Can You Fry an Egg on the Sidewalk?

It is possible to fry an egg on the sidewalk, although it takes optimal weather conditions and a great deal of patience. Some experts believe that frying an egg requires a cooking surface temperature of 158° Fahrenheit (70° Celsius). Others have cooked an egg at a surface temperature of 130° Fahrenheit (55° Celsius) on a stove, a process that takes more than 20 minutes. Generally, sidewalk pavement will heat up to only 145° Fahrenheit (62.7° Celsius), and dropping the egg's fluid onto the pavement causes the surface under the egg to cool. In addition, pavement does not have a consistent heat source, which can affect whether the egg can cook evenly, if at all.

More about eggs and hot pavement:

• On 4 July every year, the US town of Oatman, Arizona, holds a Solar Egg Frying Contest. The contest does not require participants to fry an egg on the sidewalk without access to other heat sources. Instead, contestants can use other devices, such as mirrors and magnifying glasses, to conduct the sun's rays toward the egg.


• Blacktop heats to higher temperatures than gray pavement, so it might be a better surface for attempting to fry an egg. Adding some oil to the sidewalk also might help.


• One large egg has 71 calories.