While they're great any time of year, if hard-boiled eggs have a season, it's springtime. As Easter Sunday approaches and the annual egg decorating spree gets underway, many of us are boiling up big batches to decorate, and later to eat. (Here's How to Make Absolutely Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs Every Time if you need a refresher.)

Before you go gobbling up your Easter table displays, however, you may want to get a reminder of how long hard-boiled eggs last either unrefrigerated or in the refrigerator. That way, no one has to spend April 17—or any other day of the year, for that matter—feeling ill over a bad egg.

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How long do hard-boiled eggs last in the refrigerator?

As with raw eggs, hard-boiled eggs last longest in the refrigerator. According to The American Egg Board, hard-boiled eggs still in their shell will remain tasty for about a week when properly stored (which means in a fridge that is no warmer than 40°F), but peeled eggs should be eaten the same day. The USDA, which is in charge of food safety, agrees. Neither site recommends freezing hard-boiled eggs, whether in the shell or not: While it won't cause sickness, it'll ruin the egg.

How to store hard-boiled eggs in the fridge.

You should let your hard-boiled eggs come to room temp (about 10-15 minutes) and then put them in the fridge. If you put too many in the fridge hot, and they don't have enough air to circulate around them, it could warm up nearby food the fridge, and lead to other things spoiling. Hard-boiled eggs can be stored in the same packaging you bought them in, as long as none of the eggs you bought were broken.

How long do hard-boiled eggs last at room temperature?

According to the USDA, unpreserved food, whether or not it's cooked, should never be left in what is called "the danger zone"—temperatures between 40 and 140°F for more than two hours. That's because that is the temperature range where dangerous bacteria grow the most quickly. And in fact, if it's over 90°F (say, at a backyard barbecue or summer picnic), easily spoiled items needed to be discarded after just one hour.

So if you're trying to be food-safe, you may want to stick to hiding the candy-filled plastic eggs or use "blown" eggs for dying. If you insist on using a hard-boiled dozen for decorating hide them right before the hunt, and making them all very easy to find!

What can you do with leftover hard-boiled eggs?

Hard-boiled eggs make great healthy snacks or additions to lunch, and we'll never say no to a good-old egg-salad sandwich, but one of our favorite ways to use up all our Easter eggs is by making a giant platter of one (or more) of our deviled-egg recipes for Easter brunch!

Can you store hard-boiled eggs in vinegar?

If you've got far too many hard-boiled eggs to eat within a week (it happens!) and just can't stomach the thought of tossing them out, there's an easy solution: simply pickle them! Peeled hard-boiled eggs can be quick-pickled and will last three or four months in the fridge. They make a delicious snack!

To quick-pickle hard boiled eggs, simply put the eggs in a heat-proof sealable glass jar (such as a wide-mouth mason jar), and add some dill, garlic, or both, if you like. Bring some white vinegar to a boil along with any other pickling spices or flavors you want: cloves, black pepper, salt or sugar. When the vinegar has just boiled, pour it over the eggs, seal the jar(s), let cool, and then store in the fridge. You're all set!

How can you tell if a hard-boiled egg has gone bad?

If you've ever discovered an Easter egg days (or more) later, then unfortunately, you know how easy it is to tell when they go bad. Even mildly rotten eggs will give off that sulfurous smell of, well, rotten eggs! This is because of a chemical reaction: Naturally occurring sulfur in egg whites breaks down to Hydrogen sulfide, which creates that terrible smell.

But, frankly, if you're unsure whether an egg has been sitting out too long, just toss it — it's not worth the risk.

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