EASY EASTER EGGS

Dyeing Easter eggs is a beloved family tradition for many!

In our home, we like to dye hard-boiled eggs, as they hold up to handling (particularly by little hands) much better than the blown-out ones.

Here's how to do it:

HARD-BOIL YOUR EASTER EGGS

Place several eggs in a large saucepan. For the best results, use a pan that is large enough to accommodate all of your eggs in one layer on the bottom. Cover the eggs with lukewarm or cool water. (Stop filling once the water level is about an inch above the top of the eggs.)

Bring water to a full boil on the stove. Boil eggs over high heat for 10 minutes before removing pan from heat. Allow the water to cool completely before handling the eggs.

Chill hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator until ready to use.

PREPARE YOUR WORK AREA.

Cover your countertop or table with old newspapers or a disposable plastic tablecloth. Home-mixed and store-bought egg dyes will usually stain surfaces, unless you wipe them up promptly!

MIX YOUR EASTER EGG DYES

As the Easter season approaches, egg dye kits appear in stores everywhere. These are quite economical. Most include coloring tablets, which can be added to water to create colors.

Certainly, food coloring works equally well.

First, set out several glass (or otherwise color-proof) bowls. Fill each one about halfway with water. Add a few drops of food coloring (or a couple of egg dye tablets) to each bowl. Stir in a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar for best coloring results. Stir well.

PLAY WITH COLORS.

Remember art class from elementary school? Your primary colors are red, blue and yellow. These are the colors that come in most egg dye kits. From these, you can make orange, purple and green. (Mix it all together, and you will have a murky brown.)

You can experiment with the coloring to achieve your desired hues. Keep in mind that your Easter eggs will always turn out much lighter than your dye mixtures!

DIPPING YOUR EGGS

Store-bought Easter egg dye kits usually include a ring-like tool that is quite handy for lifting eggs out of the dye bowls. However, a slotted spoon or pair of kitchen tongs work just as well.

Gently place one egg into each color bowl. Swirl it around until it is well colored. Longer dips will produce deeper colors.

Eggs may be double-dipped into other colors for swirled or marbled effects.

EGG-CEPTIONAL DYEING

Add creative touches to your Easter egg dyeing by coloring your eggs with crayons before dipping, putting rubber bands on them to make undyed stripes (like tie-dyeing), or adding stickers after dyeing.

FINAL FINISHING

Colored Easter eggs will generally have a soft matte finish when dry. However, if you want your Easter eggs to shine, you can wipe them gently with a paper towel, which has been soaked in vegetable oil.

DRYING YOUR DYEING

Place your colored Easter eggs back into the egg cartons in which they came for drying. Remember, hard-boiled eggs must go right back into the refrigerator to keep them fresh!

ANOTHER OPTION:

You can place your food coloring mixtures in little spray bottles, and allow children to mist their eggs with color. This is a super outdoor activity, if weather permits, as it can get a little messy!

Learn more about this author, Linda Ann Nickerson.
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