# I created blue while cooking. How? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 17, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600 "2004-02-17T03:52:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/1 "2004-02-17T03:52:55Z")
Can someone give me a simplified explanation as to what sort of chemical reaction took place in this situation? In a copper bottomed skillet, I melted some butter, added crushed garlic, white wine, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. I let that sautee for a second, and as I was going to add the chicken, I noticed that the garlic had turned a light shade of blue, similar to the trim color on this message board. It tasted fine, and the intensity of the hallucinations has since subsided ;), but what happened? I’ve never seen that happen before, and I’ve used that skillet countless times through the years. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/2 "2004-02-17T04:06:41Z")
Well, when I see “copper” and “blue” in the same sentence, I know what my first thought is – but that’s wrong. Copper bottomed vessels usually have no copper on the inside. Rather, it’s probably copper from the water supply combining with components of the garlic: [http://www.thegarlicstore.com/index.cgi/faq.html](http://www.thegarlicstore.com/index.cgi/faq.html) ---
**Author:** ![blasphmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@blasphmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blasphmer)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/3 "2004-02-17T04:13:27Z")
Throw it out! I’ve seen blueberry cobblers made in aluminum pans that turned blue/green from some sort of toxic leaching chemical reaction between the acids in the blueberries and the cruzzy aluminum-(Zinc?) pan. ---
**Author:** ![porkchop\_d\_clown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@porkchop\_d\_clown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porkchop_d_clown)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/4 "2004-02-17T04:19:46Z")
the scare a few years ago that asserted that aluminum in antiperspirant causes alzheimer’s disease and that, therefore, aluminum cookware was also hazardous. As far as I know none of this was ever proven although it is a bit scary the way tomato sauce can brightly polish the inside of an aluminum pot… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/5 "2004-02-17T04:20:16Z")
The inside of the skillet in question has no copper on the inside, but I do keep a smaller copper bottomed skillet inside of it when not in use. Throw out the whole skillet? Really? It’s maybe 30 years old, and shows no apparent sign of damage. We use it quite frequently, as did my grandmother, and this is the first time I’d ever seen anything turn an unexpected color. ---
**Author:** ![blasphmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@blasphmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blasphmer)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/6 "2004-02-17T04:24:25Z")
> [@porkchop\_d\_clown](#): > > the scare a few years ago that asserted that aluminum in antiperspirant causes alzheimer’s disease and that, therefore, aluminum cookware was also hazardous. > > As far as I know none of this was ever proven although it is a bit scary the way tomato sauce can brightly polish the inside of an aluminum pot… > > :eek: Umm…Maybe? All i know was that the food drastically changed colors within a few days and a friend warned about acidic foods in that pan (instead of the glass pan the recipie called for) so being wuite teh little survivalist I definitely threw it out. (Not a picky person am I, but anythign that smells slightly odd or tastes the least bit off I cannot stomach. ) ---
**Author:** ![porkchop\_d\_clown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@porkchop\_d\_clown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porkchop_d_clown)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/7 "2004-02-17T04:31:26Z")
> [@blasphmer](#): > > Umm…Maybe? All i know was that the food drastically changed colors within a few days and a friend warned about acidic foods in that pan Yeah, that’s pretty much the meme I remember. In general, though, I agree with you - while nothing was ever proven, and I don’t fret if I _have_ to use the aluminum pots, but normally I’ll cook the tomato sauce in a ceramic pot, just in case. So, a concern, but not something I’d panic over. Not as scary as the time we got to the bottom of a pot of chili and discovered the teflon had all peeled off the pot and gotten mixed into the chili we’d eaten. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/8 "2004-02-17T04:39:35Z")
Garlic reacts with copper to form copper sulfate which is blue. Everything I’ve found so far says the garlic is still safe to eat (I suppose the theory is that the amount of copper sulfate created is insignificant). [http://www.tedcancook.com/curious.htm](http://www.tedcancook.com/curious.htm) -Lil ---
**Author:** ![GasDr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@GasDr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GasDr)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/9 "2004-02-17T11:12:33Z")
Repeat the ‘experiment’ in a different pan and see what happens. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/10 "2004-02-17T14:11:31Z")
