Treat decorated eggs with care

Eggs will be flying off store shelves this month en route to everything from egg salads to bejeweled hard-boiled works of art. 

Unfortunately, where there are eggs there is also the potential for food-borne illness.

Dietitians at UT Southwestern Medical Center say egg artisans can help prevent illness – and possibly a trip to the local emergency room — by deciding prior to coloring whether they plan to eat their miniature Picassos.

“If you want to eat decorated hard-cooked eggs, be sure that all the decorating materials are food-safe and that you wash each egg beforehand,” says Dr. Vickie Vaclavik, a registered dietitian and clinical nutritionist at UT Southwestern. “Also, wash your hands between all the cooking, cooling, dyeing and decorating processes and keep the finished hard-cooked eggs refrigerated as much as possible.”

She says individuals who “hide” eggs should carefully place the eggs, considering location to ensure that the decorated eggs aren’t tainted by contamination from animals or lawn chemicals.

“Most importantly, don’t leave eggs outside for more than two hours,” Dr. Vaclavik says. “Hard-cooked eggs that have been refrigerated will last for about one week, but any left out for more than two hours should be tossed.”

Media Contact: Kristen Holland Shear

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