How to Get Rid of Fried Food Smells From Your Kitchen: 8 Methods and Tips

Frying, one of the greatest joys of cooking: ask ten people and there is a chance that they all love it, regardless of their age. Simple, fast and delicious, it is a basic technique that, if done well, can give a very special taste to the most common ingredients, such as simple potatoes that from fried become irresistible delights, but the same is also true for meat, fish, vegetables, cheeses and even olives, as the exquisite Ascoli olives testify. There is only one problem (beyond the calories, of course): the smell. The downside of frying is the intense smell of fried food that permeates the whole house while you cook, which sticks to all surfaces and therefore remains in the air. Does this mean that you have to give up your fried food? Of course not: you just have to follow our advice and learn the all-natural methods that we are about to show you, thanks to which the smell of fried food will no longer be a problem.

1. The First Rule: Choose The Right Oil

The first fundamental rule to avoid the whole house being filled with the smell of fried food, but also to ensure healthy and safe frying, is to choose the right oil. Not all oils are suitable for frying, in fact: some have a low smoke point and this means that with the heat it tends to burn immediately, therefore ruining the frying but also increasing the smell of the fruit, also adding to the smell of burning. The two oils considered best for frying are peanut oil and extra virgin olive oil.

2. Always Keep The Hood Perfectly Clean

Keeping the hood clean is a practice that we should all get used to in order for the instrument to perform its function at its best and, for this very reason, if you keep it in good condition by taking care of it often it will also help you combat the smell of frying. A clean and well-functioning hood, in fact, will do half the work by extracting the smell directly while you cook, while if it cannot extract the odors well, the problem of the smell of fried food will increase dramatically. The advice is to periodically carry out a deep cleaning and change the filters every two or three months.

3. Add Apple Slices to The Oil

A grandmother's trick that may seem strange to you but that really works: adding some apple slices to the frying oil is the perfect solution to limit odors and to prevent the heated oil from producing smoke. Add the apple slices when the oil is still cold: when they start to brown they will do their effect and you will also know that the oil is hot enough for frying. Try it to believe it!

4. Use Bay Leaves

One of the best allies to avoid the smell of fried food is laurel , a plant that, like many other plants and medicinal herbs, is a real smell eater. All you need to do is add 4 or 5 laurel leaves to a saucepan full of water, bring everything to the boil and leave the mixture on the heat for 10 minutes. Thanks to the steam, the laurel will release all its aroma and the smell of fried food will disappear in a few moments.

5. Water and Vinegar

Vinegar is one of those products that you should always have in your home for its multiple uses, not only culinary but also for its usefulness in different areas of daily life. Maybe you know how useful it is for cleaning and polishing, but you don't imagine that it is a great help in eliminating the smell of fried food, especially fish: boil a pot with water and any type of vinegar next to the one you are frying in and let the steam released absorb all the smell.

6. Lemon: With Oil or With Rosemary

Lemon is a bit like vinegar, you can use it for anything, from cooking to cleaning the house. And, in fact, it is also an excellent remedy against the smell of fried food. If you have organic lemons you can add a few pieces of peel directly into the oil in which you are going to fry the food, otherwise put a pot full of water on the stove that you will boil with the peels inside and, for an even more intense action, also a few drops of juice. Eventually, if you have to fry a lot, also add rosemary, which like bay leaves has a strong absorbent power. Once the water has boiled, turn off and leave the pot in a ventilated area of ​​the house.

7. Parsley in Oil

Parsley can be used exactly like lemon zest: add a bunch directly into the frying pan to reduce the smell, no need to add the leaves, just the stems are enough. The effect will be immediate.

8. Coffee: With Vinegar or Star Anise

Coffee is very useful in absorbing bad smells: it is a sort of natural deodorant and also works very well on the intense smell of frying. In this case you have to act after cooking: once you have finished frying, leave a bowl full of ground coffee or dry coffee grounds on the table of the rooms that smell of fried food all night : both will absorb unpleasant smells and leave a much more pleasant aroma in their place. You can also use coffee during frying, by putting a handful of beans in boiling water combined with star anise: the two powerful aromas, released by the steam of the water boiling on the stove, will purify the air and absorb all the frying smells.