Aki's Kitchen - Techniques: Dyeing Easter Eggs

Dyeing Easter Eggs

Contents


	dill parsley green onions brown rice parchment paper key hole puncher pantyhose, inexpensive, light shade metal ties (paper or plastic coated) scissors wire cutter paper grocery bags large regular pot candy thermometer metal slotted ladle metal spoons chlorine bleach latex gloves
You'll need:
white eggs, large light tasting oil dyes or food colours: red, blue, green and yellow vinegar salt water

Types of Eggs Used

Dyes

Washing the Eggs

Cold vs. Hot Dyeing Method

Clean-up

Pantyhose

Decorations

The Pantyhose Technique:
Parsley, Dill, Green Onions
Polka Dot & Brown Rice
Gradient
Red, White and Blue

Boiling the Eggs

Finishing Off the Eggs:
Polishing


Types of Eggs Used:
I like to use white large eggs, as compared to brown eggs, which alter the colour of the dyes. I don't like using extra large or jumbo eggs, because they have thinner shells and tend to crack during boiling. When buying the eggs, select ones that have no cracks, tiny blue bumps and the manufacturer's due date stamp (sometimes unavoidable). Buy eggs packed in paper cartons, not Styrofoam. The paper cartons can be used later on to drain the dyed eggs or as convenient packing material.
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Dyes:
The dyes that I use are powder form. They come in small sealed plastic bags, in envelopes. Vinegar is used to allow the dyes to adhere onto the shells. The directions are written on the package and are simple to follow. There are a few brands that pop out a couple a weeks before Easter, which can be found in most Greek bakeries and convenience stores. Typical food colourings can be used; however, they produce pastel shades. Dyes, in comparison, are more vivid and intense. I like to save the dyeing water, because sometimes I can slightly alter the shade of the other colours with them. I can add a little red to the blue to change the hue of the blue. To make a vivid green, mix the yellow and blue dye water and then add the green dye to it. The green becomes more vivid; or, use more or less, of yellow or blue to obtain a lime or olive green - experiment!
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Washing the Eggs:
Some dye manufacturers require that the eggs should be "washed": rinsed and wiped with a cloth in plain warm water without soap. They claim that "washing" the eggs helps the dye adhere better on the shells. It doesn't make a difference whether the eggs are washed or not.
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Cold vs. Hot Dyeing Method:
Cold dyes require that the eggs are boiled in plain water, drained, cooled and then refrigerated. Soon after, or the next day, the eggs are soaked in cold dye water, as per package directions. I don't like this technique, because the plain, boiled eggs tend to "stink up" the refrigerator with a sulphur odour and the dyes don't adhere well onto the eggs: it takes too much time. Hot dyes, on the other hand, require that the eggs are boiled in the dye water; there's no need to boil the eggs in advance, as in the cold water method. I prefer the hot method, because it doesn't waste time. The dyes, in either case, will not adhere properly onto the eggs, they rub off the easily if improperly handled and penetrate through the shell and colour some of the white of the egg. This is normal because egg shells are porous and have tiny cracks, which are not visible. These stained areas can be cut off from the white. Most dyes are "safe" to consume; read labels.
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Clean-up:
It's best to use stainless steel ladles, spoons and pots (without a non-stick coating), which are easy to clean in warm soapy water to which a bit of chlorine has been added. Avoid using plastic utensils, since they stain easily. Latex or vinyl gloves are great, because they prevent the dyes and food colourings from staining your hands and fingers. Paper grocery bags are great to drain the dyed eggs, or use plenty of paper towels. Don't use previously used towels (stained with a colour) to drain other coloured dyed eggs, since these colours will transfer and stain other coloured eggs.
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Pantyhose:
I find that if the eggs are wrapped in pantyhose, it acts as a cushion that prevents the shells from cracking as the eggs move around in the boiling water. Use or buy the most inexpensive pantyhose. Even old, but washed pantyhose, can be used (talk about recycling). I prepare the eggs in pantyhose, a day in advance, because it takes a bit of time, as you will see later on. The day of, I simply dye the eggs. It's fun to wrap the eggs with someone else.
