But this myth, at heart, describes a simpler and more elegant arrangement: Egg + Sidewalk + Hot Day = Brunch. You may use a frying pan, too, as the metal can help hasten the heating process. So instead of complaining about the immense heat, why don't you try putting it into good use? This means that once you crack open an egg on the sidewalk, not all of the heat from it will be transferred to the egg, leaving it uncooked or unevenly cooked. In order to an egg to start to firm up, it must be cooked on a surface that has been heated to at least 158 °F (70 °C). It requires denaturing an egg’s proteins – that is, changing their molecular structure. Tired of the usual sunny-side up or scrambled eggs served neatly before you during breakfast? The hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 134 degrees Fahrenheit (56.7 degrees Celsius) was actually recorded in Death Valley on July 10, 1913 (declared so in September, 2012). In the U.S. right now, it’s snowy and cold and generally hellish. You would not want anyone slipping on your egg. Copyright Howtodothings.com © 2016, all rights reserved. RIP, smooth handfish. OK, so it would not be easy to fry an egg on the sidewalk today, but it sure was easy during the summer here in Texas. The sidewalk-egg adage has become an enduring saying in the South and beyond. Egg; Pot/Pan; Aluminum foil; How to Fry an Egg on the Sidewalk. The foil will also keep the egg clean, if you really intend to eat it afterwards. However, if it just is not hot enough, you may use materials which will help heat things up, so to speak. There was a problem. That’s not hot enough to cook an egg, but it’s also not as far off as it sounds. Someone fries an egg … Think it will work? Photo by Tui Cameron. Frying an Egg on the Sidewalk Joanie Simon June 28, 2017 June 28, 2017 The temps hit 119F in Phoenix so we had to try the old egg-on-the-sidewalk experiment. Just remember, you MUST clean up after you have done this. Copyright Howtodothings.com © 2016, all rights reserved. Every July 4, the town of Oatman, Ariz., on Route 66 holds its Solar Egg Frying Contest to see who can cook the protein-packed ovoids the quickest using solar power. The handful of extra degrees contributed by stored heat in concrete is simply not up to the task. Generally speaking, sidewalks can reach temperatures up to 145°F, which is not hot enough to fry an egg. If … Sidewalks however, are obviously not one of the most sanitary places on earth, so eating the egg is not advisable. According to the Library of Congress, the phrase first appeared in print in the June 11, 1899, edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper. Theoretically you can fry an egg on the sidewalk, but you have to have the right conditions, such as a sidewalk that can maintain 158°F (eggs need at least 158°F to coagulate and cook). Now what? Think there is nothing "egg-citing" about eggs anymore? … and all we got was a sweaty t-shirt… There’s a video floating around the internet this week that shows a man frying an egg on a sidewalk in Dubai, and very quickly at that. Metal conducts heat better and gets much hotter. Probably not. I hate SC summers. Frying an Egg on the Sidewalk Stock Photograph - Fotosearch Enhanced. Take a pan-size piece of foil and bend the edges up, so the raw egg doesn’t slide onto the pavement. But while the Walkie Scorchie is causing much amusement to curious pedestrians coming to gawp, it … When you crack an egg on a hot sidewalk, the egg will cool the sidewalk slightly. It was hot enough here to fry an egg on the sidewalk.” So where did the idea originate? The Groundhog Day syndrome is at work here. We'll never know. hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth, Woman's garden 'stepping stone' turns out to be an ancient Roman artifact, Jaguar kills another predatory cat in never-before-seen footage. Note that the color of the sidewalk can make a difference-dark-colored ones tend to be hotter than those with lighter colors, as dark colors absorb heat faster. Frying an egg on the sidewalk requires some sort of solar assist. It’s important to throw the egg away because it won’t be cooked all the way through. Nicholas Gerbis - Life's Little Mysteries Contributor An egg needs to be heated to around 145 degrees Fahrenheit (62 degrees Celsius) to be cooked. Step 2: Crack the egg Crack an egg or two onto the foil. An aluminum foil is one of the most advisable tools to use, as it reflects back the sunlight that falls on it, which in turn bounces off to the egg. Without another heat source present, the sidewalk is unlikely to cook the egg much, if at all. