“Hot enough to cook an egg on the sidewalk” is a common trope, repeated ad nauseam the moment temperatures climb every summer. Back when it was first printed in 1899, it was classic journalistic sensationalism. The world was a whole lot cooler back then, but now, it’s a perfectly reasonable prospect.
While we’ve gotten off easy this summer in Central Texas, bobbing around just under the 100-degree mark most days, I had the foresight to try this classic solar cooking challenge last year. After baking cookies in the car and lasagna in the mailbox, I felt unstoppable.
Cooking An Egg On The Sidewalk: Fact or Fiction?
Science has proven that a chicken egg needs to reach 158° F (70° C) to be considered fully cooked. At that temperature, the proteins inside begin to unfold, then coagulate. For vegan eggs, the same principle is true but different. I used JUST egg (not sponsored) for the sake of simplicity. Mung bean proteins, which are the base ingredient of the blend, reach the apex of this chemical transformation at 176° F (80° C). That means that plant-based eggs need more time in a hotter environment to achieve the same results.
While that may sound discouraging at first, that actually proves it’s possible on some of the hottest days of the year. If the air temperature clocks in at 115° F, you can easily expect the pavement outside to radiate anywhere from 165 – 180° F at midday in direct sun. Like all solar cooking, it will take longer than popping a pan onto the stove, but you have the will, there is a way.
Tips For Cooking Vegan Eggs Outside
Perish the thought of cooking directly on the sidewalk; I’m not one to waste food like that! Besides, by choosing a more conductive material, we can further amplify the sun’s rays to do our bidding.
- Use a cast iron frying pan. The dark surface soaks in heat and holds onto it, retaining heat longer than other materials and distributing it evenly throughout the entire vessel.
- Start cooking early. Make the most of the sunlight and plan to get your pan outside and preheating by noon. Allow at least an hour in direct sun before adding any food.
- Asphalt is best. The dark blacktop will radiate more heat, but that’s not always an option nearby. Concrete is your next best bet; I tried to boost reflectivity with a metal baking sheet underneath,but I’m not convinced that made a tangible difference.
- Keep it covered. Use a glass frying pan lid (mine went with another pot, but fit nicely) both to protect your precious scramble from bugs, and to further concentrate the sun’s rays inside the pan.
- Use potholders. The pan and everything around it is HOT! You wouldn’t walk next to it with bare feet; you shouldn’t try to grab the handle with bare hands.
- Mind the forecast. Overcast? Under 105° F? Don’t waste your plant-based eggs.
Ready, Set, Slow
As we’ve established, it’s hot enough to cook a vegan eggless scramble outside, but the last missing ingredient is time. It takes a good while to build up enough ambient heat to form curds, meaning you should plan on having breakfast for dinner with this project. It took at least an hour for me to see any progress at all. Bear in mind that every time you uncover the pan and give it a stir, you’re letting all that built up heat to escape, further extending the necessary cooking time.
After two or three hours, I was questioning my sanity. Four to five, still crazy, but determined to see it through. At the six-hour mark, I had achieved a [very] soft scramble, and was ready to call it. Success never tasted so savory!
If you’re bored by the usual 5-minute procedure of making a scramble on the stove top, try 6 or more hours in the sun! Like all summertime solar cooking trials, it’s more about the experience than the results. Entertain the kids, bemuse the neighbors, and prove once and for all that you CAN scramble an egg on the sidewalk! That alone is more satisfying than the average meal.
The post Cracking The Code: Cooking Vegan Eggs On The Sidewalk appeared first on BitterSweet.