When I was a kid, my favorite part about Easter was spending Saturday afternoon dyeing a carton of eggs a rainbow of pastel colors, occasionally embellishing with stickers if I felt particularly creative. These days, my favorite part about Easter is eating all those dyed eggs — but how long do hard boiled eggs last? As someone who lives alone, it seems unlikely (but not impossible) that I'll eat a dozen in just a day or two, and it feels like a shame to let them all go to waste. And for those of you worried about losing track of an egg or two during the family Easter egg hunt, you might be hoping to buy yourself a little time to find it before it completely goes bad. Take a deep breath — eggs should never be this stressful.
Hard boiled eggs, in my opinion, are pretty much the best snack ever, if only because they are so easy to make. To make hard boiled eggs, all you have to do is throw them in a pot with cold water, and bring the pot to a boil. Then, just leave the eggs covered in the pot for an additional 10 minutes or so, strain the eggs from the pot, and voila! They're ready for decorating — or eating, if you really want to get down to business. The whole process will take you 20 minutes or so, tops, but then the clock begins on how much time you have left to actually eat them. Here's what you need to know.
1. Hard boiled eggs can last seven days in the fridge
That is, if they are unpeeled. If they are peeled, they can last five days in the refrigerator past the date they were boiled.
2. How you store your eggs is important
In a sealed container and in the fridge is ideal. In fact, you want to refrigerate your boiled eggs as soon as you've made them, even if you don't plan on decorating or eating them for a while. Of course, it's totally fine if you keep them out for a little bit to hide around the house for an Easter egg hunt, but keep track of where you put those eggs — you don't want one to sit out in the open for too long.
3. Don't freeze them
Frozen eggs are just plain gross, and freezing them doesn't really help them last longer. Keep them in the fridge instead.
4. Look out for signs to see if they've gone bad
If the eggs are discolored in any way, or smell funny, throw them away immediately. Spoiled eggs of any kind can make you sick.
5. Keep track of your other eggs
While hard boiled eggs only last for about a week after you make them, regular, unboiled eggs have a much longer shelf life — around three to five weeks after you purchase them. Just keep an eye on their sell-by dates, and if it seems like you're getting close to when you should toss 'em, boil them up for a hearty and delicious snack.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have some eggs to eat.
