Posted by Mohave Daily News on July 05, 2010 at 10:26:26:
By BILL McMILLEN/The Daily News
Published: Monday, July 5, 2010 12:18 AM MDT
OATMAN — Robert MacAlpine got to do something at Sunday’s 20th annual Oatman Sidewalk Egg Fry that none of the other contests did.
He got to eat his entry.
MacAlpine, a frequent winner at the annual solar-powered egg-cooking competition, was the clear winner this year when it apparently wasn’t hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk.
“Excellent,” said MacAlpine, of Willow Valley, as he finished dining.
To the victor go the spoils. Or in this case, the eggs.
The temperature was “only” about 90 degrees in Oatman at high noon for the start of the 15-minute competition.
“This may be the coolest it’s ever been,” noted event founder and organizer Fred Eck of the Oatman Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center. “That’s good for us. Not so good for them.”
Them, as in the dozen or so teams and individuals who were trying to harness the sun’s heat to turn a fresh egg into an edible menu item. Only MacAlpine, with his commercially produced solar oven, was able to do it in the allotted time.
“It just wasn’t hot enough,” lamented Mike Jackson of Bullhead City, who with daughter Megan took third place this year using a parabolic skillet, small reflectors and a magnifying glass.
“Last year, we used the same contraption. We made some improvements this year ... but didn’t get anywhere close to done.”
“A few years ago, we came here to have lunch,” said Megan, recalling how the family first got involved in the Oatman egg fry. “We thought it looked like a fun thing to do. We won, just using my glasses and some tinfoil.”
This year, it took more than that.
MacAlpine’s oven, a metal box under four angled reflectors, was able to build and retain enough heat to fry two eggs — and some bacon thrown in for good measure. The actual cooking took place in a muffin tin placed inside the hotbox.
“Patience,” he said, when asked the secret to solar cooking. “Don’t try to rush it.”
He said his oven, powered only by the sun, is capable of reaching an internal temperature of 300 degrees. He said eggs generally require about 200 degrees to cook, but will eventually do so at lower temperatures.
“If you leave them long enough, they’ll cook at 100,” he said as he and his son, Mark, lined the reflectors at the proper angles to redirect the sun’s rays.
The 70-year-old MacAlpine said he wasn’t at the contest to win it — OK, maybe he was, but at least he said that wasn’t his primary motivation.
“I’m promoting solar cooking,” he insisted, adding that he’s used solar power to prepare just about everything. “Chicken, ribs, pork roast, beef roast, bread, cookies, cake. Just about anything you can cook in an oven. Beans are excellent. Slow-cooked beans.”
The annual event, held as part of Oatman’s Fourth of July celebration, always draws a crowd from the curious to the backseat drivers — or chefs — who try to give the participants some helpful advice.
It also draws national media. Jim Gagne and Howard Sappington of The Weather Channel were in town, capturing the sights and sounds for an episode of “Cantore Stories,” hosted by meteorologist Jim Cantore.
“This fits The Weather Channel perfectly,” Gagne said. “Using the sun to fry an egg? Perfect. The quirkier the better.”
The Weather Channel crew was sent from Atlanta to Yuma for a future “Cantore Story” and made the side trip to Oatman for a segment that will be included in the Yuma piece that Gagne said is scheduled to air in August.
Eck noted that it wasn’t the first time national media attended the egg fry.
“We had the Food Channel a few years ago and we’ve got The Weather Channel this year,” Eck said. “We’ve had CNN. National Public Radio was here a few years back.
“It’s a promotion for Oatman. It’s something to get people to come to Oatman. And it’s something that gets Oatman some national and even international attention.”
Pennsylvanian Frank Ganiear, of Pittsburgh, was the cook from furthest away, although one team did point out that their car was from Alaska, even if they themselves weren’t. MacAlpine was honored as the oldest cook while 6-year-old Bailey Walls-Jaime, of Perris, Calif., was the youngest.
Michael Gault and Sandra Reigner, of Lake Havasu City, took second place in the best-cooked egg
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