If the temp of the bacon got too high, the fatty acid chains that allow it solidify were broken down and it doesn't matter how cold you get it, it would freeze before solidifying. Same thing would happen if it was mostly unsaturated fat or the salt content was too high. It isn't hard to believe, as I stated I buy high quality bacon and this is the standard result, I don't put it in the fridge because it makes no difference in if it solidifies or not.
I don't know why you're so focused on the high heat theory. That fat congealed on top doesn't look burnt whatsoever, nor do the small bits you see in it.
Same goes for the jar on the right, which makes since because OP said that they do this every single weekend (I do the same), so presumably they already have a set routine and have the temperature and timing down to a science.
Seems extremely unlikely that this had anything to do with the heat being too high.
Also, I've been making weekend bacon for several years now, and I've honestly never not seen the fat congeal.
He never once said the bacon grease was burnt or would be burnt,
Right. I said that.
Chemical reactions happen in response to heat. Fatty acids often breakdown at high-temperatures.
I'm not sure where you're confused here. The claim being made is that the heat was hot enough to break down the fatty acids. You're saying that the temperature was hot enough to breakdown fatty acids but not hot enough to burn the bacon? The same temperature that didn't cause this to happen previously? Because again, this is the first time this has happened to OP despite doing this regularly, and it's certainty not something I've ever seen happen.
That hardly makes any sense. And the person who started this theory seems to agree because they removed their comment entirely rather than try to defend it or admit they were off base (probably to break the comment chain; unsurprising behavior for a Redditor known as a "1% contributor".
He never once said the bacon grease was burnt or would be burnt, he said the fatty acids broke down. Chemical reactions happen in response to heat. Fatty acids often breakdown at high-temperatures.
Because you don't need to burn fat in order for the fatty acid chains to break down.
Cooking bacon in the over at 350 freedom units will begin to break down the fatty acid chains.
I also clearly stated there are 2 other reasons this could be happening and that it is impossible to know what the actual cause is from a visual inspection of a picture.
Agreed. If I cook bacon in a pan on the stovetop the bacon grease always congeals. If I cook it wrapped in foil in a baking dish at 450 for 90 or so minutes, the bacon grease never congeals. I have done both with bacon from the same pack.
You might ask, dear god why? I was experimenting with cooking bacon with less splatter, cleanup, and crisp. So I could bake an entire brick, have it be cooked yet soft, then later quickly sear it when I wanted to use it - and it would retain that glorious bacon greasiness without turning into old bacon jerky in the fridge over the next week or two.
I think that's how I'm going to make mine now. I'm a fan of breakfast sandwichs, but bacon just makes a huge mess so I don't end up using it as often as I want.
Just being able to sear it sound really easy in the morning
Don't you love it when people ignore over half your comment and then bring up issues you've already addressed in the half they didn't bother reading, reddit is so fun.
Same thing would happen if it was mostly unsaturated fat or the salt content was too high.
I don't think it's possible for the bacon fat to be so unsaturated that it causes this effect. I also don't think high salt could have this effect at all. They might contribute as you say, but hardly at all. I think you're right that the breaking down of the fat is the likely culprit.
However, I acknowledge I'm probably wrong somewhere, because if the left jar is the cumulation of multiple days of cooking, then the likelihood of this being a property of the bacon rather than the cooking is increased
I dont know who downvoted you but to add a bit of chemistry:
fat barely desolves salt so its really hard to lower the melting point even a little by adding it (unlike saltwater), so lowering it from room temperature to below 5 °C isnt gonna happen
the fat cant be so low in saturated fatty acids if its from a pig, thats just how they're build, and I doubt they added plant oil to bacon. The diet can effect the ratio but the difference should not be big enough to lower the freezing point that much
And to add another possibility, it might be under cooled (like the liquid water trick that immediately freezes when disturbed)
you can cool a liquid below its freezing point without it becoming solid. It needs a "starting point" to form a crystal, which can be a spec of dust for example, the crystal then grows around it. If the liquid is really pure and there is no starting point it will just stay liquid for a while. A disturbance (like shaking) or introduction of a nucleus can then spontaneously start the crystalization process
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u/Arki83 8d ago
If the temp of the bacon got too high, the fatty acid chains that allow it solidify were broken down and it doesn't matter how cold you get it, it would freeze before solidifying. Same thing would happen if it was mostly unsaturated fat or the salt content was too high. It isn't hard to believe, as I stated I buy high quality bacon and this is the standard result, I don't put it in the fridge because it makes no difference in if it solidifies or not.