We haven’t colored eggs in years.  When the boys were little we realized early on that hunting for colored eggs wasn’t as much fun as finding plastic eggs full of candy.  Still, I missed the whole process of coloring eggs from my childhood – the dye that colored my fingers, the vinegar scent coming from the steeping cups of dye, and my attempts at being artistic by dipping eggs in increasingly crazy ways to try to alter the shade or pattern on the eggs.

Every year, Americans dye and decorate more than 180 million eggs during the Easter season.

Now that we no longer do egg hunts it’s time to go back to some good old fashioned egg dyeing and this year I’m using the same brand my mom used to buy back in the 70′s – PAAS.  I’ve seen them change over the years but the basics are the same – dye, vinegar, water and hard boiled eggs – it’s that simple!  Of course when I was a kid my 4 siblings and I fought over who got the box (which turned into an egg stand) and the wire dipper – these days it’s just me and the dogs and I usually win.  Plus back then we covered the table in newspaper.  We haven’t had a newspaper in our home in years so we used paper towels.

But what if you don’t have the need for a dozen hard cooked eggs but still want the fun of decorating?  Check out the PAAS Egg Decorator app it lets you virtually decorate and share Easter Eggs with your friends.  Plus when you download the app, PAAS & Heinz are going to donate $1 to my favorite charity, the Make-A-Wish Foundation!

For the rest of us, here are some hints and tips to make egg dyeing easier.

Perfect Boiled Eggs

• Place eggs in a single layer in the bottom of an empty pan
• Cover the eggs with cold water – make sure the water is more than an inch above the eggs
• Add up to 2 tbls Heinz Distilled White Vinegar and 1 tsp salt
• Place the pan on high heat – as soon as the water begins to boil, remove the pan from the burner and cover it with a tight fitting lid
• Set aside for 15 minutes
• Carefully pour off the hot water and then fill the pan with cold water, poor off the water when it warms, and fill it again (up to 3 more times)

Great Dyeing Results

• Add 3 tablespoons Heinz® Distilled White Vinegar to your egg wash prior to dyeing your eggs for bright and vivid colors
• Longer soaking time means deeper color – use tall narrow containers so your egg is completely submerged
• Make new colors by mixing the dyes or by dipping the egg in two different colors
• Allow the eggs to dry before refrigerating them – keep eggs cold

Social Media Links

Related articles

• Easter Eggs with Miles Zoe Heinz and PAAS (momstart.com)
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• HOP into spring at Easter Eggs-travaganza at Northgate Mall! (momstart.com)
• Giveaway: YummyEarth Natural Jelly Beans – Easter Doesn’t Have to Be Artificial @YummyEarthCandy (miscfinds4u.com)
• Printables: Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked Activity Sheets, Postcards, Easter Cards (miscfinds4u.com)

About Connie

A mom and wife, Connie blogs about entertainment, going green, products, technology, DIY home remodeling and decore, and more.  Product reviews are her speciality and she's in the top 100 most popular authors at Epinions.com and she owns an online store for prince and princess dress-ups for girls, boy, tweens, teens, and women.  She also blogs about kids and parenting issues at Princess Time Toys Blog. She's an animal lover and lives in the Pacific Northwest near Seattle, WA. Find out more about Connie and all the bloggers here at MiscFinds4u on our About Us page.   If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

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