Kitchen tip: eliminating cooking odors.


Much as I love the kitchen smell of onion cooking in olive oil or butter, there comes a point in the evening—or the next day—when that aroma lingers a bit too long. So I turn to this reliable remedy:

Take 1 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise (or 5 cloves), 5 whole allspice and a 1-inch strip of lemon peel; place in a small saucepan with 2 cups of water on your stove’s back burner. Bring the water to a light boil, then reduce heat to very low and simmer. The steam will perfume the kitchen with a bright citrus-spice smell. Note: While you can keep the pan on the heat for about an hour, be sure to refill the water as needed so the pan does not boil dry. Set a kitchen timer so you don’t forget about it.

3 thoughts on “Kitchen tip: eliminating cooking odors.

  1. Love this idea. We buy the cheapest imitation vanilla extract we can find for this purpose. And we often slice and toss in oranges or apples past their prime.

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