Made Indian food—house and clothes smell like curry now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My butter chicken recipe does not have curry in it. It has garam masala, cumin and coriander.

I make butter chicken at least once a month and my house/clothes never smell like it. Did you stir it with your hands or something? Maybe it’s under your nails.

Maybe cook it on the stovetop instead of in the slow cooker - that way it’s not permeating in your home for hours on end.

It’s the garam masala. I don’t use it bc it leaves a heavy cloying scent.

[Anonymous]

We cook a lot in my house, and stale cooking smells or greasy smells is actually a real issue. This is mainly because of the way homes are constructed and furnished and the HVAC system. The construction material and furnishing absorbs and traps smells, and the HVAC tries to prevent cold and hot air from escaping the house by recirculating every thing inside.

Here is what we do.

1) We have a really large commercial hood over the range that vents outside the house. We got it custom built because we did not want any cooking air circulating inside. The vent filters are washed once a week in the dishwasher to keep it clean.

2) We switch off the heat/cooling and the whole house fan while cooking. .

3) We open a window in the opposite side of the house, put a large fan there to suck in air, then we open the kitchen window, put a stool and a fan there to blow out the air. If you can picture it - we are using the hood, and we are blowing out air from the window too. (Hood and kitchen window is venting out in the same direction.)

4) Shut all the bedroom and bathroom doors upstairs. It will prevent the bedrooms and bathrooms from getting the cooking smell.

5) Close the coat closet. Do not have coats and scarves hanging out. And have all washed and folded laundry kept upstairs in a closed bedroom so that they do not absorb the smell.

6) Skip fenugreek and aesopheotida as their smell lingers. Or ventilate properly when cooking with these ingredients.

7) Wear some "cooking clothes" - old sweats and old t-shirt.

8) When cooking onions, put a lid on top of the pan to trap the moisture and the smell. Once the onion caramelizes a bit, the raw cooking smell disappears entirely.

9) Remember the Indian food smells that lingers is not "curry" smell. It is the cooking smell of mostly four or five things - raw onions, fenugreek (methi), aesopheotida(hing), fish, curry leaves and mustard oil being smoked. I have the same problem with other cuisines too that has strong smells. Of course, any kind of frying will also create smoky and greasy air inside and that also must get flushed out pronto.

10) We got a UV light put in the HVAC system where the air gets exchanged. That gets rid of most smells fast. Incidentally, that takes care of COVID virus also from circulating through HVAC. We also get the filters changed twice a year.

11) Make a non-chemically air freshner (https://helloglow.co/natural-air-freshener/) to spray in the kitchen. Make sure all stoves are switched off. I basically take the juice of ground up citrus peels and add vodka in it. Spray on counters, sink, trash bin and in the air. It removes all smell once it dries. Just plain vodka in spray bottle works also.

Right now, just flush out the air for 10-15 minutes, by using fans, opening windows, and switching off your heating.

Even doing one or two of the above remedies can mitigate your cooking smell problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My butter chicken recipe does not have curry in it. It has garam masala, cumin and coriander.

I make butter chicken at least once a month and my house/clothes never smell like it. Did you stir it with your hands or something? Maybe it’s under your nails.

Maybe cook it on the stovetop instead of in the slow cooker - that way it’s not permeating in your home for hours on end.

OK. I will say it. Your butter chicken recipe... is a butter chicken CURRY recipe. Curry is not a spice or a spice blend. Curry is used to describe a dish that has a sauce component incorporated in it. Indians don't use the word curry in Hindi. Two Hindi words were combined by the British - Tari (from tarr - wet) and Kadhi (from kaadh - stewed)..and they started calling everything curry. English is not a phonetic language like Hindi. So they messed up quite a few words as you can imagine. I think it is an easy concept to understand for the educated folks of DCUM, right?

Only in the west, someone created a bastardized "curry" spice which is a hodge-podge-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mixture of spices sold by companies like McCormick, because it tasted "Indian" to them. See the irony? If you go to India or even the Indian grocery store here, there is NOTHING CALLED CURRY SPICE. Therefore, your house can only smell like "curry" if you used something called "Curry" powder sold by McCormick or some western spice company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My butter chicken recipe does not have curry in it. It has garam masala, cumin and coriander.

