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James is a published author with four pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.
Slapping chickens to cook them has been tried for years since people learned that physics says it’s possible. Now a YouTuber has finally achieved it.
Someone asked a question on Reddit a while ago in the No Stupid Questions subreddit: “If kinetic energy is turned into thermal energy, how hard do I have to hit a chicken to cook it?”
This is both a stupid question and kind of the best question the Internet has ever heard. A physics major over on Facebook, Parker Ormonde, did the math.
“As your friendly neighborhood physics major, I decided to calculate this with a few assumptions. The formula for converting between kinetic energy and thermal energy 1/2mv2=mcT,” he wrote on Facebook.
“The average human hand weighs about . 4 kg, the average slap moves at 11 m/s (25 mph), a rotisserie chicken weighs 1 kg (2 lbs), and it can hold 2720 J/kg*c of heat. Let’s say the chicken has to reach 205C (400F) before we can call it done. The chicken will start off frozen so 0C (32F). “.
He finally came to the conclusion that “you would have to slap the chicken 1665 times fast in order to cook it in one slap.” 65 m/s or 3725. 95 mph. “Advertisement.
That’s a pretty big ask, since the Earth spins at about 1,600 kilometers per hour (1,000 miles per hour), so it can’t slap its way to a roast. This sim from a 3D render artist on Twitter shows that a one-punch chicken has other issues. -.
To cook the chicken, you would have to hit it hard enough that it would spray all over the walls. In the process, you would also pretty much destroy and cook your hand. This, along with the broken bones in your arms and the bleeding, will probably take your attention away from serving and/or chinning the potatoes.
People didn’t want to break their bodies for lunch, so the question was raised of whether it would be possible to lightly spank the chicken a million times and cook it that way instead.
The translational kinetic energy of a body is half of the product of its mass and the square of its speed. So, you can’t just slap your chicken 3726 times at 1mph and make gravy. Along with that, the chicken has to cool down between hits, which means that your blows have to come very quickly after each other. -.
For regular slaps, it would take a lot more force, even if you could do them at superhuman speeds.
“1 average slap would generate a temperature increase of 0. 0089 degrees Celsius,” Ormonde calculated. “It would take 23,034 average slaps to cook a chicken. “.
Thats an absurd number of slaps when the oven is right there requiring precisely zero. Still, some people have tried, both with machines and other cheating techniques, which are better because the meat won’t get cooked on your hands.
The video shows that the slapping did, in fact, make the chicken hot. However, the logistics of slapping the chicken have often meant that it breaks far before it will cook. As the host puts it in the video “theres just a f*****g void where there once was chicken”. Advertisement.
But YouTuber Louis Weisz was not to be stopped. He has since gone back to his old enemy the chicken. With a few changes to his machine, which he now calls the “meatslapper 9001,” he showed in a new video that it is possible. The new slapper is soft so that it doesn’t completely destroy the chicken, but it still hits it very hard and very quickly.
To stop the chicken from losing heat, it was put in a bag and sprayed all over the room. He also chose to cook it longer at a lower temperature so that it could be pasteurized without having to be heated to temperatures that were too high to reach.
But it worked. It took around 135,000 slaps, and 8 hours to achieve, but it was worth it. Besides that, he cooked and ate a medium-rare steak that looked pretty good.
It has been thought of for a long time that you could cook chicken without using the oven, which is very convenient. In 1987, physicists from Ohio University did a more serious study (though it was clearly mostly for fun) on cooking chicken with potential energy. Advertisement.
“When an object is dropped from a height, its potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. Upon impact with the ground, this kinetic energy is converted into heat,” they write in their paper.
“If the change in height can be made sufficiently large, significant amounts of heat can be generated. Everyday tasks such as cooking could be made safe, simple and energy efficient. “.
Naturally, they took an 11. 3 kg (25 lb) Greaseball brand turkey, took it to the tenth floor of the administration building, and threw it off a ledge. They then checked the meat’s temperature.
The experiment ended because they didn’t have any more bananas to give to their assistant, but based on their measurements, they figured out that the meat would have reached 400° Fahrenheit (204° Celcius) in just 46 hours using that method. They also said that the meat was “very tender” after tasting it.
