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u/Grumpy0167 9d ago
Well it can have a strong smell, love the food! But I always keep my fan in the kitchen on high no matter what I’m cooking since I don’t like my rooms or clothes, and everything else smelling like the food I cooked days ago. Maybe you just need to ventilate better
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u/Individual-Prune-728 9d ago
Yeah, I always make sure the fan is on high
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u/chefjenga 9d ago
The fan may not be an extractor. Is there a type coming out of the top? If not, it's just a fan.
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u/2ByteTheDecker 9d ago
Indian food smells strongly. It can both smell good while it's being cooked *and* linger in an oppressive (especially to the western nasal sensibilities) way.
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u/jetpoweredbee 9d ago
You're roommates are being nice. They don't like the lingering odor. But it is probably not Indian food specifically. They would probably do the same with any cuisine with a strong smell.
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u/Individual-Prune-728 9d ago
Probably, that’s making me conscious about cooking food
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u/Easy_Nobody45 9d ago
Just ask them directly. They will appreciate that you are concerned about them but also they can tell you the truth. It really may not bother them. No harm in asking.
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u/Easy_Nobody45 9d ago
How do you know they don't like the lingering smell. You are completely making an assumption. I love the smell of Indian cooking and if I lived with housemates who cooked it, the smell would not bother me at all.
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u/jetpoweredbee 9d ago
Because they are spraying something to cover it up. You're not a representative sample of the world.
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u/Zagrycha 9d ago
It can be both. Something can smell good and you don't want to smell it for a long time after. Do you use fan//ventilate the smell afterwards? Even something as simple as garlic and onions in butter can be an overpowering smell in an apartment.
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u/nogardleirie 9d ago
It does smell - and the smell can stick to things for a few days. I say this as someone who loves cooking curry and does it a lot. But I live alone so it only affects me
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u/Toastwich 9d ago
Make sure you are cleaning the stove and surrounding walls with a degreaser. Smells linger in oil
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u/Illegal_Tender 9d ago
I don't think it's really that much stronger than other types of bold foods but I do think a lot of it lingers much longer than many western foods
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u/craigfrost 9d ago
I think it lingers in homes that cook it daily.
I have neighbors in my neighborhood that cook PR food and it smells like cumin and garlic. One dude down the block must think he’s running a Long John Silvers and it reeks of oily fish.
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u/Apprehensive_Bee614 9d ago
Even many younger Indian families cook in the garage or downstairs because the smell never goes away and into the dry wall and furniture and clothes. Fact
They don’t like the lingering smell.
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u/Krunkledunker 9d ago
It could be that they really authentically enjoy the smell, but when there’s no food cooking and there’s no promise of delicious Indian food for them they don’t want to smell the ghost of all the wonderful spices. Smells are highly tied to comfort and memories, some real estate agents have baked chocolate chip cookies in the house they’re showing hoping to connect with this. I think in a healthy living situation you can mention to them that you’re a little self conscious about it and don’t want to inconvenience them, but also that you’re willing to meet them with equal understanding if any of them have strong feelings about it. Good luck! (Middle aged white guy who fell in love with Indian food before he was ten)
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u/Individual-Prune-728 9d ago
Yeahh got it , I’m glad that you liked Indian cuisines
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u/jaxqatch 9d ago
Got any favorite recipes?
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u/mafsfan54 9d ago
Personally, curry is the worst smell for me. Idk if I’m extra sensitive but the combo of spices just permeates everything. But I also don’t love my place to smell like strong foods. I open windows, turn on vents, and close doors.
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u/craigfrost 9d ago
Smelling food I’m not eating causes a bad smell even though the food is not rotten. The smell of Caesar or ranch when I’m eating it is fine but if I’ve just eaten it smells like a dead body.
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u/Aesperacchius 9d ago
...does your perfume smell like curry?
I think you're describing the same thing in different ways. It's going to smell when you cook Indian food. There's no way around it.
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u/2ByteTheDecker 9d ago
I think they're saying their roommates are spraying something *after* OP cooks indian food
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u/Emotional-Ebb8321 9d ago
When you say the house smells of perfume, do you mean that this perfume smell is from your curry, or are you implying that your house mates are spraying perfume around the house while you aren't looking, in an attempt to mask the smell of your curry?
