Curry smell

[MamaLazarou]

Help! I cooked a curry on Tuesday night, and the house still smells of it. I have cleaned every surface, vaccuumed, burnt incense and scented candles and had all the windows open. Is there anything that will get rind of the smell?

(That's the last time I make a curry from scratch, roasting and grinding the spices, etc. next time I will use sauce from a jar, it's less whiffy!)

[GheeDeMaupassant]

Ooh you lucky thing. Curry smells gorgeous!

Now, if you said fishy smell, then I could sympathise...

[schroeder]

I think some must be lurking if it still smells today-Are you sure some hasn't spilled somewhere and you haven't found it?

Lakeland do some scented candles especially for getting rid of cooking smells, but I can't vouch for whether they work.

Fresh air usually does the trick for me.

Hopefully someone else will come along with more ideas.

[MamaLazarou]

No, there definitely isn't any curry remaining anywhere in the house.

I've tried a candle specifically for cooking smells. I think it's too deeply ingrained for that!

GheeDeMaupassant - It did smell (and taste) really gorgeous at the time, but I'm heartily sick of it now!

[displayuntilbestbefore]

Have you got some cinnamon - ground or sticks?

Put some water in a saucepan and pop some cinnamon in there - ground or a couple of sticks and bring it to the boil then gently simmer. It will get rid of the smell of curry and leave your house smelling delicious.
In future, if you do this while you cook, it will reduce the smells that linger after cooking.
I often do it just to make the house smell like a festive chalet

HTH

[MamaLazarou]

Thanks - yes, I do have some cinnamon, and I will try that right now.

Thanks so much for the tip!

[gtamom]

Febreeze?
Change filter in overhead fan?

[gtamom]

Oh, just thought of something. We buy these little tubs of charcoal in a waxy stuff, to keep near the cats litter box, it absorbs room odors. www.achooallergy.com/allerair-tub-o-carbon.asp
While looking for link, I read putting few lumps of activated charcoal tied up in old pantyhose or knee high, and hanging in a room works. I think any carbon air cleaner will absorb odors.

[MamaLazarou]

I can't bear the smell of febreeze (it has bad associations for me of an ex-colleague who was too lazy to visit the dry-cleaners).

Unfortunately, the smell is still there. My niece commented on it yesterday. It seems adults have been too polite to mention it!

[vannah]

hi, Im asian and cooking curries for me from scratch is what I really want to do, its easy and comes naturally. Yet I only dare to cook curry once in a while as opposed to a few times a week or every day as my mum did, because of the lingering smell- i dont like it at all.
The only thing that might work is to get a draft going through your house/flat, I open front and back door for about an hour, putting door stops to stop doors slamming. When lived in flat did this with windows at front and back - wide open for a few hours, wrap up warm.

Good luck.Ive spent a whole evening once googling this, and read a lot of other forums, no joy im afraid...

[shuz]

I agree with Vannah, I love pilau rice but the smell of onions lingers for days! I have also tried scented sticks, candles, air freshners, and I am now trying Price's Chefs candles which does help get rid of the smell faster. I also open windows and doors and to prevent the smells creeping upstairs, I light a scented candle in the bedrooms. Its probably easier not cooking at all

[MeghanMc]

Not too sure is it too late to post this message. Usually when I am cooking (chinese stir-fried with garlic and shallot), I will burn a Yankee Cinnamon burner tart (a flat tart that melt on a plate with a candle light below). I find the burner tart is much stronger scent than the normal scented candle.

At the same time, I will have an Airwick Duo Electric plug-in fragrance thing on. The combination seems to work, not brilliantly, but does musk the cooking smell a lot. The smell will still linger around the house for the next day when I get back from work, at least just a hint of it....

Saying that, I usually light another burner tart in the room next to the kitchen (our living room) and make sure the kitchen door is closed when I am cooking. I also make sure all the bedroom doors are closed as I can't stand cooking smell in bedrooms.

Oh, I usually leave my Airwick plug-in on almost 24/7 in the kitchen, seems to musk the cooking smell. Please do note that the airwick is much stronger than Fabreeze plug-in (which I used in bedrooms and upstair as the smell is much milder and nicer). I wouldn't use airwick at other room as I find it overpowering.

Hope you will find this useful.