You make a mean bacon mac and cheese, pan-seared salmon, and French onion soup, but all those leftover smells aren’t nearly as mouthwatering. Can’t smell the stinky aftermath of cooking at home? Here’s a handful of hacks to truly clean up after that culinary stink, just for you, Chef.
shut it down
If your kitchen has a door, use it. Closing off the kitchen will keep odors from making themselves at home in the rest of your house. With any luck, you’ll also be left alone to lick the bowl all by yourself.
air it out
While you cook, flip on the extractor fan above your stove to pull odors up and away. Let Mother Nature offer a hand, too—crack your windows to let fresh air in and stale air out. No windows? There’s an Air Effects for that.
scent the mood
There’s no rule that says reheating fish sticks can’t be fancy. Pour yourself a glass of wine and light a Febreze Candle to set the tone for a fantastic meal. Herbal or gourmand scents such as Mediterranean Lavender or Linen & Sky are a great complement to the foodie atmosphere.
keep your shields up
The same oil that makes fried food so flavorful can wreak havoc in the kitchen. Whenever you’re pan-frying, use a pan guard to keep the odor-infused oil from splattering onto kitchen surfaces or your skin.
dish it out
A sinkful of dishes is also a sinkful of smells. Tackle the pile as soon as you can, or delegate someone else (you cook, they clean, right?) to take over kitchen patrol before stuck-on food smell has a chance to roam your halls.
install a smell sous-chef
Place a SMALL SPACES under your kitchen sink to help on scent-patrol. It may seem small, but one of those little guys can eliminate stink for up to 30 days (or roughly 90 meals).