I make butter chicken at least once a month and my house/clothes never smell like it. Did you stir it with your hands or something? Maybe it’s under your nails.

Maybe cook it on the stovetop instead of in the slow cooker - that way it’s not permeating in your home for hours on end.

It’s the garam masala. I don’t use it bc it leaves a heavy cloying scent.

I also stay away from garam masala. If I need it for a specific recipe, I will blend my own and adjust the ratio of spices. Garam masala is not a catch all Indian spice blend.

[Anonymous]

Curry powder smell can last in the house the entire day if all windows and ventilation is not done properly. It is extremely strong.
Change /shower after cooking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain to me what ‘curry’ spice is? I’m of Indian origin and never heard of it. I cook with chillie powder, cumin, coriander, cardomom, ginger, garlic etc. What is ‘curry spice’ that Americans talk about?

Go to the Whole Foods spice aisle or Penzeys. You will see one or two bottles labeled “Curry Powder.”

Indians don’t cook with that. We don’t use anything called “curry.”

That is made for non-Indians who are looking to add Indian flavors to their dish. There is no “curry” spice that is widely used by Indians. Does not exist.

+2

White lady married to an Indian American here.

‘Curry’ is a spice sold in non-Indian stores that white people use to make ‘Indian’ food. Real Indians do not use this. Instead they most commonly use cumin, coriander, garam masala, etc as spices in their meals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We cook a lot in my house, and stale cooking smells or greasy smells is actually a real issue. This is mainly because of the way homes are constructed and furnished and the HVAC system. The construction material and furnishing absorbs and traps smells, and the HVAC tries to prevent cold and hot air from escaping the house by recirculating every thing inside.

Here is what we do.

1) We have a really large commercial hood over the range that vents outside the house. We got it custom built because we did not want any cooking air circulating inside. The vent filters are washed once a week in the dishwasher to keep it clean.

2) We switch off the heat/cooling and the whole house fan while cooking. .

3) We open a window in the opposite side of the house, put a large fan there to suck in air, then we open the kitchen window, put a stool and a fan there to blow out the air. If you can picture it - we are using the hood, and we are blowing out air from the window too. (Hood and kitchen window is venting out in the same direction.)

4) Shut all the bedroom and bathroom doors upstairs. It will prevent the bedrooms and bathrooms from getting the cooking smell.

5) Close the coat closet. Do not have coats and scarves hanging out. And have all washed and folded laundry kept upstairs in a closed bedroom so that they do not absorb the smell.

6) Skip fenugreek and aesopheotida as their smell lingers. Or ventilate properly when cooking with these ingredients.

7) Wear some "cooking clothes" - old sweats and old t-shirt.

8) When cooking onions, put a lid on top of the pan to trap the moisture and the smell. Once the onion caramelizes a bit, the raw cooking smell disappears entirely.

9) Remember the Indian food smells that lingers is not "curry" smell. It is the cooking smell of mostly four or five things - raw onions, fenugreek (methi), aesopheotida(hing), fish, curry leaves and mustard oil being smoked. I have the same problem with other cuisines too that has strong smells. Of course, any kind of frying will also create smoky and greasy air inside and that also must get flushed out pronto.

10) We got a UV light put in the HVAC system where the air gets exchanged. That gets rid of most smells fast. Incidentally, that takes care of COVID virus also from circulating through HVAC. We also get the filters changed twice a year.

11) Make a non-chemically air freshner (https://helloglow.co/natural-air-freshener/) to spray in the kitchen. Make sure all stoves are switched off. I basically take the juice of ground up citrus peels and add vodka in it. Spray on counters, sink, trash bin and in the air. It removes all smell once it dries. Just plain vodka in spray bottle works also.

Right now, just flush out the air for 10-15 minutes, by using fans, opening windows, and switching off your heating.

Even doing one or two of the above remedies can mitigate your cooking smell problem.

Just cook outside like grilling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We cook a lot in my house, and stale cooking smells or greasy smells is actually a real issue. This is mainly because of the way homes are constructed and furnished and the HVAC system. The construction material and furnishing absorbs and traps smells, and the HVAC tries to prevent cold and hot air from escaping the house by recirculating every thing inside.