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Decorations:
Use fresh parsley, dill and green, not wilted ones. You want the leaves to be crisp to prevent the dye from colouring the unexposed shell.
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The Pantyhose Technique:
Work with 3 - 4 eggs at a time, keeping the rest refrigerated, since it takes a bit of time to wrap the eggs in pantyhose and it's best not to keep the other eggs at room temperature for too long. When removing the pantyhose from the dyed eggs, blot or roll, the dyed eggs well on paper towels and then remove the pantyhose. The pantyhose will have absorbed the dye and therefore it's best to dry the pantyhose on paper towels to absorb as much of the dye; it takes 10 - 15 seconds to do. In advance:
Have the metal ties, wire cutter, and scissors near by. Cut the pantyhose legs lengthwise to open up the stocking into one flat piece. Cut it into rectangles large enough to wrap around an egg. Rinse and soak sprigs of dill, parsley. Cut off stems with 3 sections of dill or parsley; soak in water. Cut the top leaves from green onions, about 1 3/4 - 2-inch long pieces. Cut the tubes lengthwise to open them up flat; soak in water. Place 1 cup of uncooked brown rice in a small bowl.
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Parsley, Dill, Green Onion:
Take one egg at a time: take a sprig of parsley or dill and shake off the excess water; place it onto the egg. Arrange more to make a decorative pattern. Alternately: cut a short and long strip of onion and form into a cross by overlapping the long piece over the short one.
Place the piece of pantyhose over the decoration and egg. Hold the pantyhose in place, turn over the egg and place more decorations, if desired, on this side.
Pull the corners of the pantyhose together, making a tight fit so that the decorations don't move out of place.
Bring and twist the corners together and then tie a metal tie around twisted pantyhose, going as close as possible near to the shell. Cut off excess pantyhose and tie. Place the prepared egg into the carton and repeat with more eggs in the same manner.
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Polka Dot & Rice Speckled:
For Polka Dot: Take a small rectangle of parchment paper and fold it in half. Punch out 20 punch outs using a key hole puncher. Regular photocopier or printer paper, or card stock can also be used. Dip the punch outs in a bowl of water until they're wet and then place them randomly on the egg.
For Rice Speckled: For brown rice: dip egg into a bowl of lukewarm water, dip into a small bowl uncooked brown rice; some grains will adhere onto the egg; whereas, others will fall off.
Wrapping the Eggs: Place the pantyhose on your work surface. Place the decorated egg over the pantyhose, having the ends of the egg facing 2 corners. With one hand, hold the egg and pantyhose in place.
With the other hand, take the corner near the middle of the egg, and then pull and stretch the corner of the pantyhose away from the egg and flat against your work surface. Pull the corner over the egg; hold both in place. Repeat with the opposite corner and then the other corners in the same manner. Bring and twist the corners together and then tie a metal tie around twisted pantyhose, going as close as possible near to the shell. Cut off the excess pantyhose and tie. Place the prepared egg into the carton and repeat with more eggs in the same manner. This technique takes time, because some of the punch outs and rice move out of place during wrapping. If they do, then move the punch outs around using a flat toothpick, going between the openings in the pantyhose, or unwrap and start all over again. For the rice, simply add more rice while wrapping the egg, adding in more rice between pantyhose and egg to coat the egg as much as possible with rice.
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Gradient:
Wrap the eggs in pantyhose, with or without any decorations and then boil them in plain water as indicated. Cool the eggs in the pantyhose at room temperature. Prepare 2 dyes in separate bowls, each using about 1/2 cup boiling water and 1 tablespoon vinegar; the dyes should fill up the bowls a little more than half the length of the egg. Make the dyes concentrated to obtain deep colours. Dip one end of the egg, enough to cover almost a little more than 1/3 of the egg, into one dye for a couple of seconds, allowing the pantyhose to draw up a bit of dye near the middle of the egg. Lift out the dye, shake of excess dye and then hold the dyed tip of the egg vertically over paper towels to absorb excess dye. Repeat with the other end with another dye. Clean fingers well and then remove the pantyhose carefully. The pantyhose help to draw up the dyes and blend the two colours at the meeting point without leaving a straight line around the egg.
