Live Well
Kelly Whitfield
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Q I plan on dyeing Easter eggs this Easter and wanted to know if they could be eaten?
A Yes, but they can be a food safety concern if not prepared and refrigerated properly. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly before you handle eggs at every step including cooking, cooling and dyeing. If an Easter or other hard-cooked egg has been left un-refrigerated for more than two hours, or becomes cracked during the egg hunt it should not be eaten. Color only un-cracked eggs. If an egg shell cracks in cooking the egg should be eaten and not dyed. If you want to eat your dyed eggs later, use food coloring, natural food dyes or specially made food-grade egg dyes dissolved in water. Return newly colored eggs to an egg carton and refrigerate them promptly. When stored in their shell, hard-cooked eggs can be refrigerated for up to one week. Hard cooked eggs out of the shell should be used immediately.
Below are five steps to safely prepare and handle hard-boiled eggs:
1. Place eggs in a saucepan and fill with cold water to one inch above eggs.
2. Cover the pan and bring the water to a boil fairly quickly.
3. Turn off the heat or remove the pan from the burner and allow the eggs to stand (covered) for 12 minutes for medium-sized eggs; 15 minutes for large eggs, and 18 minutes for extra large eggs and 21 minutes for jumbo eggs.
4. Run cold water over the eggs or place them in ice water to cool.
5. When eggs have cooled, refrigerate promptly.
Q Can you freeze peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?
A Yes, you can make this frozen treat at home and there’s a trick that can help prevent the bread from getting soggy. Spread peanut butter on each slice of bread to the edges of the bread. Spread the jelly to just inside the peanut butter edges. Put the slices together, pressing the edges so the peanut butter sticks together. Place sandwich in an air-tight freezer bag or container and plan to store no longer than 4 weeks. They should thaw in 1 - 2 hours at room temperature. Please note that some jellies may become watery when frozen.
Other sandwiches may also be frozen. Cheese, ham and bologna sandwiches can be frozen for 1-2 weeks, other types of meat for 3-4 weeks. To prepare these sandwiches, spread soft butter or margarine to edges of bread (do not use mayonnaise as it tends to separate) and then add meat and cheese of choice. Salad vegetables, such as lettuce, tomato and cucumber, should not be added as they lose their crispness and become soggy when frozen.
Q What is the best way to keep left-over potatoes that were baked in foil?
A Simply unwrapping them and storing in the fridge as is, with the peel on, is fine according to K-State Research & Extension Food Scientist, Karen Blakeslee. The important thing is to take the foil off. If foil is left on, that creates a possible anaerobic environment which can support botulism growth. Without the foil, that problem is eliminated. They should be used within a day or two.
Q What is the best way to store popcorn?
A It’s best to store popcorn in an airtight glass or plastic container in a cool place, such as a cupboard. Storing popcorn in the refrigerator is not recommended by The National Popcorn Board. Air inside a refrigerator contains very little moisture and can cause the popcorn to dry out. It’s the water inside a popcorn kernel that expands when the popcorn is heated, causing the kernel to explode or pop.
F Kelly Whitfield, Lyon County family and consumer science agent, is a registered dietitian, licensed dietitian and certified diabetes educator. For more information on food, nutrition, health, and family issues, contact her at the Lyon County K-State Research and Extension office at 341-3220 or email at kwhit@oznet.ksu.edu. Sources: Karen Blakeslee, K-State Research and Extension food scientist; K-State Research & Extension News, and Freezing Convenience Foods That You’ve Prepared at Home. Pacific Northwest Extension, September 2002. More information is available at: www.oznet.ksu.edu/foodsafety and www.oznet.ksu.edu/news.