Seeing chopped garlic turn blue when you toss it into a pan is one of the most alarming experiences in a kitchen, yet it's a fairly common occurrence.

You might assume that such a change in color indicates that your garlic has gone bad, but that's not the case. The color has no effect on its safety or flavor.

Your garlic's interesting color change can be chalked up to a simple chemical reaction, mainly triggered by two factors: temperature and acidity.

Garlic contains a sulfuric compound called alliin, and when you crush or chop garlic, alliin mixes with alliinase to form the compound allicin.

When you mix garlic with an acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, a unique pH reaction occurs between allicin and various amino acids in the allium.

So there’s a good chance of garlic turning blue when cooked with acidic ingredients. Cool temperatures, like that of a refrigerator, can also cause garlic to turn blue.