Five ways to get the latke-frying smell out of the house

We all love eating latkes. Some people don’t mind frying the latkes, but almost everyone loathes that post-frying, oil laden smell that permeates the house after the frying fest of Chanukah.

Here are five ways to help get the smell out of your home:

1. Vinegar

Vinegar is like a miracle potion. Use it to make a salad dressing, clean your oven, poach an egg – and it will help remove the smell of fried latkes.

Leave a bowl of vinegar on the counter while you are frying to help prevent the smell of oil taking over your kitchen. Or boil a pot of water with one cup of vinegar after frying. You can even take it a step further by adding your favourite scents such as orange peel, cinnamon sticks or rosemary sprigs to the vinegar.

2. Get some air

Of course, it may not always be ideal to leave your windows open for long periods of time. However, if you open your window even before you start frying, and also run your kitchen fan, it should lessen the smell of fried oil.

3. Isolate the frying

If you can, close the doors to your kitchen to isolate your frying space so that the oil smell doesn’t travel through the house. And make sure to close doors to other rooms, too, so that the smell of fried latkes and donuts doesn’t creep into your clothes and closets. Unless, of course, eau de fried potato is your preferred scent!

4. Light some candles

Find that scented candle someone gave you last Chanukah and light it up. If you have an essential oil diffuser or incense, they’ll also work. Open the windows, light some candles and you can even try some fabric deodoriser sprays on your couches or carpet to help neutralise the odour.

5. Get outside!

Literally OK, this tip is less about frying indoors and more just to take your frying outside. If you have a burner on your BBQ, take your pan outside and fry your latkes without fear of that oily smell. If you don’t have a grill (or a burner on your grill), find an electric skillet, plug it in outside and fry away.

This article, by Shannon Sarna, originally appeared on The Nosher, JTA, at myjewishlearning.com/the-nosher