Hi everyone!
Im new to this website and im a complete amateur! ive had a look at some of the galleries and posts, and wow! can you guys decorate cakes! [apologies for the overuse of exclamation marks} i just wanted to contribute an idea that i do sometimes. i make miniature cupcakes, decorate them with white icing and flowers, but them i put them in an egg box, one per hole. they are great for christmas/easter/birthday gifts. i dont know wether this is a very old idea that everyone knows or whether it is not very well known. Anyhow, i look forward to exploring the forum more throughly and learning how to make beautiful baked goods!

Hi rasberryandaniseed! (cool name, my friend). I'm new to this baking malarkey too and I really like your egg box idea. Thanks for posting!

the egg box idea is a GREAT idea! when i go to the Iron Cupcake challenge to hold all of the cupcakes we pick up from each decorator we are allowed to bring those in for a $1 off...but i never thought of actually using them to send them out! nice!

Read the duplicate thread. They are unsafe.

ANY health inspector will throw the book at anyone who uses egg cartons! They are a possible source of samonella germs Definately NOT a good idea.

Duplicate post & information:
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-7238555.html#7238555

um, ok. would it make a difference if they were organic????

No No and NO. Organic has nothing to do with it. This is a dangerous topic. Stay away from used egg cartons unless you are prepared to lose your house. The answer is still no.

Edit: This topic should be removed in case someone sees the title, thinks it's a good idea, and never reads the thread.

I was about to ask how can you put them in egg cartons for the very reason that scp1127 posted.

When I bake (or use my eggs for whatever reason it is) I make sure I wash the eggs clean, prior to breaking them. Pretty sure the cartons are not sterile (think of from where the eggs came OUT FROM?)

Not that I'm advocating this, just thinking from both sides...what if you put styrofoam egg cartons in the dishwasher? Would that help?

poohsmom: this is a great ? to call your local health dept with. No, I'm serious. The answer might surprise all of us.

Just be aware that sometimes one will get conflicting answers. Think of it this way: You have a health problem and go to a dr who recommends you have surgery. Decide to get a 2nd opinion and this one says NO need for surgery I can fix w/meds; go to a 3rd dr and they have something else to recommend....UUGGGG
HERE'S A CHALLENGE:
Why don't each of us who have replied to this post call their health dept let's see how many different answers we get.

There are many places on line to buy new ones. Pink ones even. Just google it.

They would probably melt a bit in the dishwasher, and if you soaked them in a mild bleach solution (as the HD mandates for the sanitation of all equipment in home kitchens) I'd be afraid of the residue maybe getting on the cupcakes.

Buying new ones would work, but I'd (personally) be a bit leary of any baked good presented to me in an egg carton. They make perfectly wonderful boxes with inserts for mini cupcakes... use them and there is no worry about cross contamination.

Agreed...I wouldn't eat a cupcake if I saw that it was transported in an egg carton (even if it was purchased new, I wouldn't know that).

You can go straight to the gov egg board for your answers. That is the defining answer. HD's can give conflicting answers and that won't help you when you make someone sick. It is your job to know the correct answers.

Eggs are safe only through pasteurization and the outer shell carries its own unique set of organisms that are harmful.

The government has sites for dairy, eggs, chicken, you name it, that will give the proper handling and dangers of the things we eat. There are also numerous sites for research labs where the food is tested for the gov sites.

I can't understand why a baker would want to play with such a potentially harmful container. All it takes is one old/young/succeptible person who can't handle the unsafe organisms ands someone could die.

Well guess those easter chocolate eggs in the carton, are a no no to buy, gosh you can purchase new unused egg cartons, cardboard and plastic, if you really want to and not use used ones....