eli5 – chemical process that turns bacon fat opaque while cooking?

Question

i really dont know how to ask this; im cooking bacon low and slow in a pan, the fat strips turn translucent, then i poke it with a fork and theres a pop and the whole area of where i poked is now opaque – what the heck is that about?? how does that happen so fast???

In: 6

Answer 1

Fat is made up of a jumble of molecules. The molecules, or chains of smaller atoms, are all squiggly and don’t allow light to pass through them. This is what makes the fat look white.

When you add heat, the molecules in the fat eventually straighten out enough to let light pass through it. This makes the fat clear.