# Sidewalk cooking **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 16, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723 "2026-07-16T17:30:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/1 "2026-07-16T17:30:18Z")
This is a new one for me - forecast from yesterday showing “Smoke”; don’t believe I’ve ever seen that one before. [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55397772771_86e55cd81f_b.jpg "Forecast of Smoke") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/74663312@N08/55397772771) It smells like a campfire outside, which got me wondering, with those temps, but a hazy sun it it hot enough to melt chocolate bars & marshmallows? Could I make **Sidewalk S’mores**? Fried eggs, s’mores, what else can we cook on the concrete griddle? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/2 "2026-07-16T17:34:58Z")
We’ve been getting “smoke” forecasts here in southern Ontario for the last couple of days due to wildfires. Your smoke may be from the same fires. Yesterday actually smelled faintly of wood smoke outside, though not today. There is some rain in the forecast which should help. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/3 "2026-07-16T17:43:24Z")
The smoke is really bad now in SE Michigan. I went outside this morning and thought "does one of my neighbors have a bonfire going or are they burning leaves, first thing in the morning? Then I realized it’s from Canada. Last Summer when Canada had forest fires it never got _this_ bad-- I would only catch a bare whiff of woodsmoke on the worst air quality days. I was just out on an errand and everything looks hazy, like a layer of fog. Last night when the sun was setting there was the most eerie looking yellow glow in the sky. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/4 "2026-07-16T18:04:10Z")
It was bad this morning and worse now. I’ve misplaced my fire-trackers, so I wasn’t sure if this was Canada again or maybe the NJ pine barrens. I don’t love this one: > **[AirNow Fire and Smoke Map](https://fire.airnow.gov/#3.31/49.62/-77.77)** > > This map shows fine particle pollution (PM2.5) from wildfires and other sources. It provides a public resource of information to best prepare and manage wildfire season. Developed in a joint partnership between the EPA and USFS. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/5 "2026-07-16T18:54:37Z")
I’m on an airplane, soon to take off, and the pilot said our visibility will be limited at both ends of the flight due to smoke. What’s burning where? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/6 "2026-07-16T18:56:02Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > What’s burning where? Wildfires in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/7 "2026-07-16T19:47:12Z")
Big \*\*\*\*ing fires… ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/8 "2026-07-16T20:27:39Z")
Fire and smoke map: [AirNow Fire and Smoke Map](https://fire.airnow.gov/#4/43.4/-85.06) ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/9 "2026-07-16T20:29:10Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Big \*\*\*\*ing fires Big \*\*\*\*ing fires, **eh** (There, I fixed it for you! 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/10 "2026-07-16T20:45:33Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Big \*\*\*\*ing fires, **eh** > > (There, I fixed it for you! 😉 ) You forgot “Sorry!” ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/11 "2026-07-16T23:17:34Z")
Looks like Armageddon here, and we’re in New Jersey. I made the mistake of grilling tonight, I had to wear a mask. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/12 "2026-07-17T00:21:27Z")
I used to live on Guam and it was never not hot. The coolest it ever got was just “not as hot as usual” when it was overcast and/or raining. (And if it rained then you were too wet to enjoy the relative coolness.) You learned quickly that dark, solid surfaces, like dark metal or tires, they were **always** hot. Hot enough to burn you, like touching a stove. I wouldn’t cook directly on the sidewalk, but a dark nonstick frying pan sitting in the sun for a while could probably cook food, even if it didn’t get quite as hot as you’d normally cook at. Probably more like cooking on “low”. Of course, you can use a [solar cooker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cooker) to actually cook food much like a normal oven or stove. But that’s different than simply using a regular surface that has gotten hot from sitting in the sun too long on a high temperature day; you are artificially focusing sunlight into a single spot to generate a lot of heat, heat you can also potentially control, and it ends up just being another kind of cooking device. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/13 "2026-07-17T00:33:11Z")
Lots of wildfires burning across Colorado - we’ve been having smoke issues for weeks now, though right at the moment, it’s in the tolerable range. Or at least better than it was last week! Since this is technically a Cafe Society thread, my best guess is that even given how hot it is (thanks global warning! [/s]) most bread structures require around 200F internal temps. I don’t think that’s quite accessible au-natural. I was pondering how hot the interior of a well sealed iron dutchie could get outside in direct sunlight given placement as soon as temps reached ambient, but I don’t think we could manage it without at least some sort of additional “passive” healing, like a [solar oven](https://www.instructables.com/Best-Solar-Oven/) to provide additional assistance. I remember the Top Gear team trying to cook eggs on a griddle attached to the back of one of their cars during the Middle East special. [It didn’t work as expected.](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EvzJqzNGHXY) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/14 "2026-07-17T00:43:25Z")
Southern Ontario is still in Orange Alert for air quality, for the second or maybe third day, but it’s only effective through tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/15 "2026-07-17T01:12:01Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > most bread structures require around 200F internal temps. I don’t think that’s quite accessible au-natural but that’s a lot higher than meats - Beef 125° - 160° - Pork 145° - Chicken 165° A baseball stadium field can reach 120° - 150° & I’m guessing a metal pan in the sun can get even hotter. Besides, isn’t that baseball game staple - hot dogs already cooked & just need to be heated? I guess you just gotta go bunless. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/16 "2026-07-17T01:15:53Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > Since this is technically a Cafe Society thread, my best guess is that even given how hot it is (thanks global warning! [/s]) most bread structures require around 200F internal temps. Internal bread temperatures can be baked to 200F or even less, but for bread to attain the structure we’re accustomed to, you need “oven spring” – which happens around 400-450F. This is for yeast breads. You can bake quick breads (baking powder and/or soda combined with an acid) at 350F. Even pancakes are usually baked on a griddle at around 375F. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/17 "2026-07-17T01:28:53Z")
Egg whites begin to set around 145°F. I bet that’s obtainable on a dark surface in the sun. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/18 "2026-07-17T03:44:56Z")
Oh, of course. I didn’t say it would be a _good_ bread. I was thinking like something like a thin, leavened quickbread. Just spitballing what I could do with a dutchie. But we’re already giving a LOT more options than the OP’s naked concrete griddle! Just hadn’t seen any options on actual food before I (and @Atamasama’s near simulpost) started. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/19 "2026-07-17T03:49:10Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > I was thinking like something like a thin, leavened quickbread. I am pretty sure I would never want to eat any bread or pancake that was baked on the OP’s naked concrete griddle! (You, either, I’m sure!) 😉 But I see what you’re saying. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723/20 "2026-07-17T20:29:19Z")
How hot does a car interior get? Could you cook an egg in a car? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-cooking/1031723.md?page=2)