It’s common knowledge to keep your fingernails short, wash your hands frequently, and cover your hair when handling food.
But while certain things are obvious, others are not, like wearing perfumes when cooking.
So, Should You Cook Your Food Wearing Fragrances?
Some people love to spray themselves with their favorite fragrances before entering the kitchen. Most of them do this to mask the scent of food. However, some report that their perfumes and the smell of food tend to clash with kitchen spices. This produces a pungent smell that many people don’t like. In that case, they tend to avoid spraying altogether.
If you are easily nauseated, you may want to avoid wearing perfumes before you start cooking. The clashing of scents produces a terrible smell that can provoke nausea. However, if you aren’t affected by such scents, there is no problem spraying your fragrance before you step into the kitchen.
Two Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Wear Fragrances While Cooking
Although there are some good reasons for going to the kitchen scented, there are many reasons not to apply perfume when cooking. These are:
1. Clashing Scents
Perfumes and foods tend to have different smells.
For this reason, it is best to avoid wearing your perfume before you step into the kitchen.
If you use a lot of spices in your cooking and wear fragrance before your meal preparation, the scents may mix to form a pungent smell.
This isn’t an issue for most.
However, if you are easily nauseated or have a condition that causes nausea, like pregnancy, you may find it difficult to be in your kitchen.
2. Diluted Scents from Dishes
When you already have perfume on, it can be hard to judge the smell of the food you are preparing.
Many people use several spices to add flavor and scent to food. Most want to smell the aroma of their food to know whether they are doing the recipe right.
But, when you have your body perfume on, you can’t get the authentic smell coming from your food as the two will be competing.
Can You Naturally “Fragrance Your Kitchen”?
Yes. Your kitchen should smell inviting and comforting.
Of course, food smells from ingredients like garlic and onion may smell nice when preparing dinner.
But if the smell lingers afterward, you may find it uncomfortable when making your coffee the following day.
A lingering smell can ruin a kitchen’s temperature even if the space looks good. For this reason, many people turn to store-bought fragrances to help them remove odor.
But because most of them are made of harsh chemicals and only tend to mask odors, they can make your space smell worse than before.
Thankfully, there are many DIY scents you can create using natural ingredients. Let’s look at some of them.
1. Make a Homemade Air Freshener
You can do that in a hob or a jar.
If making the scent in a hob, start by filling a pan with water and fragrant ingredients like slices of oranges and garden herbs like Thyme and Rosemary.
Then, boil the water and reduce to allow it to simmer for some minutes.
Please check the water frequently, as you may need to add it. After, let the mixture cool and strain it into a spray bottle, then use it as a room mist.
If making in a jar, add ½ of baking soda in a jar and 20-30 drops of your favorite essential oil. You can buy these oils from drug stores.
Once you mix them, place a piece of paper over the jar’s opening and close it with an elastic band. If you feel the smell has gone down, shake the jar to get a more fresh scent.
2. Manage Waste Effectively
Waste is one of the things that can make your kitchen smell bad.
Make sure to clean and take out the trash regularly.
Also, remember to sprinkle some soda bicarbonate into your bin after you change to help absorb bad smells.
What Other Kitchen Do’s and Don’ts Should You Know?
Whether you decide to wear your perfume in the kitchen or not, you need to know about kitchen safety practices to ensure that you prepare safe and healthy food.
Did you know that the American Dietetic Association says that over 300,000 people are hospitalized yearly from food poisoning?
Here are some safety tips to consider;
1. Wash Your Hands Regularly
Well, this should go without saying. But believe it or not, many forget to wash their hands before cooking and finishing.
However, our hands carry millions of bacteria and viruses.
When these enter the food, they can cause food poisoning.
So, ensure that you wash your hands using hot soapy water.
Avoid using a cotton towel to dry your hands after washing as it can re-introduce new bacteria.
2. Use a Scrub Brush to Clean Fruits and Vegetables
Washing foods with running water alone doesn’t eliminate all the dirt.
But since you can’t and shouldn’t use soap to wash them, use a scrub brush to remove all dirt and bacteria.
This brush will help you get to the ridges and clean your product correctly.
Therefore, bacteria will not spread from the fruit or vegetable to the knife when cutting it. But make sure you use a sterilized brush.
3. Wipe Spills Immediately
Your kitchen floors need to be dry at all times to prevent you from slipping and falling.
Wet spills increase your risk of falling, which can lead to injuries.
To prevent this, ensure you wipe off spills immediately. This also helps prevent stains from forming, which can lead to discoloration.
4. Avoid Washing Meat and Poultry
It’s a common practice for people to rinse raw meat and poultry.
But doing so can spread bacteria.
Bear in mind that washing meat doesn’t kill bacteria.
In fact, it leaves traces of them in your sink.
In Conclusion
You can wear fragrance when cooking.
But it is not necessary, and it can interfere with the smell of food cooking.
It’s the same as going to a wine-tasting event and wearing a scent that interferes with your sense of smell.
However, if you apply perfume, choose light ones that won’t affect the smell of cooked or baked foods that much.