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Sidewalks unfortunately are made of concrete, which is a poor conductor of heat. Follow Life's Little Mysteries on Twitter @llmysteries. It will not be easy, though. You wouldn't want to end up looking more cooked than your "egg-xperiment," now, would you? We started with a frying pan set out on the sidewalk while we were eating lunch. A truck-size shark washed up on a Maine beach. It was hot enough here to fry an egg on the sidewalk.” So where did the idea originate? An egg frying on a hot sidewalk with broken egg shells; Man spinning an egg on the table; an egg of hen on the sacking background And no, we didn’t fry the eggs directly on the pavement – we wanted to eat them, after all! If you do want to cook your eggs outdoors using solar energy, the sidewalk may not be your best bet. In a couple of minutes, it looked like this: The yolk melted! At first the rules required competitors to cook their eggs directly on the sidewalk, which didn’t work, said Jackie Murphy, vice president of the Oatman Chamber of Commerce. Some succeed; many don’t. While Lake Havasu City may have set a new record with temperatures in excess of 120 degrees for July Fourth, the Mohave County community of Oatman set its own record with unofficial temperatures near 113 degrees for the 17th annual Oatman Sidewalk Egg Fry. The fact that you can't un-break an egg is a common example of the law of increasing entropy. Oatman, Arizona, even holds a Solar Egg Frying Contest every year in a nod to the platitude and the heat. In other words, stripped of every contraption, can a sidewalk serve as a skillet? So hot, in fact, that people would say you could actually “fry an egg on the sidewalk.” This was only an expression I heard growing up, but I of course wanted to know if it were actually possible. Contestants may use any contraption they like – popular choices include hot boxes, magnifying lenses, pie tins, pans and the occasional compact disc – and ingredients such as bacon and potatoes, as long as the sun is their only source of heat. © A small amount of cooking oil could also be helpful, so the egg will not stick to the foil. While you're doing all this, don't forget to protect yourself from the rays of the sun. Would this extra heat be enough to fry an egg on a 134-degree day? Bathers on sidewalk–Anna Maria Beach, Florida, about 1920. Let’s stack the deck in favor of the myth. New York, As it turns out, Bill Nye the Science Guy, found the minimum temperature to be 130 degrees Fahrenheit, and it takes approximately 20 minutes. The Library of Congress did its own research and found that while it's possible to fry an egg on the sidewalk, most just don't get hot enough, even in scorching temperatures. Moreover, concrete is a poor heat conductor, so only a fraction of its warmth would transfer into the egg. “Hah,” says the rejoinder. In today's NYT, Andy Newman reports that he attempted to test the old cliche by taking to the streets with an egg -- AND A FRYING PAN. Frying an egg on the Sidewalk Yep! Choose a VERY hot a sunny day for this project; Crack your egg in your pot; Cover it with aluminum foil to increase the heat inside the pot; Place pot on the sidewalk with the most sun exposure possible; Fry that egg! Going to be picked out with the spatula. Step 1: Lay out some tinfoil The easiest—and most sanitary—way to fry an egg on the sidewalk is to use a piece of aluminum foil. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, Keep a close eye on the egg and do not leave it, birds might eat it if left unguarded. Whatever the saying’s origin, the idiomatic egg sure has legs. Try folding the sides of the foil to protect the egg and to keep it from sliding off. Check out the ideas in this video. k1154966 Fotosearch Stock Photography and Stock Footage helps you find the perfect photo or footage, fast! Metal can raise temperature, as we all know. If the temperature is hot enough, you may opt to crack the egg right on to the hot sidewalk. An aluminum foil is one of the most advisable tools to use, as it reflects back the sunlight that falls on it, which in turn bounces off to the egg. Photo by Tui Cameron. For some who attempted, the egg was not cooked all the way. It is actually possible to fry an egg on the sidewalk with the help of mirrors or a solar concentrator. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. You will receive a verification email shortly. We cracked an egg onto it. And no, we didn’t fry the eggs directly on the pavement – we wanted to eat them, after all! But if you insist, then you may as well bring some salt and pepper for seasoning. According to the Library of Congress, it's possible, but not probable, that you could fry an egg on a sidewalk during a hot day. The daylong absorption and release of heat by various materials helps explain why the mercury climbs higher in the afternoon than at noontime. Put on a cap or a hat, and put on some sunscreen. A picture in the Democrat and Chronicle showed two women in Geneva frying an egg on a sidewalk in Geneva, Ontario County. 29 September 2012, “It was so hot today,” goes the old saying, “the chickens laid hardboiled eggs.”