Keeping Easter Eggs

How long can you keep boiled easter eggs without refrigeration?  How long can you keep boiled eggs in the fridge?  Please, we need this answer A.S.A.P.

--Ed

I assume when you ask how long can you keep boiled Easter eggs without refrigeration, you mean ones that you intend to eat afterwards.  If so, then the general food safety rule holds.  Cooked food should be kept no more than two hours at room temperature.   You may think that the shell will provide some extra safety, and therefore more time, but when it comes to food safety and the health of family and friends, it is always better to err on the conservative side, so stick with just two hours.

According to the American Egg Board, hard cooked eggs still in their shells will keep in the fridge for up to one week.  If they are peeled, they should be kept in the fridge for no more than three days.

If you store hard boiled eggs in the fridge, you may notice an odor from the outgassing of hydrogen sulfide formed during the cooking.  The odor will dissipate in a few hours and does not necessarily mean that the eggs were bad, assuming they were not past their "best before" date.

In any case, if you are dyeing the eggs first and then plan to eat them, be sure to use only food safe dyes.  Regular food coloring works well for dyeing eggs.

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