Easter eggs are an essential spring tradition. Dyeing eggs (and hunting them) is a fantastic activity the whole family can do at home. However, it can get a little chaotic and messy.
Here are a few basics you’ll need to give everyone a memorable Easter craft project that won’t totally destroy your kitchen. Plus, get some nifty tips on storing your eggs and clever ways to eat them.
Hard-Boiled Eggs
The easiest way to hard-boil your eggs is with the Deluxe Multi Cooker. Add 6 eggs and 1 cup (250 mL) of water to the Deluxe Multi Cooker, select the Egg setting, and let it do its thing. If you use a pressure cooker that doesn’t have an egg setting, set the cook time to 5 minutes on high pressure and allow it to naturally release for an additional 5 minutes. Then, immediately place your cooked eggs in an ice-water bath.
If you’d like to stick with the traditional route of cooking them on the stovetop, place your eggs in a large pot with enough cold water to cover them. Bring the water just to a boil and remove the pot from the heat. Let the eggs stand, covered, for 20 minutes. Then, take the eggs out of the pot and place them in ice-cold water until they’re completely cooled. This will prevent an ugly green ring from forming on the egg yolks.
Egg Dyeing: Classic Solid Colors
Prepare egg dye in six 1-cup (250-mL) Prep Bowls following the directions on your Easter egg color kit (typically one tablet in each bowl) or on the food coloring package. Using a slotted spoon, lower one hard-boiled egg into the dye of your choice, rolling the egg around in the bowl. Remove the egg and let it dry.
Egg-cellent tip: Line a rimmed sheet pan with a few layers of paper towels for drying the dyed eggs. This gives the eggs a flat drying surface, and they won’t roll away.
Egg Dyeing: Tie-Dye Eggs
Dye hard-boiled eggs as described for the classic solid colors. Let your eggs dry completely. Then gently stir in ¼ tsp (1 mL) of vegetable oil (if you’re using a kit) or ½ tsp (2 mL) of vegetable oil (if you’re using food coloring) into the remaining dye in your bowls. Immediately dip the egg into the oil mixture to coat. Remove the egg and let it dry completely.
How to Easily Peel Eggs
Nothing is more frustrating than picking tiny bits of shell off your beautiful hard-boiled eggs. There are lots of methods out there, but here’s what we’ve found in the Pampered Chef test kitchens that works the best. The results are egg-ceptional.
- Start with eggs that are 7–10 days old for the best results.
- Keep your eggs cold once they’ve finished cooking.
- Gently tap the egg on the countertop until the shell is finely crackled all over.
- Roll the egg between your hands to loosen the shell.
- Hold the egg under cold running water to help ease off the shell.
- Start peeling at the larger end of the egg.
Egg Safety & Storage
Remember 1-1-2 to enjoy your hard-boiled eggs safely.
1 WEEK: Keep hard-boiled eggs in their shells, stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
1 DAY: Once you peel ’em, eat ’em that day.
2 HOURS: Refrigerate hard-boiled eggs within two hours of cooking.
Is It Safe to Eat Dyed Easter Eggs?
The simple answer is yes, BUT you should follow a few basic safety guidelines. First, use food-safe dyes on your eggs. Don’t eat the eggs if the shells crack during the cooking or egg-dyeing process. You can hunt for your colored eggs or display them, but if they’ve been sitting out at room temperature for two or more hours, throw them out.
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