Paint and store: Once you've finished dyeing each egg, put them right back in the refrigerator so the eggs stay cool. A few at a time: If you're dyeing lots of eggs, work on smaller batches of 4-5 or so at a time, then get them right back into the refrigerator.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration states that you should not eat any cooked eggs or egg dishes that have been out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours or for more than 1 hour when temperatures are above 90° because they are more susceptible to bacteria.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “Cooked eggs, including hard-boiled eggs, and egg-containing foods, should not sit out for more than 2 hours.
Remove the eggs from the dye and allow them to dry on paper towels, or right in the cardboard carton. Once the tops of the eggs are dry, flip them so the bottom can dry. Store in the fridge until you need them.
Before dunking them in the dye, your eggs should be cold (or at least room temperature). Cold-dyeing helps the dye adhere to the shell and keeps the dye from oversaturating the shell with color. On the other hand, the dye bath made with boiling water should be hot for best results.
Dyed eggs, like all boiled eggs, can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator and are safe to eat as long as they were colored with food-safe dyes and food colorings, according to the American Egg Board.
If the risk of sweating is high, pre-warm eggs gradually at least six hours prior to removing them from the egg storage room. This is achieved by switching off the egg room cooler several hours before taking out the eggs.
You should use warm or hot water.
Warm water helps the dye to absorb better than cooler water. Also, it's recommended that the water should always be warmer than the temperature of the eggs for the same reason.
Vinegar is acidic and contains around 3% acetic acid. When you add vinegar to water, it creates ideal conditions for food coloring to dye the egg. Since eggs are made out of calcium carbonate, this calcium in the shell reacts with the acid in the vinegar to make carbon dioxide.
And salmonella can spread quickly when eggs are left out at room temperature and not refrigerated. “A cold egg left out at room temperature can sweat, facilitating the movement of bacteria into the egg and increasing the growth of bacteria,” the USDA states on its website.
Do not wait until the night before Easter to fill and hide eggs. You will regret it. This will lead to crying, swearing and possibly opening a bottle of wine at midnight. Hiding eggs becomes frantic, and halfway through the distribution of eggs, you'll become less creative.
And that can be incredibly frustrating! Follow this tip: Buy your eggs at least a week before you plan on dyeing them. Keep them in their carton in your fridge until you're ready to hard-boil.
Eggs dyed without vinegar will turn out pastel-colored. You need a mild acid, like vinegar or lemon juice to achieve really vibrant colors.
You can make a brighter egg dye solution by dissolving the egg dye tablets into distilled white vinegar instead. Pour one cup of vinegar into a container with one egg dye tablet. Stir the solution with a spoon to dissolve the tablet completely before use.
3 Mix 1/2 cup boiling water, 1 teaspoon vinegar and 10 to 20 drops food color in a cup to achieve desired colors. Repeat for each color. Dip hard-cooked eggs in dye for about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon, wire egg holder or tongs to add and remove eggs from dye.
To make a tritoned dipped egg, dye the whole egg first in a light color, let dry for 15 minutes, and then submerge both top and bottom into a darker color (leaving the center exposed).
Using gel food coloring can really help to get that white part of the egg a bright color! I like using this dye solution better than regular food coloring for this reason.
One of the most important things when it comes to Easter eggs is making sure you refrigerate them. Oftentimes, the decorated eggs will go for hours hidden in the backyard or on display on your holiday table. But this often the cause for foodborne illnesses, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
For shiny Easter eggs, rub them with a very light coating of vegetable oil after the dye is dried.
Eliminate the ring by avoiding overcooking and by cooling the eggs quickly after cooking. Run cold water over the just-cooked eggs or place them in a bowl or container of ice water until they have completely cooled. Then refrigerate the eggs in their shells until you're ready to use them.
Easter Egg Drying Methods
Use water bottle caps to dry eggs. Place your eggs on a cookie cooling rack. Use Easter Rolos or Mini Reeses to dry eggs! Turn egg carton upside down to dry eggs.
If you don't have any vinegar in the house and you want to dye eggs, you can use a vinegar replacement, such as lemon juice or vitamin C powder. Another option is to boil eggs in water and edible dye components, such as red cabbage, spinach, and red wine.
Does Apple Cider Vinegar work for dying eggs? The answer is yes! Apple Cider Vinegar contains the same acidity necessary for dying eggs so it works perfectly! Due to the color of the ACV, it may change the color of the dye but that could work to your advantage with these natural easter egg dyes.
CAUSE: the equipment used to process eggs commercially has rollers and brushes which will the surface of the egg during the cleaning process and can wear away/damage the cuticle. This damage prevents the dye from taking well in these areas. You will often see two parallel stripes on the egg after dyeing.