Myth: If I hard-boil my Easter eggs, it’s safe to use them for the Easter egg hunt.

Answer: Busted!

With Easter just around the corner, many families are planning Easter egg hunts for the kids. While it may be tempting to hide the dyed, hardboiled eggs for the hunt, it’s not safe if you plan to eat those eggs after the Easter festivities are over. Hard-cooked eggs must be refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking because they actually spoil faster than raw eggs. Purchase reusable plastic eggs for the Easter egg hunt and you’ll save yourself some money and keep your family safe. Save the dyed eggs for eating.

For more Easter egg safety tips, check out the article Follow safety rules when preparing Easter eggs.

Contributor: Mary Wissmann, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, St. Louis County, University of Missouri Extension, WissmannM@missouri.edu