Fry an Egg

Have you ever heard the saying "It's so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk"? Many people have tried. Nearly all of them have failed. Why? Because you can't fry an egg on the sidewalk.

What's the problem? The sidewalk just doesn't get hot enough. Really hot sidewalks only reach 145 degrees. Sidewalks are concrete. Concrete doesn't hold heat well. Cracking the egg on the sidewalk will cool the sidewalk down a little too. If you want the sidewalk to be hot enough, you have to add more heat. Then the egg can cook.

Every year, people in the city of Oatman, Arizona try to fry an egg on the sidewalk. This happens during the Solar Egg Frying Contest. They use more than the sidewalk to heat the egg though. Contestants use magnifying glasses, foil, mirrors, and other materials. They help capture heat from the sun. These materials focus the heat onto the egg.

Unless you're entering that competition, skip the sidewalk. Try frying an egg on the hood of a car. The metal hood of a car is a good conductor for heat. It works a lot like a metal pan. It can get hot enough in the sun to cook an egg. Or you could find a chicken. Then you could see if another saying is true -- "it's so hot the chickens are laying hard-boiled eggs!"