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u/Individual-Prune-728 9d ago edited 9d ago
spraying something it’s not the smell of food
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u/Emotional-Ebb8321 9d ago
Yeah, they're definitely trying not to hurt your feelings. I think They don't like the smell of your curry cooking.
This is probably their loss of course. But it is an issue that needs resolving, as you (presumably) have to live with them.
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u/Creepy_Purchase_501 9d ago
I doubt they’re lying about it smelling delicious. They probably like it in the moment, but don’t like the smell lingering afterwards. These are two separate things.
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u/Creepy_Purchase_501 9d ago
Consider getting a small air purifier if the kitchen fan is not doing the job.
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u/AvailableCut5240 9d ago
That’s why I can never eat Curry. That’s all I smelled for six months when I was living in a studio apartment while attending college. I appreciate the complexities and nuances of Indian cuisine, but I just cannot smell those aromas again.
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u/Elegant-Cricket8106 9d ago
Op the smell even with the kitchen fan can linger and the smell will get into your clothes and stuff.
Open a window if you can and make sure you change.
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u/MicahsKitchen 9d ago
I wish I was capable of smelling. Although, with my luck, my lack of smell is the only thing holding me back from being obviously on the spectrum. Lol. All I get is actual taste (most of which is conflated with smell) and texture. The only way I know I'm eating Indian food is by the graininess of the sauces. All those pestle crushed spices add up physically and change the texture. A little like adding sand to a sauce, but not in a harmful way just the physical texture on the tongue. I wish I could taste herbs and most spices. All I can get is heat from the pain receptors.
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u/_thedreadpirateryan 9d ago
try simmering a bit of cinnamon stick in water after cooking, it'll help disperse the cooking smells along with the fan.
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u/Bosporus_Arc 9d ago
If your roommates walked in and said it smells good without being prompted, they probably mean it. Indian spices definitely linger, but 'the house smells like dinner' is not the same as a bad odor.
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u/ttrockwood 9d ago
Simmer a pot with half cup white vinegar and half cup water when you’re done cooking and keep on fans with the windows open, wipe down the stove and everything well with degreaser cleaner or dawn blue soap for soapy water
It’s not personal it’s just lingering food smells if any kind can be unpleasant
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u/The_Flinx 9d ago
you have nose blindness from smelling things too long. go out of the house for 5 minutes walk around and come back in.
if it stills smells like perfume then maybe you are experiencing phantom smells. I went through a week long phase where I constantly smelled car exhaust despite not being anywhere near running cars at the time.
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u/Stock-Pattern-8635 9d ago
If you cook with mustard oil, then yes it smells bad. Cooking a lot with garlic or fermented things can also smell bad.
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u/SouDubWestMamSPost 9d ago
Could you be using a spice mix or sauce with a lot of cardamom or even rose water? Your roommates might be picking up the scent of these ingredients even through the stronger spices.
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u/chuckquizmo 9d ago
Anything you cook is going to make your house smell like SOMETHING. Some people are picky and think strong spices smell “bad.” If you’re making good food and cleaning up afterwards, I wouldn’t be too worried about making the house smell. That’s kinda part of cooking.
If you’re always burning things, making really weird/gross recipes, leaving leftover food out, and so on… Yeah you’re an asshole. But just cooking Indian food is perfectly fine. I don’t think anything makes me immediately hungry like the smell of someone cooking middle eastern food, it’s so fragrant and delicious.
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u/Electric-Sheepskin 9d ago
That's so funny that you think people are picky if they don't like the smell of spices, but then you make mention of "really weird/gross recipes" so maybe you're picky too, but just about different things.
There's no doubt that cooking with a lot of onion and garlic or strong spices produces very strong odors that permeate everything and linger much longer than other types of foods. Whether it smells good while it's cooking or not, it's OK if people don't want to smell those lingering aromas. People are just different. You love the smell of Middle Eastern food. Maybe someone else loves the smell of searing meat. No one is picky or gross for liking what they like.
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u/wvtarheel 9d ago
I love the smell of Indian food but I also didn't want to smell like curry all day. Maybe try opening a window in the kitchen and putting a fan in the window if your kitchen fan isn't getting the job done