Tips & Techniques

Help! Getting Rid of Lingering Food Smells

Emma Christensen
Emma Christensen
Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories
updated May 11, 2022
pinterest
comments
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Post Image
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

We made a heavenly mushroom risotto with ramps this past weekend.

Creamy, oozy, and rich–we proclaimed it the Best Risotto Ever and promptly ate the entire pot.

One problem, though. It’s now Monday morning, and what was originally the mouth-watering aroma of imminent deliciousness has become an unwanted house guest. The aroma, oh, how it lingers.

Help!

The most logical solution is to open the windows and let nature do the work, which is what we’re doing right now!

But for times when that’s not an option, here are a few other ideas gleaned from internet searches:

Simmer a pot of half vinegar and half water
Simmer a pot of water with lemon and orange peels
Leave a dish of vinegar out on the counter overnight
Aromatherapy candles or burning oils
Saturate cotton balls with vanilla extract and let sit in a dish overnight
Oust Sprays, which are said to eliminate odors instead of covering them up
The Odor Eliminator Candle, which is said to do the same

Any other suggestions?

Related: What Cooking Aromas Do You Love (Even When They Linger)?

(Images: Flickr members lukekb, sirenbrian, and jslander licensed under Creative Commons)