Here is what we do.

1) We have a really large commercial hood over the range that vents outside the house. We got it custom built because we did not want any cooking air circulating inside. The vent filters are washed once a week in the dishwasher to keep it clean.

2) We switch off the heat/cooling and the whole house fan while cooking. .

3) We open a window in the opposite side of the house, put a large fan there to suck in air, then we open the kitchen window, put a stool and a fan there to blow out the air. If you can picture it - we are using the hood, and we are blowing out air from the window too. (Hood and kitchen window is venting out in the same direction.)

4) Shut all the bedroom and bathroom doors upstairs. It will prevent the bedrooms and bathrooms from getting the cooking smell.

5) Close the coat closet. Do not have coats and scarves hanging out. And have all washed and folded laundry kept upstairs in a closed bedroom so that they do not absorb the smell.

6) Skip fenugreek and aesopheotida as their smell lingers. Or ventilate properly when cooking with these ingredients.

7) Wear some "cooking clothes" - old sweats and old t-shirt.

8) When cooking onions, put a lid on top of the pan to trap the moisture and the smell. Once the onion caramelizes a bit, the raw cooking smell disappears entirely.

9) Remember the Indian food smells that lingers is not "curry" smell. It is the cooking smell of mostly four or five things - raw onions, fenugreek (methi), aesopheotida(hing), fish, curry leaves and mustard oil being smoked. I have the same problem with other cuisines too that has strong smells. Of course, any kind of frying will also create smoky and greasy air inside and that also must get flushed out pronto.

10) We got a UV light put in the HVAC system where the air gets exchanged. That gets rid of most smells fast. Incidentally, that takes care of COVID virus also from circulating through HVAC. We also get the filters changed twice a year.

11) Make a non-chemically air freshner (https://helloglow.co/natural-air-freshener/) to spray in the kitchen. Make sure all stoves are switched off. I basically take the juice of ground up citrus peels and add vodka in it. Spray on counters, sink, trash bin and in the air. It removes all smell once it dries. Just plain vodka in spray bottle works also.

Right now, just flush out the air for 10-15 minutes, by using fans, opening windows, and switching off your heating.

Even doing one or two of the above remedies can mitigate your cooking smell problem.

Just cook outside like grilling.

+1
Yes, we do that too. Really takes care of the smell problem for all kinds of cooking.
12) Use grill to roast foods outdoors.

13) Invest in Bayou Classic outdoors stove so that you can cook outdoors. Cook things in bulk (frying onions, making masalas etc) so that you can freeze the extras. Costco also sells fancier camp stoves at times. With the right sized pots etc cooking large amounts is very easy. What is shocking is how fast the food cooks with an industrial sized heat source! Buy your big sized cooking pots from Asian grocery stores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We cook a lot in my house, and stale cooking smells or greasy smells is actually a real issue. This is mainly because of the way homes are constructed and furnished and the HVAC system. The construction material and furnishing absorbs and traps smells, and the HVAC tries to prevent cold and hot air from escaping the house by recirculating every thing inside.

Here is what we do.

1) We have a really large commercial hood over the range that vents outside the house. We got it custom built because we did not want any cooking air circulating inside. The vent filters are washed once a week in the dishwasher to keep it clean.

2) We switch off the heat/cooling and the whole house fan while cooking. .

3) We open a window in the opposite side of the house, put a large fan there to suck in air, then we open the kitchen window, put a stool and a fan there to blow out the air. If you can picture it - we are using the hood, and we are blowing out air from the window too. (Hood and kitchen window is venting out in the same direction.)

4) Shut all the bedroom and bathroom doors upstairs. It will prevent the bedrooms and bathrooms from getting the cooking smell.

5) Close the coat closet. Do not have coats and scarves hanging out. And have all washed and folded laundry kept upstairs in a closed bedroom so that they do not absorb the smell.

6) Skip fenugreek and aesopheotida as their smell lingers. Or ventilate properly when cooking with these ingredients.

7) Wear some "cooking clothes" - old sweats and old t-shirt.

8) When cooking onions, put a lid on top of the pan to trap the moisture and the smell. Once the onion caramelizes a bit, the raw cooking smell disappears entirely.