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Red, White and Blue:
Boil the eggs in plain water as indicated, without the pantyhose. Cool the eggs at room temperature. Prepare 2 dyes in separate bowls, each using about 1/2 cup boiling water and 1 tablespoon vinegar; the dyes should fill up the bowls a little more than half the length of the egg. Make the dyes concentrated to obtain deep colours. With a steady hand, dip one end of the egg into one dye, enough to cover 1/3 of the egg; hold for a couple of seconds. Lift out the egg and allow excess dye to drip off the egg. Roll the dyed tip on paper towels to absorb excess dye to create a textured look: allow to dry well. Alternately, roll in facial tissue to obtain a smoother look, but not completely flat, smooth look: allow to dry well. Clean your fingers well and then do the same for the other end with the other dye. The ends of the egg are dipped into the dyes, leaving exposed a 1/2 - 3/4-inch white band, making it look as if you dyed the centre band with white dye, which you didn't.
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Boiling (Dyeing) the Eggs:
To prevent the eggs from cracking, when it comes to dyeing the eggs, the eggs shouldn't go through extreme temperatures; otherwise, the shells can crack. Take for example, cold eggs placed into warm or hot water. The refrigerated eggs can be placed in a pot of cold tap water and then placed on the burner to be boiled. Alternately, the eggs and a pot of lukewarm water, separately can be placed at room temperature for 20 minutes. The eggs can then be placed in the pot of water, setting the pot over high heat to boil them. Boil the eggs as indicated on package or using your own hard-boil technique. I like to boil eggs on high heat for 1 minute, reduce the heat to almost low and then continue boiling them for 8 - 9 minutes longer; the water temperature is about 200'F. (using a candy thermometer). The eggs must be left in the dye for a minimum of 10 minutes, in order for the colour to take good effect. Boiling the eggs for a longer time produces a green film around the yolk; this is caused by over boiling the eggs and hard to avoid, unless you want runny yolks: a "no-no"; the eggs will ruin. If you're not sure on how long to boil the eggs, boil 1 egg and make note of the water temperature and cooking time, since all burners vary in temperature, then wait until the egg cools off (at room temperature). Peel and cut the egg, and then check the yolk for doneness, taking notes from that. Make sure there's enough water (dye water) in the pot to cover the eggs by 1-inch. Right before the water comes to a boil, add the liquid food colouring to the water. Alternately, dissolve the powder dye in a measuring cup, using 1 cup of boiling water, stir in the vinegar, as suggested, and then add it to the boiling pot, containing the eggs. Swish the measuring cup by dipping it into the water with the pot of eggs; this rinses out the cup. Add in enough colouring, in either case, to obtain desired intensity.
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Finishing Off the Eggs: Polishing
The finished eggs can be rubbed or polished with a small cloth dipped in oil. This is best done on hot or warm dyed eggs. The oil gives the eggs a nice shine, which is nice. It bleeds the dye onto the unexposed shell when using decorations. There's nothing wrong with this; it just gives the eggs a particular look. Dyed or plain boiled eggs should be refrigerated, as soon as possible, to avoid food poisoning. Most Greeks dye their eggs on Holy Thursday or Holy Saturday, but never on Holy Friday. The dyed eggs are kept at room temperature for a couple of days, which is really not safe to consume. There are always one or two eggs, when you're all done, that really come out well decorated and you simply don't have the "heart" to eat or give away. We Greeks like to write the year on the egg(s) and keep them on display on a shelf or cabinet. They can stay there for years, though, they shouldn't be consumed. After five to six years, the yolk will have shrivelled into a hard, small ball, similar to that of a ruby, but dull. You can't do much with it, but "that's the way it is". Be careful as not to break the egg during these years, since the egg will be decomposing and drying out. The smell will be awful. Enjoy and Happy Easter!
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