Find » Lifestyle » Food & Wine » Food Source Dye for Easter Eggs

Food Source Dye for Easter Eggs

Using Food to Dye Food

By J. Ellen Fedder, published Feb 19, 2008
Published Content: 118  Total Views: 21,670  Favorited By: 6 CPs
Embed:  
Rating: 4.5 of 5
Health enthusiasts usually avoid food dye that does not originate from plant sources. Chemical food dyes often pose health risks associated with their ingestion. Eating dyed Easter eggs is one time when dyes can be ingested. Dye comes into contact with the egg white through cracks and porous holes in the shell. Therefore, that dye ought to be as safe as possible for consumption.

Blue and Purple Dye

It only makes sense to use food to dye food. Here are some ways to obtain egg colors that range from blue to purple. Think blueberries, blackberries, red onionskin, red cabbage leaves, and purple grape juice for this color family.

Red, Orange, and Brown Dye

Food choices that bring about a reddish color include cranberries, raspberries, strawberries and currents, red beets, pomegranate juice. Carrot juice makes a great orange and tea or coffee granules obtain a brown dye color.

Green and Yellow Dye

Green is one of the easiest colors to achieve. Boiling the eggs in spinach or other chopped greens will produce a great green dyed egg color. For more of a yellow or gold color, use spices like turmeric, mustard, and curry. Spices can be big color contributors. You might also try lemon peels or golden apple peels.

Dye Methods and Tricks

Boiling the dye with the eggs while they are cooking is an easy way to dye the shells. Furthermore, if you add approximately a T. of vinegar to the dye water it will result in deeper colors.

Dying eggs after cooking will result in a more pale shell color. But you can still obtain a sharper color if you leave the eggs covered by dye in the refrigerator overnight.

For variety, interest, and creativity, try using beeswax to draw symbols or patterns on the eggshell before dying it. The wax will resist your food dye and beeswax is a natural food source.

Experiment with food as dye. Try using both fresh and frozen food. Add vinegar to boiling water for deeper dye colors and let the cooked eggs linger in the colored water for hours. You will obtain a deeper and richer color if you do. But if you like pale and pastel dyed eggs, it won't take you long to achieve a totally natural pastel perfectly-dyed Easter egg.

Takeaways
  • Cook your eggs in the food dye.
  • Add vinegar to the boiling water dye for deeper colors.
  • Use beeswax as a form of dye resist.
Comments
Comments 1 - 2 of 2
 
 
Thanks Jeanne. I'm looking forward to making red-beet purple eggs this year. I already make German red-beet eggs in vinegar/beet brine for my husband. The out-of-shell hard-cooked eggs take on a deep purple the longer they sit. After 5 days, the whites are very purple with a yellow yolk. This year, I plan to put the eggs in hot red-beet brine with shells on and then in the fridge for several days. That way I can enjoy some very pretty purple Easter basket food-dyed eggs.

Posted on 02/19/2008 at 6:02:17 PM

 
Great ideas Jellen. I quit coloring Easter eggs a long time ago, but your article amost makes me want to start again. At least I'll be passing your suggestions on to my daughter who is pretty health conscious, as another way to protect her children from artificial additives and dyes.

Posted on 02/19/2008 at 4:02:22 PM

Type in Your Comments Below - (1000 characters left)
Your name:

Submit your own content on this or any topic. Get started »
Comments 1 - 2 of 2
 
Advertisment