9) Remember the Indian food smells that lingers is not "curry" smell. It is the cooking smell of mostly four or five things - raw onions, fenugreek (methi), aesopheotida(hing), fish, curry leaves and mustard oil being smoked. I have the same problem with other cuisines too that has strong smells. Of course, any kind of frying will also create smoky and greasy air inside and that also must get flushed out pronto.

10) We got a UV light put in the HVAC system where the air gets exchanged. That gets rid of most smells fast. Incidentally, that takes care of COVID virus also from circulating through HVAC. We also get the filters changed twice a year.

11) Make a non-chemically air freshner (https://helloglow.co/natural-air-freshener/) to spray in the kitchen. Make sure all stoves are switched off. I basically take the juice of ground up citrus peels and add vodka in it. Spray on counters, sink, trash bin and in the air. It removes all smell once it dries. Just plain vodka in spray bottle works also.

Right now, just flush out the air for 10-15 minutes, by using fans, opening windows, and switching off your heating.

Even doing one or two of the above remedies can mitigate your cooking smell problem.

Just cook outside like grilling.

+1
Yes, we do that too. Really takes care of the smell problem for all kinds of cooking.
12) Use grill to roast foods outdoors.

13) Invest in Bayou Classic outdoors stove so that you can cook outdoors. Cook things in bulk (frying onions, making masalas etc) so that you can freeze the extras. Costco also sells fancier camp stoves at times. With the right sized pots etc cooking large amounts is very easy. What is shocking is how fast the food cooks with an industrial sized heat source! Buy your big sized cooking pots from Asian grocery stores.

Look for a camp stove that has knobs to control heat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My butter chicken recipe does not have curry in it. It has garam masala, cumin and coriander.

I make butter chicken at least once a month and my house/clothes never smell like it. Did you stir it with your hands or something? Maybe it’s under your nails.

Maybe cook it on the stovetop instead of in the slow cooker - that way it’s not permeating in your home for hours on end.

It’s the garam masala. I don’t use it bc it leaves a heavy cloying scent.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We cook a lot in my house, and stale cooking smells or greasy smells is actually a real issue. This is mainly because of the way homes are constructed and furnished and the HVAC system. The construction material and furnishing absorbs and traps smells, and the HVAC tries to prevent cold and hot air from escaping the house by recirculating every thing inside.

Here is what we do.

1) We have a really large commercial hood over the range that vents outside the house. We got it custom built because we did not want any cooking air circulating inside. The vent filters are washed once a week in the dishwasher to keep it clean.

2) We switch off the heat/cooling and the whole house fan while cooking. .

3) We open a window in the opposite side of the house, put a large fan there to suck in air, then we open the kitchen window, put a stool and a fan there to blow out the air. If you can picture it - we are using the hood, and we are blowing out air from the window too. (Hood and kitchen window is venting out in the same direction.)

4) Shut all the bedroom and bathroom doors upstairs. It will prevent the bedrooms and bathrooms from getting the cooking smell.

5) Close the coat closet. Do not have coats and scarves hanging out. And have all washed and folded laundry kept upstairs in a closed bedroom so that they do not absorb the smell.

6) Skip fenugreek and aesopheotida as their smell lingers. Or ventilate properly when cooking with these ingredients.

7) Wear some "cooking clothes" - old sweats and old t-shirt.

8) When cooking onions, put a lid on top of the pan to trap the moisture and the smell. Once the onion caramelizes a bit, the raw cooking smell disappears entirely.

9) Remember the Indian food smells that lingers is not "curry" smell. It is the cooking smell of mostly four or five things - raw onions, fenugreek (methi), aesopheotida(hing), fish, curry leaves and mustard oil being smoked. I have the same problem with other cuisines too that has strong smells. Of course, any kind of frying will also create smoky and greasy air inside and that also must get flushed out pronto.

10) We got a UV light put in the HVAC system where the air gets exchanged. That gets rid of most smells fast. Incidentally, that takes care of COVID virus also from circulating through HVAC. We also get the filters changed twice a year.