To continue the aluminum hijack, Cecil has discussed the supposed Alzheimer’s link in two columns: [Does exposure to aluminum cause Alzheimer’s disease?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_216a.html) and [What’s the latest on the link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a971219.html) ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/11 "2004-02-17T15:00:29Z")
I saw something similar the other night. I was baking a samon filet in the over, over which I has spread some freshly crushed garlic. When I checked on the salmon when it was half cooked, I noticed the garlic had taking on a decidedly blueish color. When the salmon was finished cooking, the crushed garlic was brown and crumbly like as expected. Didn’t taste unusual. I simply assumed that there’s some property of garlic that causes it to turn blueish-green under certain cooking circumstances. I was cooking it in a glass baking pan lined with aluminum foil, if that matters. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/12 "2004-02-17T20:53:58Z")
> [@GasDr](#): > > Repeat the ‘experiment’ in a different pan and see what happens. I would, but what I was trying to make came out not tasting right. Not the fault of the garlic, though. In fact, it could have stood more. Maybe needed some more salt, and probably a few other spices. It was OK; it was edible I have plenty of leftovers, but this was one culinary experiment that failed to live up to expectations. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/13 "2004-02-18T14:23:03Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > Can someone give me a simplified explanation as to what sort of chemical reaction took place in this situation? > > In a copper bottomed skillet, I melted some butter, added crushed garlic, white wine, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. I let that sautee for a second, and as I was going to add the chicken, I noticed that the garlic had turned a light shade of blue, similar to the trim color on this message board. > > It tasted fine, and the intensity of the hallucinations has since subsided ;), but what happened? I’ve never seen that happen before, and I’ve used that skillet countless times through the years. Just saw this link today: [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47550-2004Feb17.html](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47550-2004Feb17.html) ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/14 "2004-02-18T14:43:37Z")
> [@Mama Zappa](#): > > Just saw this link today: [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47550-2004Feb17.html](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47550-2004Feb17.html) Note: Registration required for previous link. ---
**Author:** ![johnebgood108](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@johnebgood108](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnebgood108)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/15 "2011-09-06T04:38:42Z")
if you overheat an aluminum/teflon-coated pot or pan, the copper, which is part of the aluminum alloy, may surface. you will not ever get rid of it. better to make a flowerpot out of it, and head to the thrift store. on the other hand, you could mix up some lead solder and mercury over a bunsen burner and smear it all over the pot. and on the other hand i have 5 fingers. these cooking pots can be toxic!!! ---
**Author:** ![johnebgood108](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@johnebgood108](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnebgood108)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/16 "2011-09-06T04:41:22Z")
> [@johnebgood108](#): > > if you overheat an aluminum/teflon-coated pot or pan, the copper, which is part of the aluminum alloy, may surface. > you will not ever get rid of it. better to make a flowerpot out of it, and head to the thrift store. > > on the other hand, you could mix up some lead solder and mercury over a bunsen burner and smear it all over the pot. > and on the other hand i have 5 fingers. > > these cooking pots can be toxic!!! okay, eat my pussy… ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/17 "2011-09-06T04:49:21Z")
that was random ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/18 "2011-09-06T05:04:12Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > that was random Yet mildly arousing. ---
**Author:** ![johnebgood108](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@johnebgood108](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnebgood108)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/19 "2011-09-06T05:08:59Z")
can you clue me in? random, arousing? is it about eating pussy? what does “random” mean? ---
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600/20 "2011-09-06T05:29:19Z")
Not every day a 7 yr old thread resurrects in such an odd way, but then my experience is that zombies lack a certain intelligence… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-created-blue-while-cooking-how/229600.md?page=2)