Eli5: Why does pancake batter solidify when you heat it?

Question

When you heat a liquid, you generally expect it to boil but rather than solidify. What is the science behind this process? Examples are cakes pancakes and eggs

In: Other

Answer 1

Both flour and eggs contain a lot of proteins. In general proteins are tightly rolled up when they are created in the cell. However if you heat them up you brake the bonds that keep them tightly together. So the protein becomes long strings that will easily bond with other molecules and each other. This makes the object solid.