1. Are eggs with traces of egg dye safe to eat?
Because the eggshell consists of a porous layer of calcium carbonate, small cracks can appear during boiling. This can allow a little dye to penetrate the egg. However, this is only a small optical defect, as we only use harmless food dyes and food additives in our egg dyes.
Produced in Germany, the HEITMANN egg dyes consist only of components that are approved for use in food in accordance with European legislation and subject to the strictest statutory checks. The ingredients are mixtures of food additives and other food ingredients that are declared on the packaging. Dyed eggs are therefore absolutely safe to eat.
2. Why does the dye have a different effect on different eggs?
No two eggs are the same. Because eggs are a natural product with fluctuating properties, differing colour results can occur, especially with immersion dyes. Eggs with a thicker-than-average natural wax layer offer less adhesion for the dye, so the colour produced is lighter. The same applies to eggs with a relatively unstable, porous shell or a shell that is not uniformly thick. The dyeing result may then also be weaker or less even and the dye may bleed more.
Some egg dyes, such as Marbled Dyes, Pearlescent or Brilliant Egg, always produce very brilliant results regardless of the properties of the eggshell, because they do not dye the eggshell itself but fix the dye onto the shell using the binding agent contained in the dye. Because the dye is in the binding agent and not on the egg’s surface, these dyes bleed less onto the egg inside when the surface is damaged.
3. Why do eggs sometimes bleed colour onto the hands?
Eggs with a thicker-than-average wax layer offer less adhesion for the dye – the dye may bleed. The same applies to eggs with a relatively unstable, porous shell.
Practical tips: Coloured eggs bleed less if they are brushed with a little fat (cooking oil, bacon rind) after dyeing. This also makes them shine particularly beautifully; the colours appear brighter and more intense. Moisture causes the egg dye to come away more easily, so do not place dyed eggs on wet surfaces or touch them with wet hands. If you store them in the fridge before eating, it is best to keep them in a cardboard egg box, which will prevent and absorb some of the moisture from the fridge.
4. How can I remove egg dye from skin and fabrics?
Egg dyes can stain and adhere to skin and textiles very strongly.
Egg dye on the hands can usually be removed with hand-washing paste. If a little residual dye remains, repeat the washing process multiple times. If egg dye comes into contact with textiles, first rinse out with cold water as far as possible and then wash. If necessary, soak in a soap solution (warm water and heavy duty laundry detergent) before washing. In the case of tough stains, add Heitmann Stain Salt to the soap solution and soak for around four hours. Please do a colour fastness test on the fabric before this soaking – see instructions on the Stain Salt. Repeat treatment if necessary.
5. Which egg dyes are gluten-free?
The following products in our egg dye range are gluten-free:
- HEITMANN Pearlescent Marbling (item no. 4037)
- HEITMANN Sheen Marbled Colours (item no. 4038)
- HEITMANN Egg Dye Sheets (item no. 4046)
- HEITMANN Brilliant Egg (item no. 60001)
- HEITMANN Glitter Egg (item no. 60045)
- HEITMANN Gold Rush (item no. 60070)
- Colonia Egg Dyes (all colours)
6. Do egg dyes contain azo dyes?
Some of the HEITMANN egg dyes contain azo dyes, the use of which cannot always be completely avoided in egg dyes if rich, nuanced colours and the best possible colour intensity are to be achieved. However, we do not use any azo dyes or other food dyes that we consider to be an avoidable risk, although they are approved for egg dyes. These include, for example, the colourings E 102 Tartrazin tartrazine and E 155 brown HT. For consumers who reject all use of azo dyes, we offer egg dyes on a natural basis, such as HEITMANN Ö-Colori (item no. 60079) and HEITMANN Express Colours (item no. 4088).
7. What is in naturally-based egg dyes?
The naturally-based egg dyes from HEITMANN are produced with natural and nature-identical ingredients wherever possible. For Ö-Colori, for example – the latest egg dye in this range – vegetable extracts from carrot and beetroot are used, as well as chlorophyll from leaves, grape skin extract, real carmine and lactic acid.
8. Can I just use beetroot juice, onion skin etc. for dying?
Of course you can. The difference is that it is significantly more effort, time-consuming and expensive. In order to dye eggs using vegetables, you would need a large quantity of the vegetable and to boil it for a long time (30-60 minutes). Once strained, vinegar has to be added to the liquid. This can then be used as a dye bath to dye the eggs, although the colour achieved is usually very faint, with a very low intensity. The process is a lot more effort and the result cannot be compared with the HEITMANN egg dyes.
9. My pharmacists did not want to sell me madder root for dyeing eggs, he said it was not suitable. Is that true?
Yes! Not everything that comes from nature is suitable for eating, nor for dyeing eggs. In particular, madder root (dyer’s madder), logwood, redwood and sandalwood are not approved as food – and for good reason. Madder root, for example, contains substances that are suspected of being carcinogenic. Therefore, for your own safety, do not use any substances that do not hold statutory approval as food additives, even if they are unfortunately often offered online as a “natural alternative” for egg dyeing.
10. Can I blow out eggs with my mouth?
Better not. The eggshell may be contaminated and there is a high risk of salmonella from raw eggs. But help is on hand. ‘Emptying’ eggs is easy without mouth contact using the pump concept of HEITMANN Blas-Fix. As well as the blow-out device, the pack also includes an egg piercer and 20 egg hangers.
