Cleaning
How to Get the Smell of Frying Out of Your Kitchen
Hanukkah lasts for eight nights—but the smell of oil doesn't have to.
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41 Comments
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December 22, 2020
About cooking smells? After using a single/portable induction burner in fun SLT classes, I bought one & keep it outside with my grill so I can cook the delicious-but-stinky things outside...bacon, Brussels sprouts, pan sautéing. I wish I had thought of this 20 years ago!
Corinne M.
December 29, 2017
Wash everything down with white vinegar and water. We always used this after our Saturday Lutefisk Dinners. Washing down with vinegar always got the lutefisk smell out of the church kitchen so it smelled sweet with no sign of lingering Lutefisk for Sunday's service.
foofaraw
December 26, 2017
Put old newspaper around the stove gas/heating elements and under your feet where you'll be standing up to frying. After you are finish, discard them. Especially when we fry fish, the oil gets around everywhere and the newspaper helps to keep the mess (and the smell) contained.
sydney
December 20, 2016
Non-toxic solutions that work for me include bowls of vinegar, [lit] beeswax candles, and clean hood-vent filters. Avoid dryer sheets, industrial candles, and 'room air fresheners' if you don't want airborne industrial chemicals.
Linda
December 17, 2016
I hate the way fish or bacon after smells. I boil whole cloves and cinnamon in a pa on the stove. Then let it simmer while I'm Clea ing up! Smells like Christmas'
!
!
Helene
December 17, 2016
I cover the vessel that was used to fry w/the pan /pot cover & light a vanilla scented candle while frying.
Philip
December 14, 2016
People, people, people.....what banana truck did you fall off?
Boil some water in an old pan, add a couple dashes of cinnamon, turn down to a simmer and let it simmer for 30 minutes, add hot water as needed. Your house will smell like Christmas and the fish smell will be GONE!
Boil some water in an old pan, add a couple dashes of cinnamon, turn down to a simmer and let it simmer for 30 minutes, add hot water as needed. Your house will smell like Christmas and the fish smell will be GONE!
al W.
December 3, 2016
Light candles in the aftermath while you're cleaning up. A guaranteed air purifier.
Leonora B.
December 3, 2016
A small dish (about 1/2 cup) of bleach, placed on the counter, absorbs the fry smell. It works whether you put it out before or after the actual frying.
Ahuvah B.
December 3, 2016
Use an oil with a high smoking point like grapeseed and deep fry your latkes - it will give off less of a fried smell and cook the latkes faster.
Chef V.
December 30, 2015
Take an orange skin just peeled and squeeze the outside of the skin as to cause it to squirt the oil into the open flame on your stove. Do this a couple of times and you will be surprised at the pleasant over riding smell. Do this with the exhaust fan off.
Erin
December 14, 2015
Cleaning immediately seems like a great idea, but the 400F frying oil might be a bit tricky to dispose of. Do you have a workaround? I wait until the oil has cooled completely then funnel it back into the bottle it came in for disposal.
drbabs
December 13, 2015
Don't forget to clean the filters on your exhaust fan. Mine were yellow from aerosolized oil.
rachiti
December 13, 2015
Air purifier. I don't have the funds for a hood on my stove so I picked up a cheap fan-based air purifier. It's not only fantastic at clearing strong kitchen odors like chopped onions (which cause me to tear even after they're in the pan) but it's also fantastic for smoke. Let's face it even when merely cooking bacon there's the potential for smoke...and this clears it faster than opening windows ever will. It lives under my kitchen table so it's out of the way until I need it.
Kristina
December 13, 2015
Also tape some dryer sheets to a fan. Especially when the smell has made it to other rooms - where you can't boil stovetop potpourri.
Tess
December 13, 2015
If I ran out of scented candles I usually boil fabric sheets or boil fabric softener especially during winter season. If time is not an issue I make potpourri and boil it with lots of citrus.
chefrockyrd
December 13, 2015
my grandmother and my mom (now me too) always put a whole orange right on the burner on low just for a bit to get it going. then turn it off but leave it on the burner.
it can be an older one that is on the way out. every once in a while turn it over so the heat from the
burner hits another area of the peel.
it can be an older one that is on the way out. every once in a while turn it over so the heat from the
burner hits another area of the peel.
V P.
December 12, 2015
We fight the latke oil hangover with candles. It doesn't need to be a fancy candle with a strong smell, unscented tealights are my favorite. I put several of them out around the room (or rooms--our kitchen opens onto our living room) and the flame burns up the tiny oil particles that are still floating about in the air. Just let a new tealight burn out and you should be good to go.
Carla P.
December 8, 2015
The Japanese burn green tea and have special little ceramic holders with tea lights under them. We use it to burn dried sage, especially if we've been frying fish!
Evan D.
December 8, 2015
I stand outside in a winter coat frying latkes in an electric fry pan. Problem solved.
evelyngoldin
December 12, 2015
In a similar vein, I take my electric skillet out to the garage and set up a frying station out there. No mess, no smell. None in the house anyway.
Sweetbites
December 8, 2015
Equal parts vinegar and bleach works wonders! (and no, the combination will not explode on you).. I usually use a small glass and end up with 1/4 cup of each of the solutions.. put it out close to your kitchen, and voila - offending smell be gone!
FoodFanaticToo
December 2, 2016
This creates a very toxic gas! Please do NOT do this! http://chemistry.about.com/od/toxicchemicals/a/Mixing-Bleach-And-Vinegar.htm
Panfusine
December 8, 2015
I find that lighting one of those candles after the frying session, helps get rid of the odor (atleast in the kitchen.) I should start ventilating before I fry, thanks for the useful suggestion.
Coco E.
December 7, 2015
make a solution by boiling a 2L of water with the peel of three oranges and a glug of white vinegar for an hour. Strain the liquid and use it for wiping down the countertop instead of water. It leaves a nice citrusy scent and cuts right through the grease. Also, burn a candle (scented or not), as it literally burns up scent particles as it feeds off surrounding air.
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