Eggs: Handle With Care

Spring is just around the corner. Spring brings celebrations of many kinds. Religious celebrations and other holiday gatherings are centered around food. For many families, churches and schools, the Easter Egg Hunt is the first rite of spring. Colored, boiled eggs can be a source of foodborne illness if they are not handled properly, however, a few precautions can minimize the risk.

As a poultry product, eggs can be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria which grows on the egg shell and inside the egg without causing it to look or taste bad. These bacteria can wreak havoc with the digestive system, causing nausea, vomiting, intestinal cramps, diarrhea and fever 12 to 24 hours after the contaminated food has been eaten.

Recovery usually occurs in a few days, but some individuals develop symptoms which last for weeks. Children are especially susceptible to foodborne illness from Salmonella. In 1996 more than 6,800 children became sick from Salmonella according to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia.

If hard-cooked eggs are used for Easter egg hunts and left out of the refrigerator for hours at a time, they may cause problems. Eggs should not be out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours, even if they are cooked.

Cracked eggs are a potential hazard as well. Do not color or hide cracked eggs and throw away any eggs that become damaged during the Easter Egg Hunt. Use only clean, uncracked, refrigerated eggs.

• Always wash your hands thoroughly before handling the eggs at every step including, cooking, cooling, dyeing and hiding.

• Cook eggs by simmering them for 20 minutes in enough water to cover the eggs. Then immediately run cold water over the eggs or place them in ice water until they are completely cooled. The quick cooling also prevents dark, green yolks.

• Store cooked eggs in the refrigerator until time to dye them. After dyeing the eggs return them to the refrigerator, if they will be eaten. Hard-cooked eggs can be refrigerated in the shell for use within a week.

• Products made with eggs will keep in the refrigerator for no more than three days.

Plastic eggs are a good alternative to real eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt. Children will delight in looking for plastic eggs and finding a surprise inside, such as a small toy or a piece of candy. Then real eggs, stored safely in the refrigerator, can be the main attraction at mealtime. Or, make two batches of eggs, one to be eaten and another for decoration.

Spring 1998
University of Illinois Booksale | Zoysiagrass! Can You Believe the Ads? | Crabgrass Control | Choosing Home Lawn Care Services | Selecting a Tree Service or Arborist | All America Selections 1998 | All Tomato Varieties Certainly Not the Same | Some Noteworthy Perennial Combinations | Bug Bites | Lawn Care Calendar | Cybergarden Sites | Hort Shorts | Hort Tips | Healthy Eating: Butter vs. Margarine | Health Update: Vitamin & Mineral Supplements | Food Safety: Eggs | Health & Household Update | Did You Know?

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