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

So, in layman terms, you are decreasing surface area and tension by poking holes in it, allowing the heat to melt the fat quicker, which is translucent in molten form.