- Frying an egg on the sidewalk is unlikely, but it’s possible, geology and meteorology experts say.
- Some people have made eggs, cookies and even cinnamon buns in the heat.
- The most likely time for things to heat up enough is close to noon, 3 pm or 4 pm around June 21, the summer solstice.
It’s a saying you have probably heard at least eleven throughout your life: “It’s so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk.”
While it is possible to fry an egg on the sidewalk on a hot day, it is unlikely. To be fully cooked, eggs must reach a temperature of 158 degrees, and sidewalks can reach temperatures of 145 degrees. The higher the temperature, the more likely your egg will fry.
It’s also crucial to use a good heat conductor, such as a frying pan. A concrete sidewalk isn’t the most efficient heat conductor. Although neither is blacktop pavement, it will warm up faster than the sidewalk.
The hood of a car, which is more analogous to a frying pan than pavement or concrete, is even hotter.
Does it work: Can you fry an egg on the sidewalk?
Putting it ot the test:Was it hot enough to fry an egg outside this week? Here’s what we learned
when it does work, how is it possible?
Nenad Miljkovic, a professor in the mechanical science and engineering department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said sunlight comes through the atmosphere and hits solid objects (like your body or the pavement).
Once the sunlight hits these surfaces, it gets absorbed. As surfaces heat up, their temperatures rise, he said.
Air velocity also impacts how hot surfaces get. If it’s a windy day, surfaces won’t get as hot from the sun, but if it’s a calm day, the pavement may get very hot, providing enough heat to fry an egg on the ground.
The air usually doesn’t reach above 110 or 115 degrees Fahrenheit, but if there’s a surface that can absorb solar light, that surface can become much hotter than the air surrounding it, he said.
“On concrete, like black pavements, for example, or if you have a car sitting in a parking lot with no shade and it was painted a dark color, you could reach temperatures approaching 150 Fahrenheit,” he said.
Surfaces such as asphalt absorb more sunshine and radiation, which is why so many people can likely recall walking barefoot on concrete and burning their soles, said Teresa M. Bals-Elsholz, chair in the department of geography and meteorology at Valparaiso University in Indiana.
Valparaiso University students matt standridge cooked up more than eggs recently due to the heat, she recalled. Standridge, chief meteorologist at CBS affiliate KFSM in Arkansas, made both cookies and cinnamon rolls inside a vehicle.
“Cinnamon rolls are READY,” the meteorologist posted on July 6. “Day 2 of baking in the car is complete. The dashboard reached 160 degrees this afternoon. We let them bake for 6 hours.”
And in late June, reporters at the Nashville Tennesseepart of the USA TODAY Network, cooked an egg in a pie tin on a car dashboard.
Justice reporter Mariah Timms said the eggs were “surprisingly tasty.”
“I love a jammy yolk, and this delivered,” she told food reporter Mackensy Lunsford.
Dangerous heat:About 50 million people under heat alert in southern USA
Cooling-down:12 ways you can beat the heat this summer
When is the best time to fry an egg outside?
Bals-Elsholz said frying an egg is most likely to happen around June 21, the summer solstice.
“The sun’s energy is pretty even,” she said. “That’s going to be our best direct sun in the US overall.”
It’s like shining a flashlight directly toward the ground, she said.
“When you point that flashlight straight down at the ground, that gives you the best brightness,” she said. “That’s when we get the most energy from the sun to cook something. It’s not straight down because the sun isn’t directly overhead, but it’s the best angle we’ll get in the US”
Actually cooking an egg on the sidewalk could take a couple of hours depending on the heat. Using aluminum foil could speed up the process somewhat, and folks could even try using a stainless steel bowl on the sidewalk, she said.
The best time of day is when there’s the most sunshine, she said, so close to noon. The sidewalk will continue to absorb heat until 3 pm or 4 pm, so there’s time to do it then as well, she said.
And with all this talk about eggs, cookies and other confections in the smoldering heat comes a reminder about just how dangerous the heat can be if people aren’t careful. Experts say it’s important to stay hydrated so your body can cool down. Miljkovic, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, also recommends doing your part to use less energy.
“If you leave (the house) and you’re set at 74, you could increase that to 76 or 77 and then when you get back, go back down to whatever is comfortable,” he said.
feeds.feedblitz.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism