Despite the appearance of artificial colors, all kinds of sets and stickers for decorating eggs, many housewives prefer the traditional method - painting with onion peels. As a result, Easter eggs acquire a rich reddish-brown color, the shades of which can be changed depending on the concentration of the decoction. It is a simple, cheap and natural method.
Preparing to paint eggs
To paint eggs for Easter, you will need a large amount of onion skins, it is advisable to collect it in advance - the more eggs there are, the more onions you need. For a dozen eggs, a liter jar with tamped husks is enough, but more can be taken to form a richer and darker color. Also, the resulting color will depend on the type of onion: for example, red onions will give the shell a pleasant purple hue.
If you mix different varieties, you can get interesting shades.
To prepare the broth, you need to put the husk in the pan - it is advisable to choose one that you do not mind spoiling, since the paint can remain on the walls. Pour hot water on top so that it does not reach the edge. Put on fire, bring to a boil and reduce the temperature. Onion skins are cooked over low heat for 20 to 50 minutes: the more, the darker the paint will turn out.
While the broth is preparing, you need to remove the eggs from the refrigerator so that they have time to warm up to room temperature. They will have to be boiled in a boiling liquid, and due to a sharp change in temperature, they can burst. Rinse them thoroughly and leave for half an hour while the husks are cooking.
Painting eggs with onion skins
It is advisable to strain the finished broth: otherwise, stains will remain on the shell, the color will be uneven, although some people prefer this option. Add salt to the water to make the shell harder and prevent paint from getting underneath and staining the protein. Gently lower the eggs, bring the infusion to a boil and cook for 8-10 minutes. The longer you cook, the more saturated color the shell will acquire, but, on the other hand, the eggs will be less tasty: from prolonged heat exposure, the protein acquires the consistency of rubber, becomes denser. It is advisable to turn the eggs during cooking for even coloring. Make sure that the broth covers them completely.
To diversify the color, you can wrap some of the eggs with threads, and roll some of the eggs in dry rice and wrap in cheesecloth. After cooking, some will get beautiful stains, while others will have a small speck.
If you take out the eggs after three minutes and pierce the shell with a needle in several places, and then cook it, adding cinnamon and cloves, then they will be colored inside.
Hold the finished eggs in cold water for several minutes, so that later the shell can easily come off the protein. To give a matte surface shine, they are wiped dry and smeared with sunflower oil.