. You may not succeed during your first attempt; the environmental factors may not be cooperating at the moment. To say that one could fry an egg on the sidewalk means it's very hot outside. By Frying egg in Phoenix by Kirk Erickson , used under CC BY toes by Purpleblue , used under CC BY-SA ... “The comparison of the materials was a hit and I loved the look on students' faces when they watched the egg fry in the pan on the sidewalk!” According to the Library of Congress, the phrase first appeared in … You can even try using other tools which will fry the egg faster (like perhaps the hood of a car?). OK, so it would not be easy to fry an egg on the sidewalk today, but it sure was easy during the summer here in Texas. Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress So, was it hot enough in New York yesterday to fry an egg on the sidewalk? If you really want to fry an egg outside on a hot day, you might have better luck with the hood of a car. If the temperature is hot enough, you may opt to crack the egg right on to the hot sidewalk. NY 10036. Provided there are proper materials to aid the cooking process, and the temperature is just right, you CAN fry eggs on the sidewalk. An egg frying on a hot sidewalk with broken egg shells; Man spinning an egg on the table; an egg of hen on the sacking background; Close-up of an egg on the seashore; Close-up of an egg on the seashore; Close-up of an egg being fried. I wanted to know,what can make the aluminum foil hotter faster? Is it true that you can fry an egg on the sidewalk? Cracking the egg into a frying pan and placing that on the macadam doesn't work, either — we tried it. Be ready for this possibility and do not forget that there is always a next time. This is often done in … A new car was parked over the K Street egg, and the one on the sidewalk was smeared, a cooking tragedy caused by a shoe. We feature 65,900,000 royalty free photos, 337,000 stock footage clips, digital videos, vector clip art images, clipart pictures, background graphics, medical illustrations, and maps. You were weird, and now you’re extinct. (sort of) OATMAN – It really was hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk Wednesday. “That’s nothing. I know that the street has to be at least 158 degrees F to turn a raw egg solid,since the street is not that hot,I layed out my aluminum foil in the sunniest spot of my driveway.I was gonna leave it out there to heat up ALOT before I crack the egg. Sidewalks, after all, often blaze hotter than the surrounding air because they store heat and release it in an every-changing energy balance. Denaturation accounts for why egg whites change from transparent to opaque when you cook them, and the process cannot kick off below around 158 degrees F (70 C). However, you might have success if you try try frying an egg on a piece of tin foil or a metal pan placed on the sidewalk. Look for your place under the sun, literally. Using a good heat conductor (i.e. Sidewalks can usually get up to 145*F. The hotter the day, the more likely your egg will fry. Please stop: A Death Valley National Park Facebook post begs visitors to stop frying eggs on the sidewalk as temperatures soar You have to use a pan. Visit our corporate site. Its 100 degrees F here on Long Island. Frying an egg on the front steps in Texas. Unlike blacktop, light-colored sidewalks reflect more energy than they absorb. Eggs need to reach a temperature of 158*F to cook through. Once you crack the egg onto the sidewalk, the egg cools the sidewalk slightly. It got REALLY hot. Have you ever given thought to give life to the usual remark, "It's so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk!"? You can also find a photo of two women frying an egg on a wall in Washington, D.C., from June 14, 1929. It's possible in 110* F. weather. Thank you for signing up to Live Science. Choose a spot which is directly exposed to sunlight. Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. However, if it just is not hot enough, you may use materials which will help heat things up, so to speak. The sun will reflect off the surface and cook your eggs. How did it die? According to the American Egg Board, in order for eggs to become firm, a temperature of 158 degrees Fahrenheit is required. Some people who have tried doing this also used a magnifying glass or mirror, to help focus the sunlight on the foil and the egg. Frying an egg involves more than a flicker of heat and a lot of patience. Instructions. Please refresh the page and try again. Pavement of any kind is a poor conductor of heat, so lacking an additional heat source from below or from the side, the egg will not cook evenly. Here it is… Even on the hottest summer days, sidewalks themselves don't get that hot. Frying an egg on the front steps in Texas. 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