooking the egg in the shell, however, removes that barrier so that your hard cooked eggs are again prone to contamination unless you protect them by proper handling.
• Care should be used in choosing hiding places for Easter eggs.  Make sure to avoid areas where the eggs might come in contact with pets, wild animals, birds, reptiles, insects or lawn chemicals. 
• After the hunt, discard eggs that are cracked or dirty.  Bacteria can enter the eggs through the cracks in the shell.
• Rinse uncracked eggs, then place them back in the refrigerator until it’s time to eat them.  Use cooked eggs within 1 week.
• Any eggs that have been out of refrigeration for over 2 hours should be discarded (or 1 hour in temperatures over 90F).