Putney Pavements Fail Fried Egg Challenge
Attempt to cook on them unsuccessful despite record temperatures
The outcome of the attempt was just a gooey mess
With widespread media reporting of eggs being cooked on the pavement during the recent record temperatures, one Putney man decided to see for himself if it was possible.
Hugh Thompson tried to fry an egg outside his house in Festing Road. However, the attempt ended in a dismal failure.
“I am so disappointed, although my fried eggs are never perfect, even by my standards this was absolute failure. I managed to crack the egg on the kerb, broke it on the road but it made no attempt to cook, it just ran into a gooey mess, " said Hugh.
In American, National Fry an Egg on the Sidewalk Day, takes place on 4 July and people try to see if they can successfully fry without electricity or fire. This is a tradition which dates back to the 19th Century with a reference to the practice in an Atlanta newspaper.
The annual Oatman Sidewalk Egg Fry Contest is held every year in Arizona where competitors use imaginative techniques to boost the temperature of the road surface.
However, most scientists agree it is practically impossible to fry an egg unless you use a frying pan and additional measures to increase the temperature. Although tarmac is thought to be better than concrete, a temperature of above 145 degrees Fahrenheit is required to fry an egg and, even in extreme heat conditions, the road surface is unlikely to reach that level, as the hottest recorded temperature on the Earth's surface is 134 degrees. Also, the surface will cool immediately the egg is cracked on it.
Hugh was forced to admit the science was against him. He said, "This could have been one way of handling the soaring energy bills instead it's just another way of making a mess. After ten minutes the yolk had run into a mini dent in the road”.
However, his wife Viv was inclined to blame his lack of culinary skills commenting,” I told him he was being stupid ,when it comes to cooking, he had no idea.”
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July 20, 2022