Spending Time In Recreational Settings

Got A Food Odor Issue? An Outdoor Kitchen Can Help

13 March 2019

Wade Moreno

Housing costs in many areas have forced people of all ages into housemate situations. This leads to the usual squabbles over cooking and kitchen use, including the use of smelly foods. You can go two ways here: either one side of the squabble loses out and becomes resentful, or you can look at having a small outdoor kitchen created. With a sturdy awning or overhang to protect the equipment from rain, an outdoor kitchen is the perfect solution for smelly food.

Slow Cookers and Other Long-Simmering Dishes

Slow cookers and dishes that you simmer for a long time on the stove can create lingering smells that some people adore and others despise. Instead of arguing about whether someone can use the slow cooker, put it in the outdoor kitchen. Making chili? Use the outdoor stove. The same goes for any dish that has a very pungent, pervasive smell. For those dishes cooked in an open pan, you can use a splatter-proof screen as a makeshift lid to keep bugs and wind-blown debris away.

Fish: The Smell Most Likely to Linger

You can actually cook fish in ways that don't leave a smell in the kitchen. But if you want a fish dish that will require one of the stinkier cooking methods, take it to the outdoor kitchen. The smell will dissipate quickly when the cooking is done and the pans washed, and you won't be reminded of your fish dinner three days later when you walk into your kitchen.

Durian, and We Are Not Kidding

Foods from around the world, including produce, have become more available in wider areas in the country over the past several years. Foods once found in import sections or specialty markets are making their way into mainstream chains, while those specialty markets are becoming mainstream themselves. If durian has made its way into your area, and you find out one of your new housemates wants to bring some home, you must have freezer space for it. Durian has to be kept frozen because, when allowed to thaw, it lets out a stench that has actually gotten it banned on public transport in Singapore and in various hotels around Asia. The smell can be so bad that it actually stopped a plane from taking off in Indonesia as passengers refused to even board until the fruit cargo was removed.

Yet durian has its fans who adore its taste, if not its smell. And because the fruit can be huge, it can be a problem to store in home freezers. The solution is to place it in a chest freezer in the outdoor kitchen area. Keep the freezer under the kitchen awning so that rain and hail don't damage it.

If you own the house and are renting out rooms, start evaluating space for an outdoor kitchen now. If you're renting a house, ask your landlord about installing an awning and freestanding appliances and tables to create a space that will prevent food odors from taking over the house.

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