11) Make a non-chemically air freshner (https://helloglow.co/natural-air-freshener/) to spray in the kitchen. Make sure all stoves are switched off. I basically take the juice of ground up citrus peels and add vodka in it. Spray on counters, sink, trash bin and in the air. It removes all smell once it dries. Just plain vodka in spray bottle works also.

Right now, just flush out the air for 10-15 minutes, by using fans, opening windows, and switching off your heating.

Even doing one or two of the above remedies can mitigate your cooking smell problem.

Wow. What are you guys cooking to take all those precautions. I agree they will help a ton.

We did oil fondue once and had to aerate real-time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We cook a lot in my house, and stale cooking smells or greasy smells is actually a real issue. This is mainly because of the way homes are constructed and furnished and the HVAC system. The construction material and furnishing absorbs and traps smells, and the HVAC tries to prevent cold and hot air from escaping the house by recirculating every thing inside.

Here is what we do.

1) We have a really large commercial hood over the range that vents outside the house. We got it custom built because we did not want any cooking air circulating inside. The vent filters are washed once a week in the dishwasher to keep it clean.

2) We switch off the heat/cooling and the whole house fan while cooking. .

3) We open a window in the opposite side of the house, put a large fan there to suck in air, then we open the kitchen window, put a stool and a fan there to blow out the air. If you can picture it - we are using the hood, and we are blowing out air from the window too. (Hood and kitchen window is venting out in the same direction.)

4) Shut all the bedroom and bathroom doors upstairs. It will prevent the bedrooms and bathrooms from getting the cooking smell.

5) Close the coat closet. Do not have coats and scarves hanging out. And have all washed and folded laundry kept upstairs in a closed bedroom so that they do not absorb the smell.

6) Skip fenugreek and aesopheotida as their smell lingers. Or ventilate properly when cooking with these ingredients.

7) Wear some "cooking clothes" - old sweats and old t-shirt.

8) When cooking onions, put a lid on top of the pan to trap the moisture and the smell. Once the onion caramelizes a bit, the raw cooking smell disappears entirely.

9) Remember the Indian food smells that lingers is not "curry" smell. It is the cooking smell of mostly four or five things - raw onions, fenugreek (methi), aesopheotida(hing), fish, curry leaves and mustard oil being smoked. I have the same problem with other cuisines too that has strong smells. Of course, any kind of frying will also create smoky and greasy air inside and that also must get flushed out pronto.

10) We got a UV light put in the HVAC system where the air gets exchanged. That gets rid of most smells fast. Incidentally, that takes care of COVID virus also from circulating through HVAC. We also get the filters changed twice a year.

11) Make a non-chemically air freshner (https://helloglow.co/natural-air-freshener/) to spray in the kitchen. Make sure all stoves are switched off. I basically take the juice of ground up citrus peels and add vodka in it. Spray on counters, sink, trash bin and in the air. It removes all smell once it dries. Just plain vodka in spray bottle works also.

Right now, just flush out the air for 10-15 minutes, by using fans, opening windows, and switching off your heating.

Even doing one or two of the above remedies can mitigate your cooking smell problem.

Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We cook a lot in my house, and stale cooking smells or greasy smells is actually a real issue. This is mainly because of the way homes are constructed and furnished and the HVAC system. The construction material and furnishing absorbs and traps smells, and the HVAC tries to prevent cold and hot air from escaping the house by recirculating every thing inside.

Here is what we do.

1) We have a really large commercial hood over the range that vents outside the house. We got it custom built because we did not want any cooking air circulating inside. The vent filters are washed once a week in the dishwasher to keep it clean.

2) We switch off the heat/cooling and the whole house fan while cooking. .

3) We open a window in the opposite side of the house, put a large fan there to suck in air, then we open the kitchen window, put a stool and a fan there to blow out the air. If you can picture it - we are using the hood, and we are blowing out air from the window too. (Hood and kitchen window is venting out in the same direction.)

4) Shut all the bedroom and bathroom doors upstairs. It will prevent the bedrooms and bathrooms from getting the cooking smell.

5) Close the coat closet. Do not have coats and scarves hanging out. And have all washed and folded laundry kept upstairs in a closed bedroom so that they do not absorb the smell.

6) Skip fenugreek and aesopheotida as their smell lingers. Or ventilate properly when cooking with these ingredients.

