Driver demonstrates just how hot it is in Saguaro National Park by cooking banana bread on their dashboard
- Temperatures in Arizona are at an all-time high
- A park ranger decided to harness the heat for good
- He managed to perfectly bake banana bread using just the heat of his car’s dashboard
Published on Jul 05, 2024 at 4:00 PM (UTC+4)
by Andie Reeves
Last updated on Jul 05, 2024 at 4:00 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
You’ve heard of cooking an egg on the sidewalk; now get ready to bake banana bread on a dashboard.
A driver just demonstrated a truly unique way to bake a delicious dessert.
This is one of the hottest times of the year in areas like southern Arizona.
With temperatures soaring to around 100°F, one Arizona resident decided to harness the heat for good.
READ MORE: ‘Artificial sun’ sets record after achieving temperature seven times hotter than sun’s core
When life turns up the heat, make banana bread
Some cars are kitted out for preparing food, like Lando Norris’s Land Rover, which has its own pizza oven.
However, this baking feat took place on a regular car’s standard dashboard.
A staff member at Saguaro National Park used the rising Arizona heat to conduct an experiment.
It’s not the first time the rangers have utilized Mother Nature’s oven, though.
In the past, they’ve baked cookies and cooked bell peppers too.
The ranger started around the hottest part of the day, 11am, when temperatures were at 97°F.
The banana bread mixture was placed on the dashboard of his car, which was even hotter at a whopping 163°F.
While that’s pretty warm, banana bread is ordinarily baked at around 350°F, which is why he left his bread to bake for a few hours.
The dashboard temperature continued to rise, reaching 211°F by 2:00pm.
When he removed it at 3:00pm, the dish was baked to perfection, and no convection oven was required.
The dangers of car heat
While getting a tasty loaf out of a boiling hot car was cool, the Saguaro National Park was actually highlighting a real danger.
When it’s 100°F outside, a car dashboard can reach upwards of 200°F in just an hour.
This is fine for a batch of cookies, but much less so for a pet or a young child.
The park hopes that this publicity stunt alerts people to the dangers of a hot car, and reminds them to call for help if they see a child or a pet alone in a vehicle on a warm day.
“When it comes to heat, always check the back seat!” the park stated.
This is exactly why technology like Tesla’s Dog Mode exists, which regulates the temperature to keep furry friends happy.
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Andie is a content writer from South Africa with a background in broadcasting and journalism. Starting her career in the glossy pages of Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire, Andie has a broad portfolio, covering everything from sustainability solutions to celebrity car collections. When not at her laptop Andie can be found sewing, recording her podcast, taking board games too seriously or road-tripping in her bright green Kia.
