Although “it’s hot enough to fry an egg outside” is an age-old adage, some people are taking it a little too literally, making life for Death Valley National Park rangers less than egg-cellent.
With a record high of 134 degrees Fahrenheit, Wednesday marked Death Valley’s 100th year as the hottest place on Earth. After a video of a park employee frying eggs in a pan went viral, many visitors have come bringing their own to recreate the phenomenon. Instead of serving up fried (or scrambled) eggs, patrons are leaving a drippy mess for the park rangers to clean up. Park officials have posted on their Facebook page asking patrons to please leave the eggs at home, kindly reminding them that Death Valley is a park, not a kitchen.
Yet the national park isn’t the only place where people have tried to fry an egg. Throughout the years, this outdoor experiment has been tried and tried again, with results showing that it is almost impossible to fry an egg directly on the ground. Although the ground can be up to 80 degrees higher than the surrounding air temperature, an egg requires constant heat of at least 158 degrees to become firm, meaning even Death Valley isn’t hot enough. However, an egg can be fried outside with the aid of a pan or another metal surface since metal conducts heat well.
As the summer rolls by and temperatures continue to rise, park rangers are hoping their message will deter visitors from bringing any more eggs or other food items to cook. They hope extreme-weather buffs will be able to enjoy the park without dealing with the smell of rotting eggs.
And for those who really want to cook something in the sun, try cookies instead. With a baking sheet, a car and a couple of hours, you can enjoy a sun-baked treat.
Update: On June 30th, it was recorded that the asphalt in Death Valley reached 195 degrees Fahrenheit, which is theoretically hot enough for the proteins of an egg to denature then coagulate (i.e. cook), but still not hot enough for it to fry.