7) Wear some "cooking clothes" - old sweats and old t-shirt.

8) When cooking onions, put a lid on top of the pan to trap the moisture and the smell. Once the onion caramelizes a bit, the raw cooking smell disappears entirely.

9) Remember the Indian food smells that lingers is not "curry" smell. It is the cooking smell of mostly four or five things - raw onions, fenugreek (methi), aesopheotida(hing), fish, curry leaves and mustard oil being smoked. I have the same problem with other cuisines too that has strong smells. Of course, any kind of frying will also create smoky and greasy air inside and that also must get flushed out pronto.

10) We got a UV light put in the HVAC system where the air gets exchanged. That gets rid of most smells fast. Incidentally, that takes care of COVID virus also from circulating through HVAC. We also get the filters changed twice a year.

11) Make a non-chemically air freshner (https://helloglow.co/natural-air-freshener/) to spray in the kitchen. Make sure all stoves are switched off. I basically take the juice of ground up citrus peels and add vodka in it. Spray on counters, sink, trash bin and in the air. It removes all smell once it dries. Just plain vodka in spray bottle works also.

Right now, just flush out the air for 10-15 minutes, by using fans, opening windows, and switching off your heating.

Even doing one or two of the above remedies can mitigate your cooking smell problem.

Just cook outside like grilling.

+1
Yes, we do that too. Really takes care of the smell problem for all kinds of cooking.
12) Use grill to roast foods outdoors.

13) Invest in Bayou Classic outdoors stove so that you can cook outdoors. Cook things in bulk (frying onions, making masalas etc) so that you can freeze the extras. Costco also sells fancier camp stoves at times. With the right sized pots etc cooking large amounts is very easy. What is shocking is how fast the food cooks with an industrial sized heat source! Buy your big sized cooking pots from Asian grocery stores.

Look for a camp stove that has knobs to control heat.

Your neighbors must love you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We cook a lot in my house, and stale cooking smells or greasy smells is actually a real issue. This is mainly because of the way homes are constructed and furnished and the HVAC system. The construction material and furnishing absorbs and traps smells, and the HVAC tries to prevent cold and hot air from escaping the house by recirculating every thing inside.

Here is what we do.

1) We have a really large commercial hood over the range that vents outside the house. We got it custom built because we did not want any cooking air circulating inside. The vent filters are washed once a week in the dishwasher to keep it clean.

2) We switch off the heat/cooling and the whole house fan while cooking. .

3) We open a window in the opposite side of the house, put a large fan there to suck in air, then we open the kitchen window, put a stool and a fan there to blow out the air. If you can picture it - we are using the hood, and we are blowing out air from the window too. (Hood and kitchen window is venting out in the same direction.)

4) Shut all the bedroom and bathroom doors upstairs. It will prevent the bedrooms and bathrooms from getting the cooking smell.

5) Close the coat closet. Do not have coats and scarves hanging out. And have all washed and folded laundry kept upstairs in a closed bedroom so that they do not absorb the smell.

6) Skip fenugreek and aesopheotida as their smell lingers. Or ventilate properly when cooking with these ingredients.

7) Wear some "cooking clothes" - old sweats and old t-shirt.

8) When cooking onions, put a lid on top of the pan to trap the moisture and the smell. Once the onion caramelizes a bit, the raw cooking smell disappears entirely.

9) Remember the Indian food smells that lingers is not "curry" smell. It is the cooking smell of mostly four or five things - raw onions, fenugreek (methi), aesopheotida(hing), fish, curry leaves and mustard oil being smoked. I have the same problem with other cuisines too that has strong smells. Of course, any kind of frying will also create smoky and greasy air inside and that also must get flushed out pronto.

10) We got a UV light put in the HVAC system where the air gets exchanged. That gets rid of most smells fast. Incidentally, that takes care of COVID virus also from circulating through HVAC. We also get the filters changed twice a year.

11) Make a non-chemically air freshner (https://helloglow.co/natural-air-freshener/) to spray in the kitchen. Make sure all stoves are switched off. I basically take the juice of ground up citrus peels and add vodka in it. Spray on counters, sink, trash bin and in the air. It removes all smell once it dries. Just plain vodka in spray bottle works also.