A bizarre viral video has been making the rounds showing a man supposedly cooking a turkey by repeatedly slapping it. While hitting raw meat doesn’t sound like a legit cooking method the science behind it is actually valid. Here’s a look at the possibility of slap-cooking poultry and how the YouTube experiment worked.
The Viral Video of Slapped Chicken & Turkey
In April 2021 YouTube channel Louis Weisz posted a video demonstrating what seemed impossible — cooking chicken and turkey to a safe internal temperature using nothing but a mechanical slapper contraption.
Over the course of two months, Weisz designed a rig that could rapidly slap poultry pieces at super high speeds. In the video, you can see the raw meat flopping violently as the robotic arm relentlessly batters it over several hours. Amazingly, the end result is fully cooked, edible poultry.
The clip quickly went viral, leaving viewers baffled as to how simple slapping could generate enough heat to cook meat. But the core concept of converting kinetic energy into thermal energy actually checks out.
The Scientific Premise Behind Slap Cooking
While wailing on raw chicken doesn’t seem like a viable technique, the science says otherwise. Here’s the basic premise:
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Kinetic energy from the motion of slapping can convert into heat energy.
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With high speeds and frequent repetitions, slaps will rapidly build up heat.
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Contained in an insulated environment, the meat can reach food-safe temperatures.
Of course, achieving the precision and conditions needed is easier said than done. But the theory itself is valid. With the right calculations and mechanical setup, slap cooking poultry is scientifically possible.
Key Factors for Successful Slap Cooking
To effectively cook meat by slapping, several physical factors come into play:
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Speed – The slaps must be fast enough to generate sufficient heat. Over 100 mph speeds are needed.
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Force – More force equals more energy transfer and heat. But too much can destroy the meat.
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Frequency – Frequent repetitive slaps build up warming cumulative effects.
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Insulation – Trapping heat prevents energy loss so temperatures can rise.
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Time – Meat needs to be slapped consistently over lengthy periods to cook through.
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Precision – Consistent perfectly aimed slaps ensure even heating distribution.
Carefully calibrating all these elements makes cooking via slapping feasible. But it’s far from easy or practical.
How the Viral Meat Slapper Experiment Worked
The viral slap cooker experiment involved extensive trial and error before everything aligned correctly. To succeed, the YouTuber had to:
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Build a robotic slapping arm with the right speed, accuracy and force.
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Isolate the meat in an insulated chamber to retain heat.
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Program nonstop slapping over multiple hours to accumulate heat.
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Continually monitor internal meat temperatures.
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Adjust slap intensity and frequency based on warming rates.
In the end, he calculated the minimum requirements to be around 135,000 slaps over 8+ hours to safely cook a chicken. The process requires enormous effort and energy expenditure for basic meat cooking.
While novel, slapping ultimately proved highly inefficient compared to standard stovetop or oven methods. But the science still holds up!
Tips for Attempting the Meat Slapping Experiment
If attempting slap cooking as an experiment, keep these tips in mind:
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Use an instant read thermometer to monitor internal meat temperatures.
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Insulate the slapping chamber well to retain heat, but allow venting.
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Start with smaller cuts of meat rather than a whole bird.
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Vary slap speed and force to find the optimal balance.
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Take precautions against raw meat pathogens and contamination.
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Don’t attempt to eat any undercooked or unsafe meat.
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Have a back-up conventional cooking method ready just in case.
The process requires extensive mechanical calibration for success. Don’t expect perfect results on the first try.
The Scientific Merits of the Viral Meat Slapper
At the end of the day, while totally bizarre looking, the science behind cooking meat with nothing but slaps actually holds up. The viral video 100% proves it’s possible, albeit highly impractical. But it serves as an example of thinking scientifically and putting energy conversion principles to the test in an unorthodox experiment.
There are far easier ways to cook a turkey or chicken. But the wacky slap method does have educational value. It’s a testament to scientific creativity and out-of-the-box thinking — even if you’d never want to eat a dinner prepared this way!
So while no one will be swapping out their oven or grill anytime soon, the meat slapper experiment remains an intriguing scientific demonstration. It expands ideas of what’s possible by putting an energy physics theory to work in the kitchen. The end cooked meat may be edible, but the real food for thought is the science behind it!
I Cooked a TURKEY by Slapping It (feat @NickDiGiovanni)
FAQ
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