Cooking smells - please tell me I'm right and my husband is wrong?!

[ItsThisOneThing]

I hate cooking smells in the house. HATE. Especially things like bacon, sausage or burgers. My instinct is to fling the windows open wide, open the back door and put on the extractor fans. I obviously close the doors into the kitchen too, to reduce the smell going to the rest of the house.

My husband says if you open the windows and door it causes the smell to drift under the doors to the rest of the house, so he only closes the doors to the rest of the house and puts on the extractor fans. Keeps the windows and doors shut.

This morning we had a constant cycle of me opening the window and him closing it again. These are the big issues in our relationship ;)

Who is right here?? Please tell me it's me, I hate being wrong 😆

OP my back door is currently wide open because I made rolls and bacon this morning it's bloody freezing and the heating is on, I love the smell while it's cooking but can't stand it lingering after, also hate my clothes and hair smelling of it!

Onion smell left on your hands is the worst.

For anything smelly like this, just run your hands on the metal of your sink to neutralise it (you can buy special "metal eggs" for this, but sink works the same).

Other than that, I can't believe you hate the smell of food cooking but then spray zoflora everywhere. That stuff REEKS in a synthetic, chemical, back of the throat way. (As for putting it in your slow cooker... that is just grim.)

I bought a gas burner and an electric hotplate and cook any smelly things outdoors. We eat a fair amount of stuff like pan fried salmon, smoked haddock and boiled cabbage/caulk and honestly couldn't cope with the smell in the house.
I have a little brick built working outdoors and a canopy over. I'm sure outdoor kitchens are the new way forward!!

I keep doors and windows closed - apart from early morning freshening-because next door don't clean up after their dog and I can't stand the consequent bluebottles.
Prices do make efficient candles for many different smells, including cooking and smoking etc., so give them a go and relax.

Two words. Dinner Hair. There's little worse. I love cooking, I love food and I love spice but onions, garlic, cumin and fenugreek in particular are just awful when the scent infiltrates everywhere and persists for days. I used to make slow cooker curries in the garage for this reason.

oh no the worst smell is cauli-rice!even opening the dishwasher when the dish Is in their make you want to burrrrk

I would go with extractor fan before cooking and for entire cooking time, then put it off for awhile and the open window for a short time so that fresh air gets into the room, then close and extractor fan back on while I burned a candle.

I highly rate these ones as they work well - I see pp have mentioned other Price candles as well www.amazon.co.uk/Prices-Chefs-Candle-Tin-Eliminates/dp/B00FIJKW8S?tag=mumsnetforum-21

Serin - Good idea, if you have the space.

I opened all the windows this morning. My husband decided to cook a full English breakfast for everyone. Bacon, egg, mushrooms, the full works. My kitchen smelled so bad afterwards as someone burned scrambled eggs on toast at some point during the preparation time. I hate cooking smells too. To top it all off my extractor fan is currently not working properly. I’ve got someone coming to my apartment tomorrow morning to take a look at it.

This. Our extractor fan is worse than useless and cooking smells just seem to permeate the whole house sometimes (especially smells like burnt toast.) I'm completely paranoid about clean clothes smelling of cooking..can't bear it. Any tips gratefully recieved.

I can recommend this, put some strong essential oil like eucalyptus or tea tree in it diffuser

Ugh I hate this. Our house has no fans or extraction, my housemate cooks garlic fucking every day and it makes the whole house stink for the entire day.

He said if it bothers me then keep my door closed apparently I'm unreasonable to ask for the kitchen door to be shut or for him to open a window.

Cooking smells make me feel sick, especially if they are still around the next morning.

I use an extractor fan and I have a Lamp Berger which gets rid of just about any smell going!

Opening windows, burning yankee candles and spraying air freshener. Does the trick :-)

Also wash all the sides down with Zoflora after prep has taken place. That stuff is POTENT !

I don't like lingering cooking smells either, OP. I cook stews, chili, spaghetti sauce outside. Have a table by the back door, plug the electric pan in and leave it to simmer. While prepping - sautéing onion, garlic etc or cooking something quick like bacon - I switch on the extractor, close all the inner doors and open the window. When done I open the kitchen door to create a cross-draught with the window and blow out the smells.

I hate the smell of bacon so much I have to leave the house if someone is cooking it. As a result DP almost never cooks it which is kind of him. I think it’s vile tbh, I really don’t understand everyone’s obsession with it. I even gip walking past greasy spoon cafes.

I only open the door if the kitchen becomes smoke filled otherwise it would just be a window.

Chefs candles are really good FYI.

So are small bowls of white vinegar left out to neutralise smells.

From a website with some info = www.myrecipes.com/extracrispy/how-to-make-your-house-stop-reeking-of-bacon

Close All Doors

First things first: Close your bedroom door—or better yet, close the kitchen door (if you happen to have one). Close your closet doors, too, because your clothes will quickly go from smelling like detergent to smelling like a diner.

Ventilate The Area

Fry the bacon on medium or low to keep the bacon drippings from smoking and leave the exhaust fan above your stove running before, during, and after cooking so it can suck up unwanted odors. Also, keep the windows open. The fresh air will circulate throughout the house and carry the bacon stench out right out the window.

Clean A.S.A.P.

Smells get worse with time. Wipe the stovetop and all counters and cabinets to prevent the buildup of grease. Prolonged oil stains give out an awful odor once they go rancid. Don’t forget to take out the trash if it contains oily paper towels or napkins, and wash pans straight away instead of letting them sit in the sink. Whatever you do, just don’t pour the bacon fat down the drain—that’ll clog your pipes.

Strain the excess grease into a mason jar and use it to scramble your eggs tomorrow.

Fight with Natural Remedies

Commercial air fresheners only worsen the situation, in my opinion, by merging with the smell of bacon to create a completely new smell.

Mask lingering smells the natural way by leaving a bowl of bread to soak in vinegar on the countertop for a few hours to help neutralize the scent. You could also put a pot of apple cider potpourri on the stove to simmer. The aromatic combination of citrus, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise is powerful enough to get rid of any stench. You could also place cotton balls soaked in vanilla extract in the rooms that stink.

Use The Oven (Or The Microwave)

Forget about the skillet. Lay strips of bacon on top of a cooling rack-lined baking sheet and slide it into the oven. Cooking bacon in the oven, an enclosed space, will contain the smoke and prevent it from smelling up the place. The same applies for cooking bacon in the microwave.

I love making fish curry but boy that can linger for days 😏

DH is moans at me to open the windows. I don't bother on my own but I open them a fraction if he's around to appease him.

I'm with team DH. Sorry.

Get an aga

Yeah OP. Just get an aga. Sorted