Right now, just flush out the air for 10-15 minutes, by using fans, opening windows, and switching off your heating.

Even doing one or two of the above remedies can mitigate your cooking smell problem.

Just cook outside like grilling.

+1
Yes, we do that too. Really takes care of the smell problem for all kinds of cooking.
12) Use grill to roast foods outdoors.

13) Invest in Bayou Classic outdoors stove so that you can cook outdoors. Cook things in bulk (frying onions, making masalas etc) so that you can freeze the extras. Costco also sells fancier camp stoves at times. With the right sized pots etc cooking large amounts is very easy. What is shocking is how fast the food cooks with an industrial sized heat source! Buy your big sized cooking pots from Asian grocery stores.

Look for a camp stove that has knobs to control heat.

Your neighbors must love you!

Thankfully, they do. I know you must think that the smell bothers them, but somehow when you cook outside the smell dissipates immediately. Also, my neighnors benefit because they love my food so they get containers of food whenever I make something. Actually, we are a very diverse neighborhood and one big happy family. Super lucky to have mostly awesome neighbors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We cook a lot in my house, and stale cooking smells or greasy smells is actually a real issue. This is mainly because of the way homes are constructed and furnished and the HVAC system. The construction material and furnishing absorbs and traps smells, and the HVAC tries to prevent cold and hot air from escaping the house by recirculating every thing inside.

Here is what we do.

1) We have a really large commercial hood over the range that vents outside the house. We got it custom built because we did not want any cooking air circulating inside. The vent filters are washed once a week in the dishwasher to keep it clean.

2) We switch off the heat/cooling and the whole house fan while cooking. .

3) We open a window in the opposite side of the house, put a large fan there to suck in air, then we open the kitchen window, put a stool and a fan there to blow out the air. If you can picture it - we are using the hood, and we are blowing out air from the window too. (Hood and kitchen window is venting out in the same direction.)

4) Shut all the bedroom and bathroom doors upstairs. It will prevent the bedrooms and bathrooms from getting the cooking smell.

5) Close the coat closet. Do not have coats and scarves hanging out. And have all washed and folded laundry kept upstairs in a closed bedroom so that they do not absorb the smell.

6) Skip fenugreek and aesopheotida as their smell lingers. Or ventilate properly when cooking with these ingredients.

7) Wear some "cooking clothes" - old sweats and old t-shirt.

8) When cooking onions, put a lid on top of the pan to trap the moisture and the smell. Once the onion caramelizes a bit, the raw cooking smell disappears entirely.

9) Remember the Indian food smells that lingers is not "curry" smell. It is the cooking smell of mostly four or five things - raw onions, fenugreek (methi), aesopheotida(hing), fish, curry leaves and mustard oil being smoked. I have the same problem with other cuisines too that has strong smells. Of course, any kind of frying will also create smoky and greasy air inside and that also must get flushed out pronto.

10) We got a UV light put in the HVAC system where the air gets exchanged. That gets rid of most smells fast. Incidentally, that takes care of COVID virus also from circulating through HVAC. We also get the filters changed twice a year.

11) Make a non-chemically air freshner (https://helloglow.co/natural-air-freshener/) to spray in the kitchen. Make sure all stoves are switched off. I basically take the juice of ground up citrus peels and add vodka in it. Spray on counters, sink, trash bin and in the air. It removes all smell once it dries. Just plain vodka in spray bottle works also.

Right now, just flush out the air for 10-15 minutes, by using fans, opening windows, and switching off your heating.

Even doing one or two of the above remedies can mitigate your cooking smell problem.

Wow. What are you guys cooking to take all those precautions. I agree they will help a ton.

We did oil fondue once and had to aerate real-time.

We cook most days and we also entertain frequently. We are cooking multiple cuisines. Most cooking and most foods will leave behind a smell. My DH basically hates any cooking smell or greasiness in the house. Even the smell of a fried egg is unbearable to him. So we have to air the house daily.

If I could custom-build a house, I would have a kitchen that has a door and is not part of an open plan. DH and I were raised in homes that had a seperate section for the kitchens and pantries (yes, multiple kitchens).