Coloring hard-boiled eggs is an Easter tradition. The fun part is, there are so many ways to do it! You can make eggs of one color, but a little extra can never go wrong. You can eat these eggs, give them as gifts, or use them as decorations.
Step
Step 1. Arrange the required materials
There are a few things you need to do before you start:
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Buy half a dozen to a dozen eggs at the grocery store, or collect them straight from your hens.
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Boil eggs until hard. Do this by placing the eggs in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and covering them with water. Wait until it boils and lower the temperature. Let it simmer for at least 10 minutes and then gently remove the eggs using a spoon or tongs. Place under cold running water until cool enough to handle, at least one minute, and cool thoroughly on a rack in the refrigerator before use.
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Buy egg decoration tools! Usually this consists of a few drops of dye, a color-coded cup, a special egg spoon, and of course, instructions for making the dye. Or buy a set of small bottles of food coloring, which you can use for all kinds of projects like color cakes.
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Step 2. Follow the instructions on the dye package carefully, and make the dye
In most cases, you dip the granules in water or vinegar (about a tablespoon of vinegar). (Liquid food coloring usually requires vinegar.) Be sure to have both. You can use a glass, cup, or bowl to pour the water into it, just make sure the container has enough room for the eggs. Disposable plastic cups (great for hot liquids, if you use one) are perfect because the stain doesn't affect it and can cover a few dropped eggs.
Place the coloring containers in a row. Put the hard-boiled eggs in one place for easy access. It's also a good idea to arrange the work surface by covering it with newspaper (you can put eggs here while you add the coloring effect, and it will also catch any drips of dye.) Also, use egg cartons or wire racks to dry the eggs after coloring
Step 3. Decorate each egg "before" coloring if you intend to add features
If you want, you can draw on the egg using crayon, or place a rubber band or dot sticker on the egg. Covering parts of the egg with tape, stickers, drawing crayons, or rubber bands will result in some parts of the egg not being dyed which will be dipped in later but will create a cool effect on its own.
- You can color the eggs a light color, cover some of them, and then color them again using a dark color.
- Natural. You can add a coloring “after” decoration effect as well. It's up to you and a good way to find out what you prefer is to try decorating before and after coloring the eggs.
Step 4. Place the egg on the egg spoon, and dip it into the desired color
You can add it halfway to color only certain parts of the egg, or add it all in. Leave the eggs in for at least 3 minutes before removing them.
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The eggs will absorb more of the color the longer you wait, so if the color isn't what you want it to be, leave it longer.
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Step 5. Place the removed egg on a newspaper-lined work surface
At this point, you can drip different dyes on the eggs for added color effect, then blow through a straw to spread the drops of dye over the eggs. This will result in an interesting new pattern. You can also use a paint brush to move the dye if you want.
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To make very pretty eggs. Repeat this step as many times as you want. Repeated re-dipping of the eggs will result in a mix of colors, multiple layers of pattern (multiple colors), and stripes of different colors. You can remove the rubber band and sticker between rinses or not; experiment with different methods, as described in the following sections.
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Step 6. Allow the eggs to dry on the egg carton, or better yet, a wire rack which will minimize broken contact points
Place each egg there when you're done, and work on the next egg until you're done with all of them.
Method 1 of 4: Marble Egg
Step 1. Prepare the eggs by package, or make your own coloring using natural food coloring
If you intend to eat the eggs, be sure to use food-grade coloring.
Step 2. Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to each container of dye
Be aware that you want to color some of the eggs normally or give them a base color before making the marble, do that first. Once the oil is in the dye, you can't go back! Experimenting with adding more oil to the dye' different amounts create different marbles.
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Better yet, float a drip of concentrated vinegar and food coloring mixture (to keep the color from fading) on shaving cream or float a drip of a water-based food coloring mixture in water, sweep the color into a pattern, then dip the egg briefly to marble it like marble on paper. You may need to dip one end at a time. A pair of tongs with coiled ends will hold the egg securely and cover only a small part of its surface. If you use shaving cream, let the eggs dry before removing excess foam. Either way, be prepared for the possibility that the color might stick to you or what you're wearing better than the egg, even once it's dry.
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Step 3. Dip quickly
Using the spoon or dip provided in the crate, dip the eggs thoroughly into the dye and quickly remove them. Since the oil and water won't mix, you may want to color some parts of the egg, and not others, creating a marbled effect. Continue dipping for lighter colors.
Step 4. Dry the eggs on a paper towel
Gently pat the freshly dipped egg with a paper towel, or the color may turn cloudy. If you want to dip it in another color, wait for it to dry completely first.
Step 5. Add sparkles
Dampen a paper towel with vegetable oil and gently rub the finished egg to add a lovely glow.
Step 6. Put in the fridge
Place the eggs in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.
Surprise everyone with your handiwork
Method 2 of 4: Sponge Dip
Step 1. Put five drops of food coloring in a cup and add a few drops of water
Step 2. Dip the sponge in the cup and press it on the egg
Step 3. Let it dry
Step 4. Do the same with the other colors
Step 5. Continue to use another sponge of another color, but let it dry in between
Method 3 of 4: Polka Dot Eggs
Step 1. Paste the dot sticker on the egg
Step 2. Color it with any color or multiple colors
Step 3. Allow the eggs to dry completely
Step 4. Gently peel off the sticker
Step 5. Alternatively, you can also paint dots on the egg as desired
Method 4 of 4: Glitter Eggs
Step 1. Color the eggs with the desired color or colors
Add white vinegar to the dye for a darker color
Step 2. Cover with glitter paint
Or, add glitter to the previous dye (this is easier).
Step 3. Let it dry
You now have a very dazzling egg for Easter.
Step 4. Done
The glitter eggs are now ready to display.
Tips
- The more vinegar you add to the dye, the more striking the color will be.
- You can combine techniques for even cooler eggs.
- The longer you leave the eggs in the dye, the darker the color will be. So you should do a “quick dye” for a lighter color.
- If using crayons/wax to draw a pattern on the eggs before coloring, the eggs need to be at room temperature first so the wax can stick to the skin.
- Blow out the eggs for the shells so you can decorate them elaborately and keep them for a long time. When coloring empty eggs, it is helpful to place a spoon (or whatever you used to dip the eggs) over the eggs, as the empty eggs will float. Once you've removed it, be sure to place a newspaper or paper towel under the egg to catch any dye dripping from the hole.
- Do you know? In 2005, chocolatier Guylian made an edible chocolate Easter egg measuring 27 feet (8.2 m), 3 inches (7.6 cm) and weighing 4299 pounds (1949 kg) made of 50,000 bars of praline chocolate.
- Try not to make all the eggs too dark or too light. If they were, they wouldn't be so flashy.
- Why eggs? The egg is a symbol of Christ's resurrection because the egg symbolizes new life. Various cultures around the world have traditions that focus on giving colored or decorated eggs, with some countries having very specific methods for coloring eggs. It can be a fun activity for little ones to explore different styles of egg decoration around the world; ask them which one they would like to try and the decorations on their eggs.
- Hard-boiled eggs will last 4 days in the refrigerator.
Warning
- Only eat eggs if you have stored them in the refrigerator and you are using non-toxic and food-grade food coloring and decorations. Egg shells are very porous!
- The glitter eggs are for decoration only, so don't eat them.
- Peel the eggs before eating, and don't eat the shells!
