1. Handy Kitchen Tips that You cannot Miss : Solutions for all your Problems
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Discussion in 'At Home' started by Kamla, Jun 19, 2006.

  1. meenaprakash

    meenaprakash Silver IL'ite

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    have made note of it, dear!!!!!!!!!!!

    Dear Vmur,

    thanks for the reply.
    I have few sets of table mats & use them regularly.
    planning for a new set of furnitures & I'm surely buying a few liners tooooo.
    Friday, in Blore I did check out some liners & yes, we get liners with lots of designs. I've made a note of them on my shopping list.
    thanks again.

    Love,
     
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  2. Selvi

    Selvi Senior IL'ite

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    Cooking smell?

    Hi ladies,

    I guess most of us in US face this problem..our Indian cooking smell just gets stuck in the house. I thought only in apts it happens because of less air. But even after moving to house and frequent airation (is that a word?) I still feel the oil & cooking smell in my house.

    With agarpathies the smell goes away for a while, but is there any permanent solution for this? Please pour in wonderful ideas. :-D
     
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  3. vmur

    vmur Silver IL'ite

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    Candles-PotPourri

    Hi Selvi,

    One of my cousins was finding it so difficult to sell her house because the buyers complained that the house smelt of Indian food..!!

    I usually light candles in almost every room, esp the kitchen and dining room and if time permits I use pot pourri over weekends. However we have to be careful to keep a watch on it and remember to put it off after 2-3 hours. We get very nice fragrances in candles and pot pourri. Also, buy good quality candles in Target /Bed Bath Beyond/Linens and things. I recollect that those I bought in walmart/dollar store were absolutely useless.

    Remember not to leave the AC on when you are lighting the candles. Leave atleast one window open to let in fresh air.

    I remember seeing a product in one of the stores that advises using a carpet freshener in Vaccum cleaners so when you vaccum the carpet, the smell transfers to the carpet, but I haven't had a chance to use it yet.

    Hope this info was useful.

    Regards
    Vidya
     
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  4. Vandhana

    Vandhana Silver IL'ite

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    Candles absorb odor

    Hi Selvi,

    Vidya is right. Light a few candles and keep it on either side of your stove while cooking. The lighted candles for some reason will absorb all the odours. This has worked for me all the time. I also leave the exhaust blower fan on , while cooking from start to finish. This also takes the smell away from the house.

    Vandhana
     
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  5. Kamla

    Kamla IL Hall of Fame

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    Cooking smells...

    Dear all...

    Well, this is a problem we all share here I guess:) My nice european friends use to tell me it did not matter, they always felt hungry when they entered my house! But jokes apart, it is very annoying to have cooking smells long after having cooked. No matter what we try, agarbattis or scented candles and oils, it only masks the one scent with the other.
    Anyways, another tip from me. This works quite well. After you are done with cooking, boil a pan of water with vinegar for a few minutes. This is supposed to 'absorb' the smells. Also, I use vinegar in the cleaning and mopping water when cleansing the house. Unfortunately, vinegar itself does not smell good! But its, smell does not last long and that's the upside. Give it a try.

    L, Kamla
     
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  6. meenaprakash

    meenaprakash Silver IL'ite

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    pot pourris & candles & vinegars - good tips

    Dear Kamla, Vandhana & Vidya,

    the mails on cooking smells was very useful; especially the tips.
    I'm not sure if my home smells of food. at the time of cooking, YES but after, I don't think so. since I live in an independant house with well ventilated kitchen.
    but it reminds me of our trip to Bangkok, wherein any restaurant / roads would have this typical smell of fish sauce.
     
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  7. Varloo

    Varloo Gold IL'ite

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    Hai,
    how different people the world is full of and how many different cultures and habits. In India, we find the smell of good food so welcoming in a house. But our good smell is bad for many other people.
    Only today, I made CVVK and when the PP was opened, the aroma of the kuzhambu was so delightful , what with rains starting here.
    And, most of us light agarbathis and other incense sticks while doing the pooja every day and during other good functions. But Kerala Christians light the incense sticks near a dead body to remove the bad odour. Archana was brought in a completely such surroundings. She will comment that she associates the smell of incense to funerals always, she could not shake off the feeling.
    It takes all kinds of people to make this world.
    With warm wishes,
    varloo
     
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  8. Kamla

    Kamla IL Hall of Fame

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    True Varloo..

    It is interesting to note and compare the different lifestyles of people all over the world. I feel countries like India and America gives the possibility of observing this within one country. America, as you know, is a melting pot of various nationalities from all over the world. It is fascinating. I think the term 'melting pot' is not apt anymore as various ethnicities seem to flock together here!
    India on the other hand has so many languages, cultures and living habits. The beauty of it being all are 'Indian'!
    As to our woe of smells, it is particularly hard in winter months here where we are unable to keep the doors and windows open due to extreme cold and high heating bills! We also wear lots of scarfs and coats which invariably hangs in the wardrobes and if these are placed inappropriately, you go to work smelling of that day's vathakozhambu! My family used to guess what I was cooking even as they entered the drive way from work and schools:))

    L, Kamla
     
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  9. vmur

    vmur Silver IL'ite

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    Dear Meena,
    In India we never face this problem because our floors are not carpeted. Also, we keep the windows open most of the time. But in the US, the floors are carpeted, so our food smell sticks to the carpet. Also, like Kamla said, we keep the windows closed most of the time because either the heater is running in winter or the AC is in full blast in summer.
    Even in India, if you have a lot of curtains at home , they start smelling after a while of old food.. I have seen these in Delhi especially.
    If it was fresh food, it wouldn't matter at all, in fact it is more inviting, but here in the US we ourselves can't stand the smell because after a day or two it starts smelling of old food. So we have to do something to get rid of the smell by lighting candles and using potpourris.

    Kamla, your anecdote reminded me of my school days. When me and my brother used to come home from school, we used to guess from a few blocks away what my mom was preparing for dinner.. As soon as we enter, we would shriek Murungaikkai sambhar, vengaya vethakuzhambu etc :)

    Regards
    Vidya
     
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  10. meenaprakash

    meenaprakash Silver IL'ite

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    my, there's so much to smell.........

    Dear Vidya,

    I do understand your problems now. like Kamla said, when its all Indian then we might not even think of the food smell. After reading this thread on cooking smells, eveytime I enter the house, I do feel conscious & check out of any smells at all but here it doesn't matter of slight food smells but there it could be different.

    so, how does an american house smell?? or won't they smell at all?? maybe that's why they cook outdoor (barbaque parties, etc) in the gardens???

    Love,
     
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